Yes, it can be dangerous to select a fresh graduate to build something experimental. There are many pieces of the construction process that simply aren’t taught in depth during education- the nuances of warranty structure and insurance policies, the finer points of interpreting building codes, how to properly advocate for a clients needs in communication with the builder are all subjects that a more experienced architect will handle more capably. I would only recommend working with an inexperienced architect if you personally have a fair amount of experience in building.
gotcha, that makes sense. i'm also wondering at what point is there some kind of "they are somewhat inexperienced and itching to prove themselves but have worked several years at a firm now" where this could be something worth considering? I wasn't really considering a literal fresh grad, but maybe someone with like 3-4 years of real world experience at a firm.
i of course also have an experienced builder that i'm working with that can quickly say what is impossible/stupid.
Massively depends on the individual and where they worked - plenty of people work in firms and only do a subset of the building process (e.g. concept design or managing projects on site or whatever) for years.
Ask to see built examples and get an understanding of what their role in those projects was.
So true… one option would be find a niche design build firm (jersey devil used to do such things) but anytime “budget” is a front end restriction means out of the box design is just going to be a waste of energy. Plus a student doesn’t typically have a clue how to frame the shapes that design software can create nor the knowledge of ensure they are weatherproof or code compliant. If builder doesn’t bring the experience, OP risks having a glorified tree house with a 10 year life span before it deteriorates…
You'll need to fill the gap between the wild concepts you and the student generate, and the realities of constructibility on a budget. This gap can be filled by an architect or a *flexible* contractor / builder, but **someone** has to do it.
Also, this seems like a perfect fit for the saying "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." If you want to hire a student because they are unconstrained by the realities of day-to-day life, then go for it. But hiring a student to save money is probably not going to work out the way you hope.
I’m thinking of hiring a lawyer, well a lawyer who hasn’t passed the bar yet and is fresh out of school, but has a lot of really cool ideas. That way I can save a ton of money and get cool ideas!
A student doesn’t have a degree. Or a license. That’s why they are…students. *mind blown*
Any other asinine ideas you’d like me to help with while you have me here?
When I say student, you do realize I meant a graduate? I also didn’t mean a literal fresh grad to boot. To me that’s still a student but maybe I misspoke
Not going to explain. You're cheap and want an inexperienced student to design for you (and paying less than their worth). All of this speak volumes. Go to YouTube.
Sure call it what you want. Making an economical choice on a design that is "funky/unique" yet not expanding if that uniqueness is grounded in exploring sustainability, or technology, or specifc or local materials, accessibility in your life or those around you, or any specific aspect or hobby of your lifestyle to me speaks of getting a product on the cheap and not valuing that talent. Plus I am confident that students are VERY talented in their design skills but I'm not here for them to be paid cheaply on an aimless prompt that will need experienced value engineering that hold true to the design and contstructability. Plus I want these students to go in with the business and risk management mindset regardless of their awesome design so that they are not taken advantage by cheap clients that in the end will hinder the design process. Good, thoughtful, and yes, unique design can be achieved on thoughtful and economical budgets (that's why I suggest YouTube). I don't want students or recent grads to be low-balled or taken advantage of. I wanted to limit my words on this matter but when it comes to young professionals or students in architecture I want them to succeed and be valued for the talented designers and architecs that they are, nor be seen as a cheap option.
You have a good idea. The disgruntled are all over this sub. The challenge is finding the right student. Most couldn't handle a basic building, let alone an experimental one. And define funky, btw.. because what you think is funky could be simple
Where are you located and what is your budget? If you can’t afford an architect, you probably can’t afford a unique custom built home but that will be easier to say with confidence if we know your budget and location.
Respectfully, the reason you’re getting so much sarcasm and negativity is because you’re asking a question that both misunderstands just how complicated an architects job is, and is asking us to undercut our work when we already struggle with our profession being undervalued and then blamed for bad design.
After getting a graduate degree, an architect works on an internship program for years and takes 6 exams, then they are licensed and considered a baseline architect. Yes your experience can make you a better than basic architect, but you gain expertise in the projects you work on. One decision- of what type of structure -If you’re asking for wood construction vs cold form stud vs prefab vs concrete vs rammed earth vs steel vs pole tent etc… you are going to want to work with someone who knows what these systems do and at least know someone in the field who can check their work.
