It is often said that sometimes to learn something you need to unlearn first. Architecture school is an unforgettable experience for all students. While you learn many things, you also unlearn much. You unlearn to let go of your preconceived notions and learn to look at the world with fresh eyes. So here are a few things I unlearned in architecture school.
Unlearning how to learn
Until I stepped foot in Architecture school, studying had a very different meaning. As a science student before Architecture school, studying meant learning by rote and exams were merely an exercise of memory. But the architecture school was different. Here ‘doing was learning’. You learned by making models, drawing sketches, experimenting with objects. Learning also meant observing the spaces, objects, people around us. Hence, the very first thing I learned in architecture school was to unlearn how to learn. Sounds complicated? It wasn’t. It happened gradually and almost organically. But it changed my perspective on learning forever.
Unlearning how to travel
I was a lucky child. My parents love to travel and were always keen to explore the wide variety of destinations in India. As a result, we had many vacations in different parts of the country. However, when I arrived in architecture school, I realized I had never really ‘seen’ the places I visited. It happens without one realizing it, but once you start studying architecture a whole new world opens up. The same street, where you have perhaps walked a thousand times, appears different. You start noticing little things like a balcony, a bay window, the font used for the name of a bungalow; a safety grill here, a door there and lo and behold, it’s an entirely new world. Study tours are another exercise in this journey of truly seeing a place. When you study the architecture of a place, you are effectively studying the culture of that place, immersing yourself in the traditions and way of life of your destination. In architecture school, I unlearned being a tourist and became a traveler.
Unlearning last-minute scramble
We all have heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise and the hare decided to run a race. The hare was arrogant because he was very fast. He was confident that he would easily win the race. The tortoise was slow but diligent. He knew if he put in the effort, he would finish the race. When the race started, the hare easily outstripped the tortoise. He even reached very close to the finish line. The tortoise was so slow that he was far behind. So, the hare decided to take a nap. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept moving in the right direction, slowly but steadily. Slowly he caught up with the hare who was still sleeping. And just as the hare woke up from his nap, the tortoise crossed the finish line. Many would believe that architecture school equals burning the night oil, working in mad sprints. But it is always the person who works slowly but steadily that often has the best outcome. Architecture school taught me the importance of diligence. I unlearned the habit of working till the ninth hour and the art of steadily chipping away at the goal.
Unlearning conventional thinking
In architecture school, the aim is to learn the art of design. When you are designing a structure, you are considering many factors such as the users, space, building use, services, tectonics, and also the aesthetic of the space. There are multiple constraints of site conditions, climate, budget, etc. Considering this, designing as a process is nothing short of putting a puzzle together. It is a balancing act between the multiple factors which can transform the design in numerous ways. To become adept at this process, one needs to learn problem-solving skills and also learn to think laterally. To learn these, one needs to unlearn conventional thinking patterns and challenge one’s imagination and creativity.
Unlearning working by oneself
In an architecture school, the studio is your home. As you gradually start learning by doing, start putting the pieces of the puzzle together, you also realize that architecture is not alone man’s discipline. An architect may be the captain of the ship but it takes the whole crew to sail. Similarly, as an architect, you might be in charge of the design but it takes a whole team of consultants, contractors, vendors to create something. Architecture school prepares you for the same by providing opportunities to learn from your peers, engage with your seniors and juniors, and work together in multiple ways. The number of group assignments teaches the students the virtue of teamwork. Only by participation and interaction with others, an architecture student can learn the craft of design. However, to learn teamwork, one needs to unlearn the tendency to work by oneself.
Last but not least we learned that architecture is a craft to be honed over a lifetime. Learning isn’t limited to what you study in architecture school.
