Architecture to me is more than just a subject, it is a package of whole experiences of thrill, pitfalls, success and humor. Life of an Architecture student is not less than a bumpy ride on a roller coaster. Little did we know, when we stepped into this never-ending ocean. Only architecture students know the pain of surviving in architecture. As a student of architecture, the experience in this profession is complemented by a story of the weirdest of experiences, to share a few are ….
I remember myself entering into this profession knowing that freehand drawing is not my cup of tea. Drawing trees, human figures, perspectives were a hugely challenging task for me. I would always end messing up conceptual sketches into a funny comic scene. Like even a school going kid could have done better than me. There was this assignment where we had to explain the experience of seasons in the design and I drew a scenery drawing in no relation to my exercise. It turned out to be the most talked-about interpretation in the studio. Looking at the drawing, my teachers lost all the hope in me but I never gave up and gradually learned to master it over the years.
Elaborating on the daily routine, which consists of having to work 24/7 at home and college. When your friends nag about getting only 6-7 hours of sleep and you have the entire night ahead and a cup of coffee to survive in order to meet the deadlines. Continuous redo and rework are what takes up most of the time rather than exploring the creativity, all at the cost of our social life.
Coming from a commerce background, where college just seemed to be a formality with such a flexible lifestyle and I thought of having the same life ahead too. But who knew that the first year in architecture could just give me a reality check of what it looks like, it was like devoting yourself to this life, sacrificing all the social life, which hit me hard, but with time, we tend to work smart and balance work and personal life efficiently. I didn’t know what I was doing, whether it was right and I just continued with the same hard work and dedication. Today I can say that I have come out stronger after all that grilling and working under pressure. To be able to handle and manage things with ease. Architecture has now become a part of myself. I evolve learning consistently, always in search of new and creative things that I would incorporate in design as well as in my life skills!
The extreme taxing job is of model making, where you stick your hands more than sticking the model together. One of the funniest moments I remember was making the final model in the second year. Deliberately screwing up the roof of the model, I made a huge hipped roof, larger than anyone’s model in the studio.
Pulling an all-nighter, with all the math and logistics worked out, I confidently made a hipped roof. No sooner the confidence ended as I entered the studio, looking at the other models’ way better than what I ended up with. The inappropriate scale of the model was like a highlight of the class. Everyone, noticing the weird change started comparing the scale of their models to see if they had made a mistake. Embarrassed by the response of the class, hiding the model under the table, I disappeared from the class. After all those sleepless nights, the day finally comes where every architect fears all his life, the day of the Jury! Hiding from all the staring eyes towards the model, I finally appeared for the viva with the same model scared to see the reaction of the juror. But fortunately, he didn’t notice the mistake as my design was fairly presentable up to his expectations, Sigh! I couldn’t be happier. It was like a life lesson for me which I dare not forget all my life. I still laugh it off whenever it flashes my memory! Even under so much pressure and chaos, the result is always the happier one, where all the hard work is worth celebrating a successful end to the semester.
The all-nighters at the campus are the most enjoyable moments especially during the exhibition week where the entire college is together, working, laughing over the latest gossip, discussing current events, drinking endless coffee and basically everything else apart from architecture, ultimately turning the bond stronger.
But one of the things that taught me is the necessity of failure. Architects need failure to interpret and innovate in design, which does not come out by playing it safe. Above all, comes a whole lot of memories to be cherished, happy and sad moments and the funny ones which are cherished the most, something that you take a part of it and leave a part of you there! Perhaps the best part is about traveling, exploring and discovering which lets you meet people across this journey, all from different walks of life, thereby broadening one’s horizons. From academics to professionalism to life skills, you could say an architect is an all-rounder.
