More Archi School for Dummies

So you think, after a couple of months in the studio, you’re a veteran now, huh?

In our first edition of Archi School for Dummies, we managed to bring you the bread and butter of survival in the studios. But in order to rise above the frenzy that is the sleeping bag-filled, junk food-smelling, UHU glu-sniffing studio, here’s 10 more tips for surviving in the architecture school wilderness:

#11. Own your project. Have your own opinion about it. Of course, you have to be correct about things, so make sure you check your sources and be absolutely 100% sure about what you say. It’s not always about intuition and feeling, so back up your words with facts if you can.

#12. Master the art of flowery language. Or aim become an architectural thesaurus of sorts. Seriously, there must be a thousand different ways of saying the same thing, and probably 90% of the time there’s a better way to say what you’ve just communicated to the crit panel. This is where point #5 comes in: ‘Read a lot too.’ If you don’t know where to get started, pick up design magazines or the latest from FFW’s Review selection.

#13. You are as much destined to be a Graphic Designer as you are to be an architect, so get with the program. With all the crazy panels and boards that are submitted every year, you need to be at the top of your graphics game, so get wired to sites like pixelsurgeon and designiskinky; establish your style and know what you want your work to look like, and how to get there. For starters there’s always ComputerArts, and if you don’t already have the tools of the trade, there’s Adobe.com. In fact, you’re destined to be a generalist, meaning you’ll probably have to be good at everything. Just ask Bruce Mau.

#14. Crit does not equate student-bashing. Contrary to overwhelming popular belief, crits are actually some of the best things to help you during your school term if you learn to take thing positively and turn them to your favour. Sometimes, a panel member might be unbelievably doubtful of your scheme, or unnecessarily home in on a weakness. Take note of the specific things that they pick out, and make specifically those necessary corrections and ammendments so that the same thing doesn’t happen twice.

#15. Define the problem; show how you solve it. Very often, students present a project that is squeaky clean - it appears to almost have no flaws, no scratches and dents - there is no “struggle”. The answer to this is to bring up a certain prominent design issue in the project that you took pains - massive, heart wrenching pains - to resolve, but in the end you did it and now it looks great. This is what most people like to see, a student that has identified, tackled and resolved a relevant, sufficiently complex design issue.

#16. Do something outside of School. School is great, and, after all, that’s what you’re doing there in the first place. But academia is more like the “base” requirement; while the real world beckons. Real work, real projects are being realised by people who have already left school (or often ignored it altogether), and your best investment is to connect with the communities of creative people who are doing design for a living and a life. Training in school is only part of the equation. Being submerged in the culture of design practice is where the real action is.

#17. Don’t just draw and think. Think and Talk. Many times, talking about your design uncovers a lot of things that simply won’t surface when you’re being a recluse at your desk, shutting the world out while you cad-monkey your life away. Talking helps you verbalise your thoughts and ‘get the design out there’ - having another person around to react and respond to what you are proposing often nudges you into some kind of self-protecting mode, and that’s where you start to realise where those loopholes in your design lie; you might even resolve things on an almost impromptu unconscious basis while you speak. Need to work? Grab a friend!

#18. The tutor is not God. God bless all the great tutors out there who have inspired and taught well, but once every so often there comes a tutor that will completely baffle you. This breed of tutor is self-imposing, dreams of world-domination, doesn’t listen to you, and probably already wrote you off before he’s/she’s even met you. They come up with the weirdest, vaguest briefs, and ever so often change their mind about what should be done and how, causing mini tsunamis of hate and confusion to wash over the studio. The key is to stay on top of things, thinking clearly and logically about everything that you do. Random comments are bound to ensue, but keep your head and you’ll be sure to dodge all the fire balls of ignorance, mundane-ness and danger that could only come from a tutor who really has no idea of what he or she is doing.

#19. Skills are everything. The more time you spend in school, the more time you have to hone your skills until your CV gleams with the words ‘I know every program there is on the market‘. But until then, there’s much to learn, and too little time. Having skills will undoubtedly set you apart from your peers be it in the office or at school, especially when you’re capable of wonderful 3D rendering acrobatics. So get cranking and don’t forget to learn how to make a presentation using Adobe Flash.

#20. Eat well, and sleep and wake at normal times. This is probably the most unheeded piece of advice in architecture. My guess is that probably no one does this, but with a healthy clear mind, I say design would be a tiny bit easier. And don’t forget to exercise!

Some links that will blow your mind (and that you should so not take seriously):

http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=october2004&pgnum=1

http://www.partiv.com/2007/09/28/students-guide-to-starchitecture-step4/

101 Things I Learned in Architecture School by Matthew Frederick

JJ is co-founder of 5ft Creatives and is currently based in New York.