Sipping coffee in a corner with a sketchbook in one hand and nibbling a pencil, lost in thoughts, tired, dreaming, and sketching- that’s right you have spotted an architect or a one in the making. And who can forget a signature tote bag hanging around the tired shoulders witnessing all the wonders on the journey ahead?
The foundation of this adventurous journey starts in a college of architecture where the artistic abilities find wings to explore new horizons. Life as an architecture student is just as dynamic as the profession itself. One moment they would discuss the scale of the monuments the next documenting the details of one. One day they come trundling down the studio with their stationery, the next they would be bringing nothing but an inch of tape and a hammer because it’s a masonry lecture. It is unpredictable and it is full of surprises. A student gets to learn how a building is designed to make it accessible to everyone in the world or caters to a specific group, how colours and materials play a role in psychology, and the technicalities of working on sight and negotiating with clients. It’s an experience that humbles a person and teaches the amount of thought and care they put into making something for the public.
Once you take off your rose-tinted glasses you get to see the other harsh yet comical side of the student life.
Burning the Midnight Oil
The submission deadline is the next morning hence working all night is the only answer to the student’s problem. In architecture student terms, pulling an all-nighter to be precise. So, all the friends would gather in one common room to discuss ideas and different approaches to the assignment. In the end, there would always be one person wishing the professor would give an extension and just excuse us for one day. As if that one day could save the poor students from their deadly judgement day. That’s what students want, just one more day, to fulfil all their desires and demands. After the discussion, they’ll start pouring their ideas onto their sheets with music playing in the background helping them concentrate. Sometimes it’s rock or metal to keep them awake, sometimes it’s some classical tune to stop them from panicking, or just mundane everyday songs one could listen to while working. One student would be contemplating whether to eat before starting the project or to work and then eat the packed food that the mother sent last week.
To the outsider, they appear to be having fun and just drawing what they feel but in reality, they are doing so much more than that. It’s a struggle not many will understand but those who do know the efforts a person puts in and how aware an architect is of his/her surroundings.
Lost in the work the early chirps of birds can be heard in the background which breaks the concentration of the tired students who decide to wind up the work as they have done what they could and they nervously wait for the critiques of their professor.
On analysing and skimming the content, the professor would give everybody his/her feedback with some students barely passing while some get a redo for their work. Losing all that sleep just for that fleeting appraisal is a thought that goes through every student’s mind after getting a redo on the assignment, but I guess that’s the professor’s way of saying ‘Here’s that another day for you that you were dying to ask for.’
One would think that it’s really difficult to work in such commotion and chaos, but architects have chosen this life and they are making the most of it. Relishing all the highs and the lows with a smile and a coffee.
Jury Week Mayhem
It’s the dreaded end that every student fears. It’s the day when they are put in the spotlight and grilled and roasted by the professors. It’s a day where the mirror of reality is shown to every survivor of architecture. Nervousness with a mix of excitement is filling the air and the students pin up their sheets and present their work on big boards. In just a few minutes there are hushed voices everywhere letting the sleepless students know that their professors have arrived. Now starts the game of interrogation. It’s at this moment the student feels the most vulnerable. The professors don’t show them any mercy and slay them like butchers. They point out the nitty gritty of every project and the overwhelmed student sitting on the defence side is unable to keep up with the questions and succumbs to just nodding to the professor. One by one everyone meets the same fate and then every student waits to discuss the reviews and how they feel. Feeling of relief in the minds of some to the feeling of regret it’s an emotional ride for everybody.
Rekindling Old Love
As an architecture student, it is expected for them to be up to date with the current news and trends in the market. After an evening of heavy reading of any book as a philosopher, a student surely marvels at the wonders existing in the world. Curiously thinking about the world and how for many decades people have been coming up with new ideas, and new inventions to make the quality of living better. Just this thought and care that as an architect they have the power to make someone else’s life better is enough to revive the old spark the student felt before entering this circus. Healthy discussions with colleagues, classmates, seniors, and professors remind them that the world has not given up just yet. They are not alone in this race; they never will be. It still has hope and it feels too good to be true. That’s the risk they are willing to take, no matter what juries, or all-nighters they have to pull through, they are ready for every challenge that comes their way.
With this peace in their heart, they confidently enter the chaotic world of architecture and embrace all the good and ugly parts of it. One may find this as an act of lunacy but to create something timeless one has to take the risk and fight against all odds.
