I was unprepared for the world of architecture. Growing up I discovered my creative flare and passion to design for problems. I was very much interested in addressing issues from a place of design. I had fashioned my dreams through secondary school as getting a dual degree in engineering at a top Ivy League college. Reality came into play and other forces pushed me to apply to Covenant University for the Architecture program, a decision I do not regret.
Architectural redefined my perspective and forged me in the foundation of design. I was exposed to the principles of design, the design process, and techniques in drafting and presentation but my creative and explorative side was heavily influenced by some lecturers, students, and other non-staff members who were creative odds. They gave me thought-provoking statements during our sessions that made me strive to think out-of-the-box.
Early I learned that there was more to architecture than what was taught in class. Life will be hard in architecture school if you just depend on class lessons but these class lessons taught me to critical research and analysis. It taught me the power of observation. I became very aware of the Nitti gritty of any spatial construct I was in. It became a habit to analyze what was wrong In a space and how it could be better. It taught me to design.
My path through architecture provided a platform to inculcate multidimensional principles that I easily apply anywhere. I am constantly exposed to time management, team management and collaboration, effective multitasking, balance, emotional intelligence, and the curiosity to have an understanding of other fields not related to architecture.
One of the most important skills that I learn, is what I call vernacular intelligence. This skill is one of the major principles of design for man. Vernacular intelligence is the ability to know, appreciate, understand, and value the vernacular expressions of your client and end users. Vernacular in this context means the purest form of desire, the most natural language from which your client expresses his innate desires. Your ability to understand this vernacular will give you the right foundation to design what the clients truly need. This is what I learned through architecture.
‘Is architecture future-proof?’ is a question that has always come up within the architectural community, but I am of the school of thought that says that architecture is future-proof to those who truly know architecture. Architecture is always known to quickly foster a close community of people who become proud of their practices and ‘hostile’ to ‘invasions’ from other fields due to years of Invariable discrimination of the sacrifices and knowledge that the name Architect holds but the essence of architecture and design requires one to know. And to know is to learn. And to learn is to be open to whatever insights and knowledge that the world offers. The end goal is not to become a walking encyclopedia of useless conundrums, but to become closer to nature, to understand nature’s vernacular to design for her and her inhabitants.
To explain the skills and principles that I have learned and learn will require a full book, but some of them that I hold very close to my heart, include curiosity about technology and its advancement (BIM, Visualisation, and media design software), the art of communication, the art of influence, the art of presentation, the art of pricing, navigating social economic policies and strategies in design. These skills and principles have guided me to have a holistic approach to design and my life in general. It guides me to design a home.
Before I started on this path, I always thought of architecture as the science of designing and drawing beautiful buildings that makes that make you go wow. This has evolved as I now define architecture as the art that is expressed with scientific methodologies, to create a place called Home for Man and his Environment. I have learned to take every opportunity given, to design a place that feels like home for man and his environment.
If someone should ask me to describe this journey, it would be frustratingly beautiful. I would call it a captivating paradox, the Forger of trans-generational Impact. It is not a journey that I will prescribe enthusiastically, but I will be proud of anyone who partakes of it and pushes through. It is a journey that I’m proud to be on. A path I call home.
