Many of us will agree that architecture is a stressful field: from strict juries to inescapable all-nighters, it can be increasingly hard to find time for fun in this profession as we fall into an endless loop of modifying our projects over and over again.
But as architects, one of our jobs is to explore and test new ideas. As a relative newbie to the field, I found myself increasingly appreciative of this process, not only in terms of architecture but also in other areas such as pranks. Below are two harmless pranks – one I did and one I saw – which hopefully serves as an inspiration for you to liven up your day to day lives without ruining the relationship between you and your colleagues. Enjoy!
1 For visits to long-abandoned sites…
Last summer, I travelled to Fujian, China as part of a workshop that revitalises dwindling and abandoned Tulou (土樓). The Tulou are vernacular housing of the Fujian area encased with thick, mud walls, which retains a habitable temperature inside the house despite how hot or cold it is outside. The Tulou is designed for the whole clan of family, meaning that it could fit hundreds of people in the same building. However, these age-old structures are not compatible with modern amenities such as air-conditioners and electric heaters, and it is increasingly hard to find builders with the skills to repair or reconstruct these houses. As such, people have moved out and opted for newly built houses instead, leaving their ancestral homes abandoned and unmaintained.
Alongside with 3 other workshop attendees, we were sent to visit and analyse an abandoned Tulou to find out how it could be revitalised and reinvented for the modern age. It was indeed very badly kept, with plants of various kinds growing out from every nook and cranny like an untamed, green wildfire. What was originally painted with bright and saturated colours are now pale and lifeless, although the intricate woodworks that remained suggested the building’s glorious past. Without artificial lighting, the inside of the house was significantly darker. The slippery moss on the floor and creaking wood flooring forced us to tread carefully.
We had a couple of hours before we were due to join everyone else and share our findings, so we decided to check every corner of the Tulou to see if there are any unfound gems that could inspire us on how the Tulou should be reinvented without losing its soul. As we headed to the third floor of the Tulou, stepping on the creaking wood and keeping our balance on the stairs with its incredibly narrow tread and high rise, we started to explore the floor. We first saw a lineup of huge abandoned crocks, and couldn’t stop wondering how could anyone bring crocks that could hide a full-grown adult to this floor. We then continued to explore the floor, as we peeked into the rooms with doors left ajar. The rooms were extremely dark, but we could see silhouettes of abandoned mattresses and tables in the room. They must have been there for decades. The next room had no furniture, but there were writings scribbled all across the wall. Curious, we walked into the room (purposely leaving the door wide open). The handwriting was in red, and reminiscent of a person in pain struggling to write down their last words. At this point, we were all creeped out, huddling close as we jumped out of the room – and the door mysteriously shut close behind us as we left with a loud bang.
The door of the next room was shut close and did not open easily like the others, and soon I found myself in front of the others as they huddled behind me, daring me to open the door. I was petrified, but someone had to do it, right? I took a deep breath and kicked open the door.
The door slowly creaked open, and as soon as I saw what was inside I let out the most bloodcurdling scream in my life…
Just kidding, the room was very empty. But my friends have scuttled away, screaming for their lives.
2 For when someone has impeccable taste in clothing, as architects do…
We were divided into five to six groups for our studio course, with each group led by a professor who guided us step by step through the semester. One of these groups was led by a professor who would only wear his incredible curation of patterned pants to school – he would have prints of different kinds in various brilliant colours. I often wondered if he ever wears the same pants twice. These pants quickly became his signature.
Unbeknownst to him, his group had decided to pay homage to him and his signature pants on the day of Halloween. Instead of dressing up as supernatural figures, animals or movie characters, they all dressed up as him as the entire group wore their most brilliantly patterned pants they owned on the day as a surprise.
As a bystander, I’d say the professor was fairly pleased, with his love of patterned pants spread through his studio group.
We all need a break from stress from time to time. Hope this article gave you a chuckle (and perhaps some inspiration…)
