Life as an architect is quite a dedication. Taking years of education and working with professional architects is a journey that an architect must go through. Instead of making the journey a burden, an architect must also be able to laugh at the funny moments that occur in his life. Sometimes funny things are what make us more alive. Rejection, Revision, and Re-thinking are the 3Rs that architects must experience.
Rejection is Part of Me
One afternoon, the deadline for a meeting at 5 p.m. was in sight. A young architect is discussing with the principal about a residential house in Salatiga City. Unfortunately, thousands of designs have been rejected by principals. “Can you design it right?”. Then, he could only remain silent and smile while taking a deep breath. His brain has been used to explore thousands of designs. But still rejected. Yes, it’s also called work, learning to accept endless rejection is part of the life of an architect.
The clock shows 3 in the afternoon, 2 hours until the meeting with the client. Finally, the principal has chosen one of the designs that he thinks is most suitable for presentation this afternoon. The young architect frantically immediately developed and completed 3D at supersonic speed. Death metal songs at the loudest volume and the most bitter coffee accompanied him as he quickly completed the design. At precisely 5 p.m., the young architect prepared all the meeting needs. The client sat at the meeting table with a smile, ready to enjoy the home design he had been waiting for the most. The meeting took place, and the client did not like the design that had been presented. The young architect smiled again and was ready to make new design revisions.
Revision and What is “Rest”?
A myth occurs that an architect can work from 9 am – to 5 pm. In reality, that clock was just a dream. One afternoon, at exactly 5 p.m., an architect was sitting contemplating looking at the sky from his office window. As usual, revisions occur just before work time. He went to the bathroom for a moment to wash his face and sighed. Then, he returned to his seat and opened Pinterest to look for inspiration for designs that needed to be revised.
Not long after, the studio head informed that the client requested a meeting at 8 p.m. In panic mode, the architect quickly completed the 3D, rendering the images at lightning speed, and organizing them in a quite attractive presentation product. At 8 p.m., it was time for the meeting with the client. The client gave a pretty good impression and liked the design provided. Where the client asked for a residential house design with a Japanese concept. After the meeting was over, the office employees immediately went home to rest. But in the middle of the night, the client suddenly wanted to change the design to a rustic concept after watching a TV house tour program for one of the capital’s artists.
Re-thinking Until You Die
One day, an architect was struggling with a client who was quite eccentric. The client has unique ideas that often conflict with the architect. Every time he presents a design proposal, the architect is often rejected and the client asks for major changes.
Initially, the architect thought that getting eccentric clients was a challenge. But the more often he had to iterate on the design, the more complicated the project felt. The client always came up with new ideas every time the architect was almost finished with a new design. The architect was trying to rethink again and again.
The time came when the architect gave up on the design he had to make. However, seeing clients who have a hobby of changing designs, the thought came to them to create a home design concept that could be changed. He tried to create a house design that could be changed to the walls, roof, and garden area. Although this project required a more complicated structure, it seemed like the only way to overcome client instability. At the next meeting, the client liked the concept and the house was built according to the client’s requirements.
Then, What?
The stories above are some of the funny moments that happened to architects. Maybe this story is related to what other architects have experienced in other parts of the world. Those funny moments are what keep us going as designers. Many things can be learned from architectural experience, such as patience, tenacity, and an attitude of never giving up. So how? Are you still interested in continuing your journey as an architect?
