For some architectural students, the words “architectural jury” may trigger off a nightmare. Oh, I made a mistake, is it? Let me correct it. For “most” architectural students, the words “architectural jury” induce a feeling of great apprehension. It is at that moment when we anxiously wait for our turn during the jury, we experience a plethora of thoughts as against the almost “no mind” during theory classes. Every aspect of the experience from pinning up the sheets to anxiously waiting for our turn remains in the memories of architects. Remember the short rehearsals we would go through, a couple of minutes before our turn, and the sudden feeling of forgetting everything on the panel presentation. Offline juries are quite an experience. At least, this experience is a known devil. But what about the newly discovered online jury after the pandemic? How does one go about it?
Here are some pointers that could help you to ace your online jury.
1. Make the transition from a Panel vision to a Laptop vision | Online Jury
The first aspect one needs to understand is that it is no longer an offline review. So, the placement of elements that once occupied the big panel, including sketches, text, graphics, and renders, need to be revamped. Make sure you visualize your presentation keeping in mind your laptop screen and not a panel. Apart from the sheet size, keep in mind the aspects of font size and the volume of words in your presentation for your online jury. Imagine the difficulty that a person would experience in reading a long paragraph in an extremely small font size. So, keep your text minimum and in readable font size.
2. The crucial elements of your presentation: an extension of the first pointer
“Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves.”
– Julia Morgan Road
Sketches and graphics are so significant for architects during the course and in professional practice. They possess the power to communicate the ideas of the architect to the audience even without the presence of words. Probably it is due to this reason architecture students frequently hear from their teachers and guides that the architectural design sheets should speak their own story. Try to use pie charts, sketches, and other graphic content in your sheets to improve your presentation. Make sure you add concept diagrams and renders to effectively communicate your design to the jurors. Similar to the first pointer, remember this is an online jury. Here also one needs to format the design sheet in accordance with the laptop screen. Too many sketches compressed in a sheet will disrupt the overall feel of your presentation.
3. Be thorough with your Presentation and to the point! | Online Jury
Always remember time is precious. Keep your presentation neat, clear, and concise so that it doesn’t get boring and monotonous. While explaining the concepts, make sure you do not zoom in and zoom out of the sheet to know what and where the contents are. Be thorough with the contents of your sheet and be confident!
An offline architectural jury always had the advantage of revisiting the already explained sheets whenever needed. If the juror wished to jump from the technical details to the first sheet of bubble diagram, he could very well do it as he had the entire range of sheets within his purview. But this is almost impossible in an online jury presentation. So, make sure your presentation is like a storyboard, structured and interesting. Instead of working till the last moment, take some time to do a mock presentation so that you are aware of the time taken to complete your explanation.
4. The external setup
Since it is an online jury, there are a few more factors like lighting, noise, background, and internet connection that need to be considered. Choose a place that is devoid of noise disturbances and take some time before your review to check your audio. Make sure your internet connection does not fluctuate and remains stable.
Another important aspect that one needs to consider is the background. This may sound simple but making the background neat and neutral will help everyone focus on the project and not get distracted. It is the culmination of months of hard work, why not give the best?
5. The internal setup | Online Jury
“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step in your life.”
– Steve Maraboli
This pointer refers to the preparation of one’s mind for the review. The mind may immediately respond by saying, “Oh yes, I know that. That one is easy”. But make sure the mind completely absorbs the concept of an online jury and let the intellect understand the pros and cons of online jury. Sometimes what we stumble upon are great creative ideas to explain our design. We know that it is all about communicating our precious ideas to the juror. This is the best time to utilize creative ways to explain and present our design; and who knows, it may become an experience to cherish.
References:
- www.youtube.com. (n.d.). TIPS AND TRICKS FOR GIVING YOUR FINAL YEAR ARCHITECTURE JURY ONLINE| B-Versatile|. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5pwWXVHbi4 [Accessed 11 Mar. 2022].
- www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Final Year Online Jury Experience for Architecture Students! (in2020). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VbwissQVt4 [Accessed 11 Mar. 2022].
- Oneistox (n.d.). 5 Tips on Acing Your Virtual Design Jury in 2021. [online] Oneistox. Available at: https://www.oneistox.com/learning-hub/blog/getting-with-the-times-5-tips-on-acing-your-virtual-design-jury-in-2021 [Accessed 11 Mar. 2022].
- RTF | Rethinking The Future. (2020). 10 Things you did not know about Architectural Juries. [online] Available at: https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-facts/a2347-10-things-you-did-not-know-about-architectural-juries/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2022].
- www.lifeofanarchitect.com. (2015). How to survive Architectural School Juries | Life of an Architect. [online] Available at: https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/how-to-survive-architectural-school-juries/#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CArchitectural%20School%20Jury%E2%80%9D%20is [Accessed 11 Mar. 2022].
- Andrii (2020). 50 Inspiring Architecture Quotes. [online] ArchitectureQuote – Connect Architects to New Projects. Available at: https://architecturequote.com/50-inspiring-architecture-quotes/.