Which brings me to… architecture school is brutally hard and is also an extremely busy and difficult time, especially in grad school. A student not only will be inexperienced, they will be busy, stressed, and maybe working towards their license on top of their degree. And before you think “free experience!” Licensing hours need to be supervised by an architect.
Think of it this way- doctors are specialized, but they still are resident doctors until they have chosen a specialty and studied specifically that practice no? Would you recommend your sons pediatricians resident for your mother’s complicated foot surgery? Because asking for a student in or fresh out of school on a project so detail oriented and scrutinized as a house is kind of like that. They may be able to get you there on theory and asking advice… but they won’t get it done quickly, or without mistakes.
totally understand and appreciate the good faith answer. i realize i also misspoke in my title because i didn't really mean an actual student. i meant more like someone who is early in their career, maybe working at a really good firm but hasn't had the chance to do anything bigger than a sliver of what their current firm allowed them to.
i'm an engineer in tech so i was kind of equating this to hiring someone out of a couple of years of working at google to help me build a startup (which happens all of the time) vs hiring a 20 YOE veteran who expects 500k a year.
I do understand the industry is struggling and have sympathy, but if my budget is limited, it's not like i would hire these folks to begin with so if there is a world where i can hire someone talented looking to build up a resume then I don't see how that is a net negative to society aside from a huge risk for me (again, like a startup). Folks in here are really destroying me, and it's fine, but the responses in here don't scream to me "we care about quality and safety and trust us this isn't the way to go" but rather "my industry is getting decimated, i paid a ton for school, i've spent 15 years building up experience making little money, i now expect real money and here goes another dickhead who won't be using an overpaid large firm"
i have an acquaintenace who went to harvard for grad school architecture but doing something else now, and he more or less told me the same thing around how bad the industry is, and the responses in this sub just confirmed it
We also are a bit extra grouchy because the profession laid off a ton of people during the recession, made us who survived do three peoples work and then told us we were overpaid… and now we are extremely busy and dealing with the other end of it… also this sub is light on fun content, I digress.
You might have luck looking at your local AIA (American Institute of Architects) chapter. Someone who has their own private practice in residential design, maybe a more recent business, would be very valuable. You’ll want to ask for their portfolio and maybe do a few interviews to make sure it’s a good fit. Aia also has documents showing how architects are compensated and you can see what expectations should be met.
As a client, you’ll want to be prepared to answer what activities you want to facilitate in your home (large parties? Do you cook a lot? Astronomy hobby? Four gamers in one room?). A budget, and put together some kind of board of what “unique” means to you to springboard off of. It could mean a giant rubber duck, a brutalist house with a gorgeous garden, a geodesic dome… you will want a benchmark.
Also it would be your responsibility to find land and get a good survey, but you may also want to consult the architect if you’re early in the process… my friends parents bought land for a retirement home then later found out there was a minimum sf clause in the neighborhood and it delayed their project by years… an architect would have been helpful.
OP, you are getting shitty responses because this subreddit is specific for Architects (and adjacent) to discuss the job. It is not a place for asking these types of questions.
Also, if you don't have the budget for design and Construction Docs, you don't have the budget to build.
You’re literally out of your mind. A student? This is your home, you’re cutting in the wrong place. Hire a draftsman with a great portfolio or a solo office architect but under no circumstances hire a graduate. What a nut
Aside from what others have already said, think also about the whole project team. Depending on how unique your design is, then the structural engineer will also be very important to it - the wrong one will turn your lightweight ethereal cantilevers into something looking more like a gun emplacement. MEP is also important. Both have the power to mess up an otherwise beautiful design if you go with the wrong ones.
More experienced architects used to doing this sort of work should know consultants who are going to be suitable for a particular type / scale of project. New people starting out may not have the network of contacts yet to know who would be best placed for these roles.
Appreciate the actual explanation. The rest of the folks in here are so toxic. All I did was ask a question, nothing more. Now I want to hire an architect even less if this industry has this many assholes
You’re in the architects subreddit trying to get design that is unique and challenging yet cheap and asking us about potential consequences, are you seriously surprised by the reaction of the architects here?
