Architect
The design professional, licensed by the state, responsible for a project's design and construction documents, and often for administering the contract on the owner's behalf during construction by reviewing submittals, answering RFIs, and certifying payment applications and substantial completion.
Why it matters
The architect isn't just the designer: on most traditional projects, they also act as a kind of referee during construction, interpreting the drawings and specs and certifying to the owner that the work actually matches what was designed. That dual role shapes how RFIs, submittals, and change orders all get resolved.
On a real project
A contractor submits an RFI asking how a detail should work where two different wall types meet. The architect's answer becomes the official interpretation of the drawings for that condition, not just a suggestion, but a binding clarification.
Who this matters most to
A Project Engineer routes RFIs and submittals to the architect constantly, since keeping that back-and-forth moving is a core part of the job. A Owner's Representative sometimes takes over parts of the architect's traditional contract-administration role on a project, depending on how the owner structures their team.
Where this goes wrong
A contractor proceeds with a field decision without waiting for the architect's official answer to an open RFI, assuming their own interpretation is obviously correct. The architect's eventual answer contradicts what was already built, and the contractor has to redo the work at their own cost, since acting ahead of an official interpretation was their choice.