The Work

The building and construction industry employs a range of people from the highly skilled architect and civil engineer to skilled craftsmen and unskilled labourers.

ARCHITECT

The architect is responsible for the planning, designing and supervision of construction works. The architect consults clients, plans layouts of structures and prepares sketches of proposed buildings.

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNER

The primary task of the town and country planner is to ensure the best utilization of land. Design layouts, coordination of development of towns, cities and colonies, taking into consideration various aspects such as financial resources, location of residential areas, industries, schools, parks, etc. is all taken care of by the planner. 

The town and country planner may have to conduct field surveys and studies to collect necessary information relating to geographical conditions of a place. The final task is to present the plan in the form of a model, chart, or sketches.

CIVIL ENGINEER

Engineers in the construction industry are concerned with the conversion of designs, or plans, into
reality. They organize and supervise the construction of civil engineering works related to the provisions of roads, bridges, tunnels and other transportation facilities, repair and maintenance of buildings, and sanitation systems. The engineers employed in the building and construction industry are usually civil engineers. 

The civil engineer conducts a detailed survey of the proposed site, investigates the technical and economic factors involved, and prepares designs. The engineer is also responsible for the purchase of materials and equipment to be used.

CONTRACTERS

Contractors have the function of coordinating and managing an entire construction project and assuming full responsibility for its completion at a time and cost specified in the contract. There are building contractors who look after modifications, additions, construction or repairs of buildings.

Highway contractors construct roads, streets, parkways, highways, bridges, etc. Heavy construction and utilities contractors construct railroad, irrigation, flood control, and waterpower development projects, dams, harbors, industrial sites, etc. 

There are special trade contractors who handle specific skills such as electrical work, roofing, painting. etc. Contractors have their own work force. The classification is based on the cost of the contract, and the job to be undertaken.

DRAUGHTSMAN

A draughtsman usually works along with an architect and prepares drawings for buildings, roads, bridges, dams, etc. This requires some preliminary drawings to be prepared according to the information and data available. After the approval of the drawings by the client, the draughtsman prepares the final site plan with detailed information like sections of structures/roads, floor plans and other specifications, keeping in mind the local laws of construction.

SURVEYOR

A surveyor has to complete preliminaries required for the construction activity, land surveying. A surveyor's work is to take linear and angular measurements of land, applying the principles of geometry. This is done to ensure that the location and layout of the building or project is feasible, given the topography of the area. Only when the survey is complete can any construction work commence. 

The survey of buildings, highways, railways, canals, drains, and large-scale surveys of cities and towns related to construction, has to be undertaken by the surveyor. The surveyor's work is usually outdoors and involves the use of various types of instruments and equipment. The work can often become tedious when a survey is undertaken on difficult terrain under adverse physical and climatic conditions.

SKILLED CRAFTSMEN

There are a number of skilled trades required in the construction business. These fall broadly into
three classifications: structural, finishing and mechanical electrical. Structural. work is carved out by carpenters, bricklayers, stonemasons; welders, etc. 

Those handling finishing work include lathers, marble setters, tile setters, painters, roofers, etc. For mechanical and electrical work there are plumbers, pipe fitters, air-conditioning mechanics, electricians, sheet metal workers, etc.

There are also a large number of construction laborers employed on construction sites that perform various tasks such as loading and unloading of material, mixing of mortar, etc. Generally these persons are employed on daily wages, and no educational qualifications are needed for such work.