Architect Companies

Architects on Exchange

An architect designs buildings and takes professional responsibility for the drawings that get built. In every North American jurisdiction and across Australia the title is legally protected: only a registered or licensed architect may use it, seal drawings, and hold themselves out as offering architectural services. That registration is personal rather than corporate, which is why architecture firms are structured as professional corporations, PLLCs or design professional service corporations rather than as ordinary companies in most states.

The work spans more than design. Architects run feasibility and zoning analysis before a site is bought, produce the schematic, design development and construction documents a permit is issued against, coordinate the structural, mechanical, electrical, civil and specialist consultants, administer the construction contract, review submittals and payment applications, and certify substantial completion. On a well-run project the architect is the party holding the design intent together while twenty other firms change parts of it.

Practice types

Firms in this directory range across the discipline. Institutional and healthcare practices work on hospitals, laboratories, schools and civic buildings where programme complexity and code compliance dominate. Commercial and workplace practices handle office, retail, hospitality and mixed-use. Residential architects work on single houses, multifamily and increasingly on missing-middle and infill housing. Adaptive reuse and preservation specialists convert industrial, office and heritage stock, which is currently one of the busiest categories in the industry. Interior architecture, landscape architecture and multi-discipline architecture-engineering firms round out the field.

What to check before engaging an architect

Verify current registration with the state or provincial board, and confirm the firm itself is authorised to offer services in the jurisdiction — an individually registered architect at a firm without a certificate of authority is a common and consequential gap. Ask for professional liability insurance limits, because the architect's exposure is a standard-of-care claim rather than a warranty. Ask which phases the fee covers: a fee that stops at permit leaves construction administration — the phase where most cost is decided — unpaid and therefore unperformed. And ask for built work in the same building type and jurisdiction, since code and approvals expertise is not portable in the way design skill is.

Related trades

Architects work alongside engineers, general contractors, owner's project managers, interior designers and consultants — or list your own practice free through the Add a Listing page.

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Frequently asked questions

What does an architect actually do on a project?

Feasibility and zoning analysis, schematic design, design development and construction documents, consultant coordination across structural, mechanical, electrical and civil disciplines, permit filing, and construction contract administration including submittal review, site observation, payment certification and substantial completion. The design is the visible part; coordination and contract administration are where most of the value sits.

Is 'architect' a protected title?

Yes. In every US state, Canadian province and Australian state, only a person registered or licensed by the relevant board may use the title architect, seal drawings or offer architectural services. Registration is personal, which is why firms must generally be professional corporations or equivalent entities rather than ordinary companies.

Do I need an architect or can an engineer or designer stamp my drawings?

It depends on the jurisdiction and the building type. Many states allow a professional engineer to seal work within their competence and exempt small residential structures from any sealed drawing requirement. Larger, assembly, institutional and multifamily buildings generally require an architect. Check the local building department's requirements before commissioning drawings.

How are architects paid?

Commonly a percentage of construction cost, a fixed fee, or hourly with a not-to-exceed cap - and often a mix by phase. The important question is which phases the fee covers. A proposal that stops at permit issuance excludes construction administration, which is the phase where most cost and quality outcomes are actually decided.

What insurance should an architecture firm carry?

Professional liability, sized to the project. The architect's exposure is a negligence standard-of-care claim rather than a warranty of results, so the policy limit and whether it is per-claim or aggregate both matter. General liability and, where employees are involved, workers' compensation are separate and also expected by most institutional clients.

How do I verify an architect's registration?

Through the state, provincial or national registration board's public register, which lists the individual's status and any disciplinary history. Verify the firm separately - many jurisdictions require a certificate of authority or firm registration before a practice may offer services, and an individually registered architect at an unauthorised firm is a common gap.