For once, when you were a fresh architectural student, you must have heard this quote, which no one really knows who said it, it says “there are two types of people: architects and other people” sure that whoever said that suffered from something we all did when you try to explain something you work on to a non-architect person. No doubt there is a phase after studying architecture when you will feel like nothing looks like it used to be; for instance, your brain will function in a whole different way, and you will notice things you didn’t pay attention to before, like the finishing in the ceiling isn’t good, or this is element could be amazing if the designer used another material and that’s fine, you are normal, we all been there and maybe still.
There are a lot of scientific researchers who have proven that your career will somehow affect how your brain functions. It can develop an existing skill or activate a brand new characteristic you didn’t even know about. That’s because architects’ brain functions differently and pay attention to a lot of things that no one cares about or even notice. You will feel like your mind works in different directions at the same time; Norman Foster has said that” As an architect, you design for the present with an awareness of the past for a future which is essentially unknown “, and that’s a fact we all as architects enjoy it.
Whole New Perspective
The word “perspective” means that the eyes and brain of an architect were trained to focus on any element they saw on a daily basis, whether it’s a building, piece of furniture, or even the twisted lines of a tree near the house, however all these details like outlines, patterns, materials, textures, and colours are part of shaping the notion of the space around us. The brain of an architect can easily collect all these data together, forming the full image. Thus, when the architect designs a building, he must acquaint himself with all the details that will affect the design by considering the deep psychological understanding of the functioning of occupants and its co-relations with the spaces, not to mention the environmental influences, which in turn will help achieve the ultimate comfort for them.
Architects have been known for their generalist knowledge, they have preferences about many different subjects to be able to guide their support team of specialists. Not surprisingly, they have a background in psychology, engineering, physics, statistics, biology, materials, history, ecology, geology, and a hint of mathematics…. The list can go on. My professor once said: “Architecture is a reference profession. Architects shouldn’t try to memorize everything; they only really need to know where to go to reference the information they are looking for.”
Non-Lost-able Tourist
My professor once said: “If you are an actual architect, you shouldn’t lose your way “. The way architects observe, experience, and perceive new places they visit is a way to satisfy their visual curiosity and their constant thirst for seeing beauty because they are visual creatures and patrons of art and design that do not only see but have learned to experience things with their five senses. Thus, they automatically know how the streets are connected and how a bus station must be after this building block because he was walking around 550km.
Traveling for architects isn’t about the narratives told through the historical monuments; it’s way more than that; it’s the novel that is told through feelings, culture, history, the smells emitted from a local restaurant in the streets, the people, and their lifestyle in the place and how all these details connect with the urban and rural settlements and shape this full image naturally to them. If the historical-cultural buildings are an important component of the full image of every place, adding all those details is the final touch that can bring out the original intent of an artwork canvas.
A Brilliant Problem Solvers
Any project is ultimately presenting you with a set of challenges that you as an architect need to overcome. The process of design thinking involves problem-solving and space perception at varying levels. The architect is required to understand the impact of the built space on the historical, social, cultural, economic, and psychological environment of the users. Whereas foreseeing when the disaster strikes and taking precautions is essential. Nevertheless, people often find themselves in a state of continuous refusal of an architect’s conviction. With the experience of the architect grows, and so does his ability to manage all of these factors on a somewhat auto-pilot.
According to Frank Lloyd Wright, who said:” A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines “. Wherefore, architects shall be aware of their responsibility to shape the world and make it a better place to live. However, still, some people minimize architects’ role, but criticism is always a part of the change.
In the end, architecture isn’t like any other work, despite all the non-sleeping nights, long work days, and lots of “REJECTED”, but they still love what they do and appreciate it. Like Oscar Niemeyer said:” Here, then, is what I wanted to tell you of my architecture. I created it with courage and idealism, but also with an awareness of the fact that what is important is life, friends, and attempting to make this unjust world a better place in which to live”.
Whether you choose architecture, or it chooses you, know that you are different; you have to find your own architectural style that enables you to leave a great influence after you are gone on people, makes them healthier, happier, and comfortable; that’s your great legacy. Like Leo Tolstoy said:” The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity”.