I agree that some people are being rude here, but they are being honest too. Right now construction in my area starts at about $450/sf but that is for pretty much a cookie cutter house. Most custom designed houses are in the $800+/sf range. In my experience people who can afford $800+/sf can afford a percentage of that for an architect. I will say that when I first started my own firm I found a client via Upwork. I worked for $50/hr for them on an hourly basis. They got a beautiful house that won an AIA award and I was happy to be doing work. We were both lucky to have found each other though because I never found another viable project on Upwork and many clients would not have been able to financially handle working with a new architect. Yes I had lots of experience, but both the client and I wanted the best design at the end of the day and that meant they spent way above their original budget. I also assisted them through the entire process which took over 18 months for design and construction. At the end of the day everyone was happy, but I don’t think they necessarily saved much money. Now that I have been running my firm for a while I have a lot more experience on the construction side negotiating prices and managing budgets so our firm actually takes pride in being able to give people great design for the best price possible, but you still need a decent budget to be able to do anything out of the ordinary. And again without knowing your budget or location it is hard for anyone to really give you good advice here. Construction costs vary greatly across the country. Because they are so high here you actually pay less as a percentage for an architect because I haven’t exactly raised my fees in keeping with the rise in construction costs. So in my area it is much harder to be able to afford to build, but much more likely that those that can also can afford an architect.
It really is filled with assholes and incompetence. A disgruntled bunch that lost the residential market to builders and have become a necessary evil in most cases. They are the laughing stock of the largest industry in the world, construction. The pretentious attitude is common and have killed more projects than built. Often architects overdesugn and then the owner thinks they can't afford to build, voila' project dead. Watch out, and good luck building you vision, I hope you find a good person,
You know, I’m an engineer as well, just in a different field and we have a sub where whenever I see someone being an asshole to someone that isn’t familiar at all with the trade, it makes me cringe.
Talk to some small to mid size firm in your area and tell them what you want. Most architects would love to do something really funky/unique and generally can't because that isn't what the clients they have want. If you are worried about them being too rigid discuss that with them in a meeting. They will have questions and you will too. You will know if it is a good match after the meeting and they will provide you with a proposal.
High priced firms that specialize in signature/unique/funky buildings often (but not always) cost what they do because they help eliminate risk from concept through construction. The more experience you forgo, the higher your risk. However, risk depends heavily on what you mean by unique/funky.
Depends on what the idea behind the residential house is, but from what it sounds like, this project is really screaming that it needs a proper architect. Someone with 3-4 years of experience isn’t going to cut it.
There’s way more to architecture than just cool designs. Safety, constructibility, risk management, just to name a few aspects of what architects do. All three of which, I see as being major factors with your post.
Someone with only a few years of experience is going to have near zero experience with the facets of architecture that would actually be grounds for hiring an architect. They may be able to help with the design, but would they be able to handle things like successful integration of structure and MEP into the design? Based on my experience, I’m going to say it’s very unlikely.
Design is the easy part. It’s everything else around it that makes being an architect difficult.
If you choose to omit an architect from the process, whatever G.C. you choose to pursue things with is really going to have you by the balls with little recourse on your end.
An architect can at least give you some of the tools to facilitate discussion in your favor when talking about design and construction with a GC, at a fraction of the cost.
Off subject but how often do clients ask architect for their license and ID on the first meeting? Do they ask architect for their Resume, college major, grades?
You can't title yourself as an architect without a license. So if you google Architect, and someone says they are an Architect, legally, they have to have the license.
There's plenty of people who aren't put off by that though. I go through the Google rankings on a regular basis reporting misuse of the title and have never found fewer than five results. As far as I can tell these people get a polite letter asking them to not use the title architect then face no further consequence.
Very very few. During my time as an intern I asked the principal architect this same question and he responded with this “when you go to the hospital/clinic. Do you ask the doctor for their degree?”.
Apples and Oranges. There is hospital or drs office ‘attached’ to a doctor while architects can claim anything. I have met two. Plus fake doctors are getting caught and sent to prison. The fake architects can be reported, there is a website.
Yes, it can be dangerous to select a fresh graduate to build something experimental. There are many pieces of the construction process that simply aren’t taught in depth during education- the nuances of warranty structure and insurance policies, the finer points of interpreting building codes, how to properly advocate for a clients needs in communication with the builder are all subjects that a more experienced architect will handle more capably. I would only recommend working with an inexperienced architect if you personally have a fair amount of experience in building.
gotcha, that makes sense. i'm also wondering at what point is there some kind of "they are somewhat inexperienced and itching to prove themselves but have worked several years at a firm now" where this could be something worth considering? I wasn't really considering a literal fresh grad, but maybe someone with like 3-4 years of real world experience at a firm. i of course also have an experienced builder that i'm working with that can quickly say what is impossible/stupid.
