Many national governments and states have a

public official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of the ...

titled the state architect or government architect. The specific duties and areas of responsibility of state architects vary, but they generally involve responsibility for the design and/or construction of public buildings in the state. The state architect and subordinates typically form an organizational unit variously named the Division of the State Architect, Office of the State Architect, or similar.

Functions

Specific functions vary from state to state, but may include: * Preparing designs and

specifications A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard. There are different types of technical or engineering specificati ...

for small and moderate-sized state-owned

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...

projects * Selecting and overseeing the work of

architectural firm In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countr ...

s contracted by the state to prepare designs and specifications for larger state-owned building projects * Reviewing and approving designs prepared by private-sector architects for "critical" buildings owned by political subdivisions of the state such as

schools A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of ...

, police stations,

fire stations __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire hos ...

, and/or

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

s * Participating in the development of state

building codes A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for construction objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permissi ...

and

regulations Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...

* Developing and managing

capital budget Capital budgeting in corporate finance, corporate planning and accounting is an area of capital management that concerns the planning process used to determine whether an organization's long term capital Fixed investment, investments such as new ...

s for state building

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

programs * Providing or coordinating

inspection An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation exercise. In engineering activities inspection involves the measurements, tests, and gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity. ...

programs for state building projects The Division of the State Architect is typically separate from the

licensing A license (American English) or licence ( Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another par ...

board that examines and licenses practicing architects in the state.

History

United States

Isaac G. Perry Isaac Gale Perry (1822–1904) was a prolific New York State architect and Real estate developer, builder. His works include New York State Inebriate Asylum, Phelps Mansion and the First National Bank of Oxford. Life and career Isaac G. ...

is considered to have been the first state architect in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 1883, governor

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

appointed Perry to oversee construction activities at the state capitol. Although his official title was "Capitol Commissioner", by the mid- to late 1880s Perry had oversight responsibility for all state government building programs and he was commonly referred to as the "State Architect". The state legislature officially created the Office of the State Architect in 1899, and after Perry retired that same year, governor

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

appointed George L. Heins to fill the position. Heins served until his death in 1907, and was succeeded by Franklin B. Ware. Ware held the position until 1912, when he was removed from office and replaced by Herman Hoefer. Lewis Pilcher was appointed to replace Hoefer in 1913, and held the position until 1923. New York created an official Department of Architecture in 1914, during Pilcher's service. In

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, the Office of the State Architect (now Division of the State Architect) was created by the Field Act, which authorized the new office to develop design standards and quality control procedures for architectural work. George Sellon was the first State Architect for California

Chester (Chet) A. Widom was the last state architect but retired in early 2019, and the current acting state architect is Ida Clair

Australia

Currently there is a government architect in each Australian state, with the exception of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. Although their role differs from state to state, it generally includes the general objective to improve the design of public buildings and spaces and to enhance the quality of the built environment. Since 1832 in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

there was a position of Colonial Architect responsible for public works. In 1890 it was renamed to Government Architect. The

Queensland Colonial Architect The Queensland Government Architect is a position within the public service of Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and t ...

position was established in 1859. A government architect position named Principal Architect was created in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

in 1891. The Northern Territory Government Architect role was first established in 2004, while in Victoria the role was first established in 2005."Profile: Geoffrey London"
in ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'', 3 December 2008

Requirements

Requirements vary from state to state, but usually state architects are required to be licensed to practice the profession of architecture in the state in question and to be a legal resident of that state. Because the job often involves managing large staffs, projects, and budgets, state architects are usually senior members of the architectural profession.

References

External links

State Architect of Ohio

Tennessee State Architect
{{DEFAULTSORT:State Architect Architecture in the United States Architecture occupations State government agencies in the United States Government occupations