Surviving Architecture School without burning out! 3 things that you should know
August 29, 2009
Going through architecture school can be both a stressful and
rewarding experience. Here are three things every architecture
student should know before embarking on that very first project!
1. Understanding Time Management.
Many people going through architecture school may be lead to believe
that pulling all-nighters on a daily basis is the price you pay for
enrolling into such a rigorous program. This couldn't be further from
the truth. It's actually good practice while in school to understand
that when you practice architecture in the "real world" clients won't
have exorbitant budgets for you to spend endless hours working on a
single project. So, when you're given an assignment instead of
immediately sketching ideas and coming up with concepts, get into
Project Management mode!
First, know your deadline; plan on finishing your work before that
date, this leaves time for contingencies. Second, to avoid becoming
overwhelmed take time to fully understand what needs to be
accomplished for that deadline. Lastly, write a simple 'to do' list
to help organize your thoughts, then begin to prioritize, and estimate
how much time you think it will take to complete each task. This is a
sure-fire way not to show up burnt out in your pajamas come
presentation day!
2. Start Conceptualizing!
Now comes the fun part. Designing! Once you have gotten an idea of
deadlines and timelines, start sketching! Always be original -
remember this is architecture school so no idea is too zany! If
you're having trouble getting started the best thing to do is start
pulling together precedents to help give you ideas and inspiration.
3. sell, Sell, SELL!
I've witnessed first hand how students can become so enthralled in
their ideas, the architecture, and the design that they never set
enough time away for presentation, marketing, and selling their idea
to the jurors. This last piece of information is of the utmost
importance because even if you have a strong solid concept and design
if jurors can't see that in the presentation - it won't matter. Take
graphic design courses and become extremely proficient in graphic
programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign (Having
knowledge of these programs also comes in handy when seeking design
internships because for most firms knowing these programs is a
necessity!). Make sure you set aside an appropriate amount of time to
pull together your presentation. Think about it! Everything in your
presentation from images, to fonts, to the color palette should
support your concept. This will make your idea easier to sell if you
don't have the gift of gab!
Did I leave anything out? If so please let me know - write a comment
and contribute to this piece!
Written by Dominique Wilmore
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