Life in an architecture school keeps evolving a bit every year. With the amount of time that one spends inside the studio, it becomes our second home. It is understandable that one witnesses the best and worst of companions in school.
Our friends and peers are the only ones that recognize our struggle through architecture school and it is worth building a greater understanding between them. They become friends for life and help us survive architecture school. It also tells you what you can learn from each of them to help studio life be a bit more bearable for both you and your plucky peers. Every personality gets amplified within this intense environment with highly ambitious spirits and higher stress levels.
We communicate with our colleagues every day so forming a definite opinion for each one of them is nearly inevitable. Beginning from the night owl who thinks sleep is for the weak. Black circles under their eyes and a cup of coffee or energy drink constantly in their hand. They are usually the most ambitious ones that don’t want to waste a single minute of their day and night without working. Then there are these two students who are attached at the hip to the degree that they count as one. What starts as a friendship between two peers extends into a strong and long-lasting alliance of architectural ideas and maybe also looks forward to spending the rest of the life together. You will always find them together everywhere. They even decide what they would eat in the break together. They have a heavy impact on the other’s work in both individual and group projects and life choices too. There is also a friendly butterfly in every class. The one who has all the gossip. Jumping from one person to the next, they keep themselves busy conversing away and offer advice on everyone’s project but their own. They have what we refer to as contacts. Everyone is familiar with the one who shows concerns for the project only to acquire ideas for his or her design. You will find glimpses of everyone’s design ideas in their design. It mostly is cumulative of everyone’s design ideas. We can only assume that it’s their way of greeting your ingenuity.
The superhuman besides presenting the 30 drawings, also maintains a part-time job producing renders for top architects, while still planning to finish more overnight than you thought was possible and probably functions on energy drinks. He or she is also the one who has little-to-no work to exhibit for themselves, yet by using some unknown wizardly skill they can churn out all the drawings and plans they want by the end of the day. How they do it is a safeguarded secret and only a select few know of their doing. The other one is a technology master. They know all softwares, from using it to assisting others to install and configure their laptops. They habitually have the best visualization and rendering abilities too. Their favorite kind is the parametric design and they will most certainly be a fan of StarWars and Sherlock. I am sure one also might own a 3D printer or a 3D pen at least. Every class has that one person at least who is a space intruder. They will show off their work in every way possible. From the biggest models, the longest plans, the brightest colors, and the noisiest presentations. They may be passionate about architecture but their aggressive spirit leaves no space for co-operation and team-work. This almost annoying student attending every single class in the school of architecture is also the one who asks a lot of questions. They always raise their hand to either ask a question or make a remark at the last minute. The extra-curricular disciple always spends time competing in every dance competition, fashion show, and other numerous games or activities and is also most likely to conclude his work and just exceed the class. This one peer is an allrounder and leaves everyone amazed. The faculties also know them on a first-name basis.
We wait for some to open their lunch box and a few to just show up. The one we ask for stationery and then the one who will never share his pens and ruler. Do you remember the one you never saw in lectures but he or she will show up for the jury with all their work. We have all had these experiences in our architecture school. When it comes to your class, you will meet all sorts of peers in the architecture school. They will always be a part of your memories and your school. We sleep as soon as we drop to the floor or when we are to take that 10 minutes nap, we wake up and get back to work, we survive on coffee and feel like the work will take us to the end of our day only to realize that all we will have are these memories to hold onto. We find our ways to survive or finish school and find humor among our people. The memories of those who suffered through with us but still made us laugh and make it easy will never be forgotten.
