Category Archives: Principles

Formation, Principles

6 Simple Truths Incoming Architecture Freshmen Can Expect.

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 1. You don’t NEED to be excellent at drawing.

Contrary to popular belief, rendering like a true artist is a non-essential part of being an architect.

Sure, it’s an impressive skill to have, but for the most part, being able to draw clearly is of higher worth. Sketching is very important for the thought and communication processes of architectural work – but the clarity of your drawings holds more weight than their flashiness.

Related Post: Why Is It Important For Architects to Sketch?

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2. You’ll be using computers to refine your work.

Sketching is great for fleshing out broad ideas and moves. But during the tail-ends of each design project, it’s more time-efficient to refine your work and do the final drawings with computer software. And so you might be dipping your toes into a myriad of programs that your local scene gravitate towards.

The best bang for your buck would be to learn a 2D Drafting Software (like AutoCAD), a 3D modelling software (like Sketchup and 3Ds Max), and a BIM Software (like ArchiCAD or Revit).

You might also like: The BIG 4: Aspects of Architectural Education You Just HAVE to Focus On. Continue reading 6 Simple Truths Incoming Architecture Freshmen Can Expect. →

Blog Info - Q&A, Design, Principles

“What’s the Difference?” Design PHILOSOPHIES, Design CONCEPTS, and Design CONSIDERATIONS (Q&A #6)

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Let’s face it, we all tend to get confused with the different architectural jargon that comes with the territory. And the earlier we make clear sense of it all, the earlier we’ll be producing guided, cohesive work.

I was browsing through a local Architecture Board Exam review group on Facebook the other day, when I noticed a post by Allan, a young and hungry architecture freshman.

He was asking for assistance in clarifying a few terms that he needed to integrate in his current project’s process – namely Design PROCESS, Design CONCEPTS, and Design CONSIDERATIONS.

True enough, it’s easy to understand his dilemma. Chances are, your professors will have you include your take on these three little devils as to how they relate to your project. And understanding the difference as a new designer can be confusing. Heck, I used to mix them up a lot for a good amount of my freshman life.

As you might already have inferred, I gave him my two cents and decided to make a more comprehensive post, for the benefit of many others that might have the same questions.

Without further ado, let’s dissect each of these 3 important terms, and then see how we can understand them better with an easily digestible example.  Continue reading “What’s the Difference?” Design PHILOSOPHIES, Design CONCEPTS, and Design CONSIDERATIONS (Q&A #6) →

Feature, Fitness, Health, Principles

The Breakfast Experiment: DOUBLE Your Morning Energy in 2 Easy Steps.

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The holidays are just around the corner, and many of us are giddy at the chance to finally unwind, relax, and let go of the stresses of the previous year.

I say, why not learn an easy but life-changing productivity hack these next lazy days?

With all the free time and lack of responsibility, it’s also the best time to rethink the loose baggage of your daily routine – in order to discover enlightening ways on how to perform exponentially better this 2015. Chances are, simple things you take for granted are holding you back bigtime.

Enter my BREAKFAST EXPERIMENT: an open challenge that I promise will be an excellent learning experience.

What’s in it for you? 

A chance to know your body better, discover a life hack that is in-grained in our physiology, never be distracted by ravenous hunger and energy crashes in the late morning, and live everyday with a sense of well-being and stable emotions.

So what do you have to do? 

This little challenge of mine involves you doing two easy, eye-opening steps.  Continue reading The Breakfast Experiment: DOUBLE Your Morning Energy in 2 Easy Steps. →

Attitude, Principles

Why Wealth Is Not Evil, And Why You Should Get Rich.

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In the previous post entitled On Smaller Firms: Low Pay, But High Value? (Q&A#5), I first mentioned the issue of money in the architectural profession. In line with this, today, I thought I’d do a short, principle-based post on my position on wealth and getting rich.

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I used to think money was evil.

Growing up, I developed into a bit of a societal-conscious little kid. I gravitated towards the spectrum of geek-dom; I’d watch news whilst my peers watched Gossip Girl; i’d read about human trafficking and geopolitics while my best friends read about cars and airsoft guns. Due to these habits, I ended up having a large soft spot for the less-fortunate and voiceless.