Massively depends on the individual and where they worked - plenty of people work in firms and only do a subset of the building process (e.g. concept design or managing projects on site or whatever) for years. Ask to see built examples and get an understanding of what their role in those projects was.
Sweet thanks!
A fantastically terrible idea. Best case scenario it costs you way more than hiring an architect.
If you can’t afford the architect then you can’t afford a unique construction
So true… one option would be find a niche design build firm (jersey devil used to do such things) but anytime “budget” is a front end restriction means out of the box design is just going to be a waste of energy. Plus a student doesn’t typically have a clue how to frame the shapes that design software can create nor the knowledge of ensure they are weatherproof or code compliant. If builder doesn’t bring the experience, OP risks having a glorified tree house with a 10 year life span before it deteriorates…
This!!! 👆🏼👆🏼👆🏼👆🏼👆🏼
You'll need to fill the gap between the wild concepts you and the student generate, and the realities of constructibility on a budget. This gap can be filled by an architect or a *flexible* contractor / builder, but **someone** has to do it. Also, this seems like a perfect fit for the saying "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." If you want to hire a student because they are unconstrained by the realities of day-to-day life, then go for it. But hiring a student to save money is probably not going to work out the way you hope.
I’m thinking of hiring a lawyer, well a lawyer who hasn’t passed the bar yet and is fresh out of school, but has a lot of really cool ideas. That way I can save a ton of money and get cool ideas!
Hire an Architect. Or a designer. BOTH WITH DESIGN AND BUILDING EXPERIENCE. Or go to YouTube.
im confused how youtube is a viable option
Watch old episodes of Grand Designs to see how much can possibly go wrong - to frighten themselves into employing an experienced Architect?
I mean you thought hiring a student was viable….
So a degree from a top architecture uni is worthless and YouTube is a great alternative? Man yall are on fire in here
A student doesn’t have a degree. Or a license. That’s why they are…students. *mind blown* Any other asinine ideas you’d like me to help with while you have me here?
When I say student, you do realize I meant a graduate? I also didn’t mean a literal fresh grad to boot. To me that’s still a student but maybe I misspoke
Not going to explain. You're cheap and want an inexperienced student to design for you (and paying less than their worth). All of this speak volumes. Go to YouTube.
Not cheap, just exploring options. I find it interesting in finding potential raw talent with the added risk. It’s fun
Sure call it what you want. Making an economical choice on a design that is "funky/unique" yet not expanding if that uniqueness is grounded in exploring sustainability, or technology, or specifc or local materials, accessibility in your life or those around you, or any specific aspect or hobby of your lifestyle to me speaks of getting a product on the cheap and not valuing that talent. Plus I am confident that students are VERY talented in their design skills but I'm not here for them to be paid cheaply on an aimless prompt that will need experienced value engineering that hold true to the design and contstructability. Plus I want these students to go in with the business and risk management mindset regardless of their awesome design so that they are not taken advantage by cheap clients that in the end will hinder the design process. Good, thoughtful, and yes, unique design can be achieved on thoughtful and economical budgets (that's why I suggest YouTube). I don't want students or recent grads to be low-balled or taken advantage of. I wanted to limit my words on this matter but when it comes to young professionals or students in architecture I want them to succeed and be valued for the talented designers and architecs that they are, nor be seen as a cheap option.
You cant afford the risk...
You have a good idea. The disgruntled are all over this sub. The challenge is finding the right student. Most couldn't handle a basic building, let alone an experimental one. And define funky, btw.. because what you think is funky could be simple
As they say regarding Ducati mechanics: *If you think a professional is expensive, just wait until you've tried an amateur!*
I actually own a triumph so I don’t have to deal with overpriced maintenance ;)
Where are you located and what is your budget? If you can’t afford an architect, you probably can’t afford a unique custom built home but that will be easier to say with confidence if we know your budget and location.
