After five years of Architecture school, and your vision to view the world is altered altogether. It’s really surprising how vague and meaningless sight we had for almost most of our lives. We never saw the world and its problems as we were too worried about our own. It was like wearing a pair of black glasses and suddenly taking them off and opening ourselves to a whole new world. A world that always existed but never known. But now things were getting clearer. It was like walking into a new world.
Spaces have a significant impact on a person’s mood and well-being, and it isn’t just a theory anymore.
Below are a few of the factors that secretly got transformed over five years.
Vision | Perspectives in life
Looking at a building now, the eyes automatically start analyzing certain elements and aspects. Probable life span, architectural features, functioning, lack or misplacement of spaces, and so much more. Be it an aesthetic façade or a worn-out appearance- it all stands out. Although they keep us occupied but so does the other factor of usability, the driving force behind every design. The purpose space was meant to serve and how much we, the architects, have successfully achieved as a vision.
The lens viewing the social connection to space is the most crucial of all.
Problem-Solving
What we didn’t realize initially that designs were so human-based. Architecture isn’t just about construction, but construction in a human conscious way. It is for the people after all as it plays an enormous part in understanding human needs and psychology to create better environments. A problem-solving attitude came after analyzing the currently functioning spaces that’s why the case studies play such an important role in the architecture period. After systematic analysis, the solutions are listed and then the best ones get implemented in the future spaces for improved liveability.
Architecture isn’t about walls, it’s the connectivity and accessibility of spaces that matter the most.
Empathy | Perspectives in life
The case studies of five years lead to a ride of various settlements, both rural and urban. Varied problems, varied spaces, varied functions, varied lifestyle. But what was similar in both contexts were the people that formed the community. The economical hierarchy or socio standards were a considerable factor but not as significant as the human connection we experience and share. As humans, we empathize with one another, to improvise with every project. Case studies provide clarity on issues and how it impacts the lives of many. We as architects learned to empathize and seek to improve living spaces.
Empathy arises when you are strolling the paths of an area and having a one-on-one talk with the locals.
Creativity
In the field of Architecture, the design is all about being innovative and creative. Functionality being the core, the spaces are molded into a healthy and rejuvenating space. As architects, we coat the functionality with the layering of creativity. It’s an art how we thrive to achieve the balance between the two to harmonize spaces. Just like Rome wasn’t built in seven days, this creativity takes a long time to shape. Five years don’t perfect it. Design is about growing and developing individuality. At the end of the day, it’s all about creating options and choosing the best of the bunch.
But again, after a certain time, even the best ones don’t look perfect.
Pointing Flaws
Architecture isn’t limited to studying and recreating. Being a critique is the toughest part of the role description. It takes a bolder eye to point out the flaws in a structure’s functionality and usability. It’s about learning from someone else’s mistake. Keep in mind, the design is subjective and always developing. Research lectures made us dive deeper into many such aspects of design where one has to study in-depth and note down the observations and form conclusions.
Drawing conclusions gives a clear idea about what-to-do and what-not to-dos.
Love For Design | Perspectives in life
One can’t deny the unanimous timing when we fell in love with art, design, architecture, and culture. Amid the span of five years, buildings became more than an observation plane but more an attention-grabbing form. Be it the beauty of it or the lack thereof. Love for designing started with the basic crafts of the first year to the intensive complexity that governed the further years.
“We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us,” rightly mused by Winston Churchill. From the simplest of landscapes to the intriguing sculptures to the community settlements or the breath-taking skyscrapers, the beauty of the design world remains captivating.
These five years engraved such admiration for art and architecture, that one becomes an art enthusiast without even realizing it! These five years of Architecture altered my vision and thinking forever. I feel more connected, I feel more human.
