What is Marine Architecture?

Marine architecture deals with the design and architectural components of marine vehicles. A large variety of sea vessels are all designed and planned through marine architecture. Almost every significant marine vessel that can be found on the waters was initially planned and designed by a marine architect. Some vessels that are created through marine architecture includes container ships, cargo ships, and different warships. Depending on the importance and size of the ship it could take several architects to complete a design.

Marine architecture isn't just about the design and construction of ships. The architecture is also used to determine how a marine vehicle is operated. One aspect that marine architecture focuses on when designing a ship is how to create a vessel that can withstand various sea conditions. A marine architect's job is to create a vessel that can cope with violent waves and any other potential problems that are typical offshore. For example, an architect must design a sea vessel that has the ability to withstand accidental flooding.

In most countries, marine architecture is also used for military reasons. The naval branch of the military relies on marine architects to create military vehicles such as destroyers, frigates, aircraft carriers, submarines and other warships that are used in military operations. Marine architecture that deals with militaristic design must ensure that the vessel is safe and is built in a way that can withstand combat. Many countries rely on ships to conduct world trade and to defend themselves against war and militaristic confrontation.

Marine architects also have the job of repairing broken vessels, and they use vast amounts of mechanical and oceanic engineering to achieve this. A marine architect is also capable of modernizing an outdated ship so that it has the same capabilities of recently built contemporary vessels. Ships are one of the oldest forms of transportation and they can continue to change in design and complexity as technology improves.

Although the marine architect's main focus is on ships, the architecture often extends itself to the shores. The architects are often used to design and build harbors and docks. Sea vessels are extremely important and educational facilities understand the need for marine architects. Many schools offer specific programs for individuals who want to enter the field of marine architecture. These schools prepare a person by equipping them with knowledge regarding how to design, structure, and create systems for vehicles that operate on water.