6 Essential Competencies

Ava Abramowitz offers the following update to the recommended competencies she put forth in her 2003 article for DesignIntelligence.

To be an educated person, one needs:

Thinking competencies, requiring knowledge of science, the liberal arts, cultures here and abroad, research, ethics, and critical thinking — the ability to analyze, synthesize, integrate, and apply — as well as knowledge of how to learn

People competencies, requiring grounding in negotiation, persuasion/sales, listening, hearing, appreciation of diverse people and ideas, collaboration, teamwork, and conflict management

To be a practitioner of architecture, one needs:

Design competencies, requiring grounding in history, theory, design, structures, sustainability, life safety, life cycle/eco-economics, aesthetics, and problem solving

Making competencies, requiring grounding in technology, drawing, integrated project delivery, building information modeling, construction, codes and standards, legal aspects of architecture, and time management

To be influential in society, one needs:

Business competencies, requiring grounding in building/project economics, project management, accounting principles, firm management, and entrepreneurship

Public competencies, requiring grounding in advocacy, government, community building, outreach, leadership, and oral and written communication