Business Practice for Freelance Architects in Thailand

Abstract

Nowadays, freedom has become an important asset of the architecture careers which is not stationing in the office like in the past, creating working model called “Freelance system”. This model of work has increasing its popularity in the recent 5 years as the architects could choose and control the work to match with their lifestyle. In contrast, the freelance system could pose issues of finance business and management. Propose of the research is to systematize characteristics and problem of architecture careers in Thailand. The subjects were freelance architects. Data of 100 architects was collected by questionnaire. The 7 others were collected by interview. They were divided to three groups by their experiences. There are problems for each group. First, architects who have 1 - 5 years of experience still lack of various skills and the ability to make the network of their clients.  Second, those who have 6 - 10 years of experience had the problem of cooperation with their entrepreneur. Because their jobs were divided from subcontractors. Last, those who have more than 11 years of experience had the issue of technology for developing their work. As a result, freelance architects have to register their companies for getting a big project. Moreover, some of architects have to go back to work for a company as full time job. Because they didn't get a project regularly. The suggestions from this research, architects have to get various skills. There are service fee settings, making the connection, studying new languages and learning the new innovations and technology. All of them are the reinforcement factors to improve abilities of architects. It'll make their job international standardized.