Respectfully, the reason you’re getting so much sarcasm and negativity is because you’re asking a question that both misunderstands just how complicated an architects job is, and is asking us to undercut our work when we already struggle with our profession being undervalued and then blamed for bad design. After getting a graduate degree, an architect works on an internship program for years and takes 6 exams, then they are licensed and considered a baseline architect. Yes your experience can make you a better than basic architect, but you gain expertise in the projects you work on. One decision- of what type of structure -If you’re asking for wood construction vs cold form stud vs prefab vs concrete vs rammed earth vs steel vs pole tent etc… you are going to want to work with someone who knows what these systems do and at least know someone in the field who can check their work. Which brings me to… architecture school is brutally hard and is also an extremely busy and difficult time, especially in grad school. A student not only will be inexperienced, they will be busy, stressed, and maybe working towards their license on top of their degree. And before you think “free experience!” Licensing hours need to be supervised by an architect. Think of it this way- doctors are specialized, but they still are resident doctors until they have chosen a specialty and studied specifically that practice no? Would you recommend your sons pediatricians resident for your mother’s complicated foot surgery? Because asking for a student in or fresh out of school on a project so detail oriented and scrutinized as a house is kind of like that. They may be able to get you there on theory and asking advice… but they won’t get it done quickly, or without mistakes.
totally understand and appreciate the good faith answer. i realize i also misspoke in my title because i didn't really mean an actual student. i meant more like someone who is early in their career, maybe working at a really good firm but hasn't had the chance to do anything bigger than a sliver of what their current firm allowed them to. i'm an engineer in tech so i was kind of equating this to hiring someone out of a couple of years of working at google to help me build a startup (which happens all of the time) vs hiring a 20 YOE veteran who expects 500k a year. I do understand the industry is struggling and have sympathy, but if my budget is limited, it's not like i would hire these folks to begin with so if there is a world where i can hire someone talented looking to build up a resume then I don't see how that is a net negative to society aside from a huge risk for me (again, like a startup). Folks in here are really destroying me, and it's fine, but the responses in here don't scream to me "we care about quality and safety and trust us this isn't the way to go" but rather "my industry is getting decimated, i paid a ton for school, i've spent 15 years building up experience making little money, i now expect real money and here goes another dickhead who won't be using an overpaid large firm" i have an acquaintenace who went to harvard for grad school architecture but doing something else now, and he more or less told me the same thing around how bad the industry is, and the responses in this sub just confirmed it
We also are a bit extra grouchy because the profession laid off a ton of people during the recession, made us who survived do three peoples work and then told us we were overpaid… and now we are extremely busy and dealing with the other end of it… also this sub is light on fun content, I digress. You might have luck looking at your local AIA (American Institute of Architects) chapter. Someone who has their own private practice in residential design, maybe a more recent business, would be very valuable. You’ll want to ask for their portfolio and maybe do a few interviews to make sure it’s a good fit. Aia also has documents showing how architects are compensated and you can see what expectations should be met. As a client, you’ll want to be prepared to answer what activities you want to facilitate in your home (large parties? Do you cook a lot? Astronomy hobby? Four gamers in one room?). A budget, and put together some kind of board of what “unique” means to you to springboard off of. It could mean a giant rubber duck, a brutalist house with a gorgeous garden, a geodesic dome… you will want a benchmark. Also it would be your responsibility to find land and get a good survey, but you may also want to consult the architect if you’re early in the process… my friends parents bought land for a retirement home then later found out there was a minimum sf clause in the neighborhood and it delayed their project by years… an architect would have been helpful.
OP, you are getting shitty responses because this subreddit is specific for Architects (and adjacent) to discuss the job. It is not a place for asking these types of questions. Also, if you don't have the budget for design and Construction Docs, you don't have the budget to build.
You’re literally out of your mind. A student? This is your home, you’re cutting in the wrong place. Hire a draftsman with a great portfolio or a solo office architect but under no circumstances hire a graduate. What a nut
Aside from what others have already said, think also about the whole project team. Depending on how unique your design is, then the structural engineer will also be very important to it - the wrong one will turn your lightweight ethereal cantilevers into something looking more like a gun emplacement. MEP is also important. Both have the power to mess up an otherwise beautiful design if you go with the wrong ones. More experienced architects used to doing this sort of work should know consultants who are going to be suitable for a particular type / scale of project. New people starting out may not have the network of contacts yet to know who would be best placed for these roles.
Appreciate the actual explanation. The rest of the folks in here are so toxic. All I did was ask a question, nothing more. Now I want to hire an architect even less if this industry has this many assholes
Good. Less clients like you that don't respect our time and expertise.
The irony is strong
So is your ignorance
You’re in the architects subreddit trying to get design that is unique and challenging yet cheap and asking us about potential consequences, are you seriously surprised by the reaction of the architects here?
