Building Designer
A building designer turns a client's brief into the drawings and documentation a builder works from.
- Median salary*
- $85,800
4.1%vs last year, before tax
- People employed*
- 11,500
1.8%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +14.2%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Building designers work in small design studios, larger architectural and engineering firms, or their own practices, preparing plans for houses, extensions, fitouts and small commercial and industrial buildings. The role sits close to architecture but stops short of it, because a building designer documents buildings without the degree and registration an architect needs. Most work is residential, which means several small projects running at once rather than one large commission.
How much do building designers earn?
The median full-time salary for a building designer is $85,800 per annum, before tax, up $17,900 since 2018.
What you earn depends on the sector and the size of the projects you document: designers working on commercial buildings for larger firms sit under enterprise agreements or salary bands, while those in small residential studios negotiate individually. Holding a building design licence in a state that requires one, and experience with more complex buildings, generally supports higher rates. Running your own practice changes the picture again, because income then depends on the fees you can charge and the work you bring in.
What does a building designer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Meeting clients on site to measure up an existing house and talk through what they want to change
- Sketching concept options and working them into a plan the client can react to
- Drawing construction documentation in Revit or AutoCAD, down to wall junctions and window schedules
- Checking the design against the National Construction Code, local planning rules and bushfire or energy requirements
- Sending drawings to engineers, certifiers and builders, then answering their queries as the job goes out to tender
What skills do building designers need?
Employers look for cAD and technical drawing, reading plans and specifications, building codes and standards, backed by AutoCAD fluency and strong client relationships and advisory.
Specialist skills
- CAD and technical drawing
- Reading plans and specifications
- Building codes and standards
- Spatial and interior design
- Project management
Software and tools
- AutoCAD
- Revit
- SketchUp
- ArchiCAD
- Bluebeam Revu
General skills
- Client relationships and advisory
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
Is the job growing?
About 11,500 people work as building designers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 14.2% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a building designer?
Here's the path most building designers take, step by step.
- 1Study building design or architectural drafting
Bachelor degree is the most common qualification in the field, held by about 38% of the people working in it, and a diploma or advanced diploma is the other common route. An Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural) takes about two years of full-time study at TAFE, while a bachelor degree in building design or architectural studies takes three to four years and opens up larger commercial work.
- 2Learn the drafting software practices actually use
Most studios document jobs in Revit, ArchiCAD or AutoCAD, and new designers are expected to produce drawings from their first week. Courses cover the basics, but speed comes from repetition on real projects, so it is worth building a portfolio of documentation you have produced yourself.
- 3Get licensed or registered where your state requires it
Requirements vary by state: Victoria and Queensland both license building designers, and NSW requires design practitioners working on class 2 buildings to be registered. Check your own state's rules before you take on work in your own name, because the licence categories often limit the height or class of building you can document.
- 4Start in a practice and build a project record
Most designers spend their first years in a small studio or a larger architectural or engineering firm, learning how a job runs from brief through approvals to construction. The range of buildings you document is what supports a licence application or a later move into project management, estimating or specialist drafting.
Ready to apply as a building designer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a building designer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a building designer move to?
Moving into Construction Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $109,300 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager Building designers bring plans, building codes and documentation, while construction management adds project delivery, contracts and site leadership.Known move | +$109,300 | 26% | reskill |
| Architect Building designers bring drafting, documentation and building code knowledge, but becoming an architect requires registration and further study.Known move | +$34,200 | 38% | requalify |
| Landscape Architect Building designers bring site planning and documentation experience, but landscape architecture requires a degree and planting design expertise.Known move | +$34,200 | 29% | requalify |
| Construction Estimator Building designers can read plans and specifications, and estimating adds cost planning, quantities and tendering skills.Known move | +$13,000 | 36% | reskill |
| Civil Drafter Building designers' drafting and documentation skills transfer to civil infrastructure drawings, with extra study in civil works and standards.Known move | +$2,600 | 50% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a building designer?
The typical building designer is 42 years old; 72% are men, 85% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 42
- Median age
- 28%
- Female share
- 85%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a building designer?
Building design runs on a project cycle: a burst of client meetings and sketching, then long stretches at the screen producing documentation, then the slower work of approvals and answering queries from site. Deadlines come from council assessments and builders waiting on drawings, so the pressure sits in the documentation stage rather than the concept stage. It suits people who enjoy resolving detail and can stay patient through rounds of amendments.
