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Architect

Did You Know?

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, a 19th-century French architect, not only restored medieval buildings (like Notre-Dame and Mont Saint-Michel) but also published over 100 works on architectural theory. His writings influenced modern architects, including Le Corbusier and Louis Sullivan.

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FIRST STEPS

How to Get Started

Getting started as an architect begins with curiosity about buildings, spaces, and how people use them every day. Noticing how places are designed, sketching ideas, and thinking about how design can solve problems are simple ways to explore this path. Creativity, problem-solving, and a willingness to keep learning are the first steps toward becoming an architect.

Explore the Basics

Look around your home or neighborhood and notice different buildings and what makes each one special. Pay attention to details such as the building's shape, the materials used, where windows and doors are placed, and the structure's height or width. Think about why each building was designed the way it is and how it helps the people who use it feel safe, comfortable, or welcome.

Try It Out

Build structures using blocks, LEGOs, or recycled materials to see what makes them strong or tall. Try building the same structure in different ways and notice which designs stay standing the longest. This helps you learn how shapes, balance, and support matter when creating buildings.

Join the Community

Go on a building walk and look for different types of buildings, noticing shapes, colors, and materials. Pay attention to how some buildings are tall while others are wide, and how materials like brick, wood, or glass affect how a building looks. This helps you start thinking like an architect by observing design choices in the real world

WATCH & LEARN

How to Become a Architect

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CURATED LEARNING RESOURCES

Explore more resources for a future Architect

Book
The LEGO® Architect

The LEGO® Architect

Tom Alphin

Why We Picked It

Using LEGO bricks, this book walks kids and parents through seven architectural styles — from Neoclassical to Modernism — with step-by-step mini-builds.

Career Connection

Architects study historical styles to understand structural principles, and building a Neoclassical facade or Modernist cantilever in LEGO makes those concepts tangible and hands-on.

Book
Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life and Ideas (47) (For Kids series)

Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life and Ideas (47) (For Kids series)

Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen

Why We Picked It

This biography pairs Wright's groundbreaking designs with 21 hands-on projects — from stained-glass windows to prairie-style models — so readers learn by doing.

Career Connection

Wright studied how nature's patterns inform structure, and these projects teach kids the same site-observation and design-iteration process that working architects follow.

Book
Cool Architecture: 50 fantastic facts for kids of all ages

Cool Architecture: 50 fantastic facts for kids of all ages

Simon Armstrong

Why We Picked It

Fast-paced fact boxes, quirky trivia, and eye-catching graphics turn surprising architectural stories into memorable, bite-sized design lessons.

Career Connection

Architects draw inspiration from surprising places, and this book trains the same curiosity and critical thinking about design that sparks innovative professional work.

Continue Your Journey

Keep exploring everything this career has to offer.