Architects design all new buildings. Their imagination and creative skills
influence everything we see. A good architect is an artist, a scientist, and
an engineer.

Training to be an architect takes a long time. They study at university for five years and then two years work experience in a professional office. Only after a final exam can they call themselves an architect.

The architect has not always needed years of training. Up until the early 1900s, anyone could call themselves an architect, just by drawing building designs. In 1901 there were only 2 women architects in the whole country.

For most grand and iconic buildings such as Wakefield Museum and the Town Hall next door, architects compete to have their design chosen. A panel of people who are paying for the building decide which plan to use.

Some of Britain’s best architects, such as Frank Matcham, Charles Watson and Charles Voysey, have designed buildings in the Wakefield District.

Two of Britain’s top architects, David Chipperfield and Niall McLauglin, are designing new buildings in the district now.