What people like
- Your drawings become a building. A house or fitout going up from drawings you produced is the part most designers point to, including the details nobody sees once the plasterboard goes on.
- You learn how buildings actually go together. Documenting a whole job means working through how structure, services, waterproofing and finishes meet, which is knowledge that carries across every project after it.
- Direct contact with the people you are designing for. In a small practice you often deal with the owner from the first meeting through to handover rather than handling one stage of the process.
- Different site, different problem. Sloping blocks, heritage overlays, small budgets and tricky access mean two jobs rarely want the same answer.
What people find hard
- Documentation takes more of the week than design. The sketching stage is short. Most hours go into drawings, schedules and revisions that only the builder, certifier and engineer will ever read closely.
- Approvals set the pace. Council planning and building certification can add months to a job, and much of that time goes into answering requests for information rather than designing.
- Clients change their minds. A decision revisited at concept stage can unravel weeks of documentation, and it is the designer who redraws it, usually inside the original fee.
- You carry the compliance risk. If a drawing gets a setback, a fire rating or a balustrade height wrong, the liability sits with the practice, which is why professional indemnity insurance is part of the job.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ building designers?
Architectural, Engineering and Technical Services employs the largest share of building designers, followed by Construction.
Top employing industries
- 1Architectural, Engineering and Technical Services
- 2Construction
- 3Residential Building Construction
- 4Property and Business Services
- 5Government Administration
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 38% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 24% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 20% | |
| Postgraduate | 10% | |
| Other | 8% |
Will AI replace building designers?
Building design sits in the middle for AI exposure: drafting software already automates a good deal of documentation, and generative tools can produce layout options within minutes of a brief. What has not moved is the part that needs a person on site or in a room with a client, working out how a building goes together and whether it complies with the rules that apply to that block. The rating is moderate because the design decisions and compliance responsibility still rest with the designer, even where the drawing work is quicker.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Construction documentation and detailingAutomated dimensioning, tagging and scheduling has cut drafting hours per job, though every junction still needs checking against the products actually specified.35%high
- Building code and planning checksTools can flag a setback or a fire rating, but planning schemes differ between councils and the designer has to work out how each rule applies to that site.25%moderate
- Concept options and early sketchesSoftware can generate several room layouts in minutes, which speeds up the first client meeting but leaves site levels, orientation and budget to work through.20%moderate
- Client meetings and consultant coordinationFinding out what a client actually wants, and getting engineers, certifiers and builders to agree on a detail, happens in conversation, on site and over the phone.20%low
Common questions about becoming a building designer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a building designer earn?
Building designers earn a median of $85,800 per year before tax. Pay moves with the sector you work in, the complexity of the buildings you document and whether you hold a building design licence in a state that requires one. Designers running their own practice earn from the fees and projects they bring in, which can sit well above or below a wage.
How do you become a building designer?
The usual route is a diploma or degree in building design or architectural drafting, followed by a few years in a practice learning how a job runs from brief to handover. Check whether your state requires a building designer licence or registration, because Victoria, Queensland and NSW each handle it differently. CAD and BIM skills count as much as design ability in most hiring decisions.
Are building designers in demand?
Building designers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 14.2% over the decade to 2035. The work tracks construction activity, so building approval volumes in your state are a better guide to how busy the field is where you live than the national picture. Designers with documentation software skills and knowledge of current code changes are the ones practices look for first.
Will AI replace building designers?
Parts of the job are already automated and more will follow, but building design sits in the middle rather than at the front of the queue. Documentation software now handles dimensioning, scheduling and some code checks that once took hours, while site constraints, client conversations and the judgement behind a buildable detail stay with the designer. Designers who use the tools well tend to complete more jobs rather than lose the work.
What can a building designer move into?
Building designers move into architecture, landscape architecture, construction management and estimating. Becoming an architect or a landscape architect means going back to study and registering, while construction management and estimating build on the same plans and specifications with extra training; construction managers earn $109,300 more and construction estimators $13,000 more. Many designers instead build their own practice, which is often where earnings grow.
What is the difference between a building designer and an architect?
An architect completes a degree plus supervised experience and registers, which allows the use of the title and sign-off on certain work. A building designer works from the same principles and documents many residential, commercial and industrial buildings without that registration. In practice the two roles often compete for the same small projects.
Related roles
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.