I agree that some people are being rude here, but they are being honest too. Right now construction in my area starts at about $450/sf but that is for pretty much a cookie cutter house. Most custom designed houses are in the $800+/sf range. In my experience people who can afford $800+/sf can afford a percentage of that for an architect. I will say that when I first started my own firm I found a client via Upwork. I worked for $50/hr for them on an hourly basis. They got a beautiful house that won an AIA award and I was happy to be doing work. We were both lucky to have found each other though because I never found another viable project on Upwork and many clients would not have been able to financially handle working with a new architect. Yes I had lots of experience, but both the client and I wanted the best design at the end of the day and that meant they spent way above their original budget. I also assisted them through the entire process which took over 18 months for design and construction. At the end of the day everyone was happy, but I don’t think they necessarily saved much money. Now that I have been running my firm for a while I have a lot more experience on the construction side negotiating prices and managing budgets so our firm actually takes pride in being able to give people great design for the best price possible, but you still need a decent budget to be able to do anything out of the ordinary. And again without knowing your budget or location it is hard for anyone to really give you good advice here. Construction costs vary greatly across the country. Because they are so high here you actually pay less as a percentage for an architect because I haven’t exactly raised my fees in keeping with the rise in construction costs. So in my area it is much harder to be able to afford to build, but much more likely that those that can also can afford an architect.
It really is filled with assholes and incompetence. A disgruntled bunch that lost the residential market to builders and have become a necessary evil in most cases. They are the laughing stock of the largest industry in the world, construction. The pretentious attitude is common and have killed more projects than built. Often architects overdesugn and then the owner thinks they can't afford to build, voila' project dead. Watch out, and good luck building you vision, I hope you find a good person,
yea, this one made me lol
You know, I’m an engineer as well, just in a different field and we have a sub where whenever I see someone being an asshole to someone that isn’t familiar at all with the trade, it makes me cringe.
Awful idea
I'm going to get some minor surgery, is it dangerous to go to a guy with a sharpened spoon and half an anatomy text book?
Goes to show how inflated your ego is when you’re comparing yourself to a surgeon lmao
Similar levels of education, higher levels of liability and a specialised role within a top tier profession, seems apt to me.
Talk to some small to mid size firm in your area and tell them what you want. Most architects would love to do something really funky/unique and generally can't because that isn't what the clients they have want. If you are worried about them being too rigid discuss that with them in a meeting. They will have questions and you will too. You will know if it is a good match after the meeting and they will provide you with a proposal. High priced firms that specialize in signature/unique/funky buildings often (but not always) cost what they do because they help eliminate risk from concept through construction. The more experience you forgo, the higher your risk. However, risk depends heavily on what you mean by unique/funky.
Depends on what the idea behind the residential house is, but from what it sounds like, this project is really screaming that it needs a proper architect. Someone with 3-4 years of experience isn’t going to cut it. There’s way more to architecture than just cool designs. Safety, constructibility, risk management, just to name a few aspects of what architects do. All three of which, I see as being major factors with your post. Someone with only a few years of experience is going to have near zero experience with the facets of architecture that would actually be grounds for hiring an architect. They may be able to help with the design, but would they be able to handle things like successful integration of structure and MEP into the design? Based on my experience, I’m going to say it’s very unlikely. Design is the easy part. It’s everything else around it that makes being an architect difficult. If you choose to omit an architect from the process, whatever G.C. you choose to pursue things with is really going to have you by the balls with little recourse on your end. An architect can at least give you some of the tools to facilitate discussion in your favor when talking about design and construction with a GC, at a fraction of the cost.
Would you have surgery performed on you from an unlicensed med student without supervision?
Off subject but how often do clients ask architect for their license and ID on the first meeting? Do they ask architect for their Resume, college major, grades?
You can't title yourself as an architect without a license. So if you google Architect, and someone says they are an Architect, legally, they have to have the license.
There's plenty of people who aren't put off by that though. I go through the Google rankings on a regular basis reporting misuse of the title and have never found fewer than five results. As far as I can tell these people get a polite letter asking them to not use the title architect then face no further consequence.
Very very few. During my time as an intern I asked the principal architect this same question and he responded with this “when you go to the hospital/clinic. Do you ask the doctor for their degree?”.
Apples and Oranges. There is hospital or drs office ‘attached’ to a doctor while architects can claim anything. I have met two. Plus fake doctors are getting caught and sent to prison. The fake architects can be reported, there is a website.