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Jordan J. Lloyd - Arch 101 - How To Get Through Architecture School PDF
Jordan J. Lloyd - Arch 101 - How To Get Through Architecture School PDF
Jordan J. Lloyd - Arch 101 - How To Get Through Architecture School PDF
Jordan J. Lloyd
Part 1:
Fundamentals
The following six ideas are what I think
represent the essence of how to get ahead in
architecture school. From breaking the rules
to taking time off, I hope to challenge your
assumptions about the design process.
Have hobbies
Understand rules,
then break them
Images BIG
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Good learning
trumps good grades
that has stigmatised mistakes and rewarded those who conform to the
academic curriculum. You may have got an A* in biology, but unless you
happen to be a urologist, is it worth remembering in extreme detail how
your urinary tract functions?
If you jumped in at the deep end and begin to do things to satisfy your
own thirst for knowledge, rather than wait to be told what to do (or
worse, do things because it will satisfy your tutors), you will do well.
In same cases, a good grade is a consequence of something you do for
yourself. In other cases, you may not get the grade you were hoping for,
but at the very least you satisfied your own curiosity.
There are different value systems
Grades are simply a representation of doing well in a particular
value system, and there are many value systems. If we were to talk
about intelligence, having an analytical mind for example makes
you intelligent, but so does a synthetic mind (being able to combine
seemingly unrelated things), both of these are useful in architecture.
Likewise, let us consider a typical office block. From an architectural
value system, we may judge it as boring or non-descript, but from an
economic or profit value system, it may be considered exceptional. The
result to shoot for of course, is both.
What grade you get at the end of your degree is largely determined
by two things: Firstly, it is determined by competency in certain areas
set out by your countrys architectural governing body. Secondly, it is
assigned by your tutors who have a very good idea at well you are doing.
Look out for #1
Expanding your knowledge and having a good attitude towards learning
for yourself will get very far indeed. Your tutors will notice when you go
out of your way to expand your knowledge, but this is secondary to what
you will be getting out of it.
Its far more important to focus on what knowledge or insight you
will gain, rather than get a good grade. Use your initiative.
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Take risks
If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have
to settle for the ordinary.
- Jim Rohn, entrepreneur
to try and fail, than not try at all - now thats a real failure, as avoiding
risks at all costs means you will never progress.
Take risks all the time and fail often. Analyse the reason why something
didnt work out for you and move on quickly. If something is not
working out, do not be afraid to walk away. Saying no is a very difficult
thing to do, but if your gut instinct is telling you to not persevere,
chances are there may be a much better way of doing things.
Over time you will know what works and what doesnt work for you, and
be sure to capitalise on your successes.
More good news
The one magical thing about being in architecture school is that you are
free to take huge risks with little consequence. Taking a risk for example,
with a new kind of structure for your design may not end up getting you
a top grade, but at least it didnt get built, fall down and kill anybody.
Better to take risks and push your creativity to the limit, and then edit
out what would or what wouldnt work later, than design conservatively
from the very start. Exploit the opportunity of a relatively consequencefree environment in which to undertake as many design experiments
(both successful and failed) as possible.
One last thing
An experiment thats gone horribly wrong is simply one more experience
to notch up to your developing life experience, and therefore is never
wasted. It is important however, to make sure there is some sort of
record of your failed experiment. For you, its a good reminder of why
something didnt work, but more importantly, at some point that risk
you took that didnt pay off, may well lead you to a success in another
endeavour (more on this later).
Undertake as many risks as possible whilst you are in the safe
environment of your school, move on quickly from your failures and
be sure to capitalise on your successes. Whats the worst that could
happen?
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questions to ask, the whole design process and final outcome arises out
of answering those questions.
Design is not the same as problem solving
Another statement Im sure many designers wont agree with, but
my personal opinion is simply that solving problems happen to be a
consequence of the best designs, not the aim.
For example:
When you set out to solve problems, you are problem solving. Design
really comes alive when it proposes new ways of doing things based on
our behaviour, and increasingly, thats coming from re-combining what
has come before us in a new context.
Train yourself to ask questions
Asking the right questions is a fundamental part of your design skills. Its
not just about asking the right questions, but in addition when to ask the
right questions. Think back to my example of the Museum of Textiles.
The question wasnt how do I design a textiles museum, it was, What if I
were to not represent the past, but also the future?
By asking the right questions, you are engaging in a critical dialogue
that will lead to a new (and better) way to doing things.
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Fundamentals Summary
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