“Architecture is not a science, architecture is a discipline that nourishes from all sciences.”
That’s what a professor told us on our first day in Architecture school. This one sentence, in particular, has marked me and resonated in my ears, though I didn’t come to understand it until years later. Until now, while I’m pursuing my Master’s in Architecture.
Needless to say, being an architecture student is different. It’s not just the bazooka, sleepless nights, and complexes prototypes; it’s so much more than that. And it’s only when I became a scholar that I came to realize that. So freshman year was like an enlightenment path, and now after 4 years, what I acquired is not confined by the diploma, but also a great set of crucial and character-building skills.
Design thinking: Problems-solving
With no doubt, problem-solving is one of the most substantial skills in demand in the job market today and not restrictedly in architecture. Hopefully, it’s an asset that’s obtained instinctively during architecture studies.
Through design thinking and as arch-students, we are able to discover/ create new pathways to approach problems that may seem complex to our initial level of understanding. By employing experimentation through sketches, prototyping and critical evaluation; we aim for high performing solutions to different design problems, which automatically results in an optimized project and a better user experience in the designed space.
Software
Being familiar with the informatics tools and different software is indeed a crucial skill to have in modern times, especially in architecture.
As much as hand drawing and model making are important in architectural studies to demonstrate your work and communicate it, architectural software such as: ARCHICAD, Sketch-up, Revit… has become indispensable tools for better presentations; to save/ share your work and also, work collaboratively.
Moreover, and with the takeoff of new innovative architectural streams such as parametric architecture, where millions of data are analyzed by different software and machines in order to generate different forms and prototypes, it is fair to say that software is becoming architect’s best friend.
Presentation and communication skills
A good idea or a design (no matter how well-elaborated) is not power, it’s potential power. To sell it, and convince the person sitting across you of its utility and uniqueness is what gives you power. And to effectively do that (I am talking about very thin odds to fail) having good communication and presentation skills are a must.
How to develop that? Well, Architecture College is a good place to start. Commonly said; “Practice makes perfect”. As a huge part of Architecture students’ evaluation is based on their aptitude to present and communicate their work to juries, professors and fellow students, mastering these skills are almost inevitable. Of course, you are not expected to be good at it right away, but even bad presentations become good lessons and laughable memories (and trust me I know so).
Sketch
Counter to what is commonly known about sketching; it is not just the act of drawing lines on a sheet of paper. But it is a whole process that consists of the visualization of a conceptive image in one’s brain. It is the first step into the concretization of imagination.
To be able to do that; not only that you need to practice drawing techniques (perspective, shading…), but also you need to work on establishing a smooth lining between someone’s imagination and hand muscles. And that is what architecture is all about; says TADAO ANDO (a famous Japanese Architect) “My hand is the extension of the thinking process – the creative process”.
Ressources management
Being part of the architectural domain, resources management is a surviving skill (no Kidding). Whether these lasts are: time, money, materials or energy…
If you are a student on a tight budget and limited time till a delivery day or an architect working on a major project with billions of assets. Being mindful about what you in-take and put out is crucial, as it could save you from prejudicial consequences and open horizons for you and your work to grow. the same as neglecting this skill could shape or even determine your career path and professional reputation.
Thus, an inclusive architectural formation is one that valorises and highlights this dexterity.
After four years of architectural studies, I’ve come to the conclusion that its particularity resides in its openness to all other sciences and disciplines. It gives you the bigger picture as it looks into all subjects together and yet treats every problem individually and on its own terms.
As an architecture student, this gave me a whole new perspective of the world around me and generated a benign curiosity in me to keep me going; a successful architect is one who dares to look beyond the brick wall and never stops learning.
