What is the difference between a Building Designer and an Architect?
This is a good question that we get asked often. There are many varied opinions of which design profession to use. Both professions can perform the same role designing, documenting, and managing the delivery of building projects.

Firstly, in Australia, building regulations are managed by each state, not by the commonwealth government. Each state or territory of Australia will have its own requirements for who you can use to provide documentation for your project, so it is worth confirming what the requirement is before engaging your consultant.

Both Building Designers and Architects have the ability to apply their creativity to design and provide technical documentation for a project. Both may be involved throughout the construction process, sometimes acting as the 'contract administrator'.

What is a Building Designer?
A Building Designer is a design practitioner who plans and designs buildings, ranging from homes to commercial spaces.

In Queensland, Building Designers are required to be licensed under the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) and must meet specific minimum qualifications and experience requirements to ensure they can create safe, functional, and compliant designs. Dependant on the class of licence they have, they may be limited on the type and scale of development they can work on.

In other states such as Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales, different licencing requirements may apply to practice as a Building Designer.

What is an Architect?
Just like a Building Designer, an Architect is a design practitioner who plans and designs buildings, ranging from homes to commercial spaces.

For a design practitioner to legally use the protected term 'Architect', they must have completed the relevant masters degree, have relevant experience, and passed the Architectural Practice Examination to be registered by the Board of Architects in the state that they practice.

Who should I engage?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Both Building Designers and Architects can provide great design outcomes and documentation for your project. When making a choice of who you want to work with, you should consider their experience, their accomplishments, someone who’s previous work appeals to you, how well you can work with them, and the value they provide in delivering their service.

The best choice for who you use to design your project should be based on who you can collaborate with, who will provide the design style that you like, who will be able to deliver the services you require, and who will provide design services that suit your budget.