Architecture, as we all know, is—the Mother of all Arts—and this quote has been a fascination for this arena universally. This is one of the faces of this varied and elaborate sector which is a combination of many different entities coming together. The final output which we all physically see in the form of the design of buildings, interiors, furniture, landscape, etc., is an output of many efforts directly or indirectly coming on a common platform. An architect is a person who is responsible for combining these factors and bringing out the work efficiently and smoothly. This requires some additional skills like people’s skills apart from designing, detailing, and site execution that we are usually taught in architectural schools.
As Architect we understand the involvement of different types of agencies required for a project. The most important is the client and getting their point of view clear for the smooth functioning of projects. It is a very important thing for Architects to inculcate People’s skills as a part of their work routine. This is one such factor that is not given much importance and not much discussed especially during academics. When it comes to professionalism people’s skill has always been a part of it which is like a requisite for everything.
The architect is the head of any project hence it is of utmost importance that he possess the skill that is necessary for managing and administrating the work smoothly. He should be able to judge and analyze the issues and convey the concerned person for that. This is the level of skill that is required by an Architect for handling and managing people and work equally. People’s skill is a set of qualities that is to be developed from very basics. This includes behavior, way of talking, and convey your objective to others, making the person consider what you are trying to make understand, convincing the person, and many more.
The people’s skill is developed with good observation which is the first step towards it. There are even some books and articles about how a person can develop this quality. Professional education indirectly incorporates such topics in a very introductory way. Architecture education is very bold in that manner. There are juries and viva’s that groom us towards handling people associated with the work or not. That is the first step later it becomes an individual’s responsibility to continuously strive to develop this habit. People’s skill is that mannerism which we learn throughout our life through different channels like school, college, home, etc.
The education system teaches us a professional practice which also provides a glimpse of people’s skills in this field. An Architecture student is given many occasions where hints about future skills are given. Once the person enters the field then this skill is the most fundamental requirement. There are also many other sets of skills like time management, temperament, and many more. An Architect always aspires for working efficiently on-site and manages the office as well. This balance is being maintained with such skills. Hence, people’s skill is very important for Architects.
