Architecture; one in many of all the torture one goes through. It is a story, every student endures during their five-year journey, a bittersweet souvenir forever to cherish. Of course, there have been one too many incidents which were either humiliating or downright funny but looking back to it, it has been one hell of a ride! So, let’s go back to some of those instances which every architecture student has faced universally, at least once in their impressionable college years.
Where is the North?!
One fine day, you are ready to take on the world, aka Architecture College. With confidence in mind and container in hand with sheets neatly rolled, you walked towards your college knowing you’re going to conquer today with good marks and finished sheets with fine detailing.
The class is quiet, everyone’s a tad nervous as sheets were going up the panels for public discussion and mass humiliation. You knew you were going to ace as even your rendering was done till perfection!
At last, it was your moment. Gracefully, you gave your presentation with details mentioned here and there and were ready to take questions. That’s when a professor stood up with a poker face and spoke in a low tone, “Where is the North?”
What would you do?
Marks. Set. Change.
It’s 3 am. Your fingertips are bruised withholding the rough-edged pencil from so long but your construction sheet is done with the intricate hatchings and even lettering. More importantly, your sheet is unique as all the sections and details are drawn by you originally.
A faint knock on the door. Surprised, you open it to being one of your classmates from the same hostel block, asking for your sheet for reference. Taking pity on her timid nature, you help her out by lending your sheet.
The next day after submission you were waiting patiently for results.
“Bang!” the door opened, your professor entered the classroom and started distributing the sheets back but this time, they were marked out of 10. Suddenly you catch a glimpse of last night’s girl’s sheet. It was the same sheet as yours. Furious, you went to her to tell her off but what you saw next, blew your mind. She got a neat 8 you had received a sad 6. What the hell! She copied yours last night.
What would you do?
The consistent ‘REDO’
You know it when you give your hundred percent for the third time on your working drawing sheet and still end up getting a ‘redo’? Yes, that’s the story of every architecture student. The reasons are too many to count. It can vary from the date and sign column being interchanged or the line weight having just a difference of 0.05 liner! It’s ludicrous. One such time, a similar incident has happened with you and the professor has been stubborn through it all. What other option do you have? Oh yes! Glass trace. With no time on your hand, you end up with a new sheet but this time, it’s glass traced. Hoping to get this sheet succeed, you erase all the extra lines and leave just enough to make it look authentic.
The sheets come back corrected but this time the professor calls out for you. Nervously, you stand up and go to his desk. He looks at you with slit eyes. Sweat works up and trickles down your back. You know you have been caught but how is the question. You were clever with your erasing and lines?! Suddenly, he turns the sheet, and there it is. Graphite traced lines on the back of your sheet. It was your doomsday.
What would you do?
Toilet block chronicles
It’s the day for Internal Jury. Highly unpredictable. You have worked up an appetite as all of you have been waiting tirelessly for your respective turn. Juniors have also lined up at the back of the class on this day of reckoning. At last, it was your turn. With small steps, you reached the center and started with the introduction of your topic and from then all it was a smooth sail. Your plans were well presented, the nomenclature was up to the mark. Nothing could go wrong. In the mid-presentation, a professor interrupts with a question, “What’s wrong with your toilet layout?”
In confusion, you look back to it and see everything’s quite proper. Nodding your head in affirmation you said, “Nothing.” He repeated the question. This time it got serious. Looking back again to the sheet, you couldn’t make out what seemed to be the error. The professor came forward and drew a horizontal line in from the toilet block entrance and sternly said, “Tiledrop!”
From then on, the discussion reversed and all the red pen marks and circles happened just around the toilet block. Concept, architectural style, layout, they all took a back seat while all the professors fussed about the minor errors in the toilet block. It was an interesting jury.
To conclude, one can relate to at least one of these incidents that have happened to them in their college years. It was tough, yes but it was all worth it in the end. Architecture is all about learning and re-learning. If one is ready to take on the battle, then it’s gonna be a wonderful ride for the next five years of their life.