On the other end, I was enrolled in a top private school in the country’s capital. I was also personally exposed to the highly exuberant lifestyles of some of the Filipino Super-Elite. While I had many rich acquaintances who lived with societal consciousness, there were a number who really just lived large, spoiled, and insensitive to the plight of the poor.

Witnessing personally this enormous dichotomy, for a large part of my life, I was repulsed by the thought of being very wealthy.  Continue reading Why Wealth Is Not Evil, And Why You Should Get Rich. →

Attitude, Formation, Principles

22 Simple Guidelines for the Successful Architecture Student

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"Victory is the child of preparation and determination". ~ Sean Hampton

Today, I thought I’d give a bit of a token piece for the new readers, for them to get an easy overview of all the topics Archi Student Help has covered in its first 50 pages or so. 

From me to you, here’s a 22 point summary of the blog’s take-home points for young designers thus far, geared at helping you become your best self yet. If you find them helpful, please – feel free to share them with your friends. 

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1. Discover early on what it really means to design. And in-grain it into your thinking.

2. Understand that the best take-home from every project isn’t a pretty rendering, but a more-informed design process.

3. Prioritize your health. Consider that life is a marathon and not a sprint.

4. Invest in your brain power. Integrate life-hacks into a comprehensive program to keep you revved like a well-tuned car.

5. Become process-oriented. It will make you happier, more consistent, and will give you solid self-worth. Continue reading 22 Simple Guidelines for the Successful Architecture Student →

Design, Formation, Principles

Pointers for Designing an AWESOME Room – Part 1 (20 Tips)

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What’s in a “room”? A supposedly basic and elementary term for defining a space, you’d think. As architecture students, you’ll be designing a lot of rooms for your projects. Sounds simple enough – group together some blobs and squares to fit the form you want.

But as you’ll find out, doing so isn’t as trivial as most people think.

A good designer knows that a whole lot of careful thought should be put into each space, considering factors that relate to human psyche, anthropometrics, technology, energy-efficiency, cost-efficiency, comfort, beauty, engineering, and a whole lot of other synthesize-able things.

Don’t believe me? Well then, allow me to give you a few examples of things you might consider when designing individual spaces.

This first post will contain some 20 considerations, and succeeding posts will continue this chain – in hopes of providing you with a more holistic checklist while planning out your spaces. Continue reading Pointers for Designing an AWESOME Room – Part 1 (20 Tips) →

Attitude, Design, Formation, Principles

The BIG 4: Aspects of Architectural Education You Just HAVE to Focus On.

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Today is a short lesson in efficiency – getting the most bang for your buck with regards to your time invested.

Time and effort is precious in architecture school – so knowing where to focus your energy will be valuable in establishing a solid foundation.

And out of all the different skills and courses you’ll be dipping your toes into, there are 4 that I feel you should pay special attention to.

Naturally this meanders into the subjective realm, but these four are the intersection in a cosmic Venn Diagram of all my learning from my mentors’ – which is essentially centuries worth of experience. In other words, by age old wisdom, these are the four aspects that are largely responsible for driving your trajectory forward – both school-wise and career-wise.  Continue reading The BIG 4: Aspects of Architectural Education You Just HAVE to Focus On. →

Attitude, Happiness, Principles

You Have Hope: Why It’s OKAY to be A Clueless Architecture Freshman

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You enter the halls of your Architecture School. This is it. This is what you’ve chosen for the next five or so years of your life. And you admittedly aren’t sure if you made the right decision.

Maybe you’ve never taken a single drafting course in your life. Or you aren’t versed in the architectural scene at all -You have no idea what Zahaha did, or how much did I.M. pay, or what kind of music comes out of a Renzo piano. Or you may have come from a long line of lawyers, bankers, or doctors in your family.

The bottom line is, your personal background hasn’t been the most conducive one in pursuing a design course. And for the most part, you don’t know what to expect – from the course, and from yourself.

Related: What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School? – Part 1

The first few weeks of plates and exercises hits, and you feel as incompetent as ever. You don’t know where to begin in drafting a sheet, you always get the feeling that you’re not understanding things enough, and you have no idea if you’re even designing properly.

This is helplessness. This is incompetence. This is cluelessness.

If this describes you, I’m here to pat your back and tell you why you shouldn’t dwell on it, and that with a bit of passion, you’ll get over the wall.  Continue reading You Have Hope: Why It’s OKAY to be A Clueless Architecture Freshman →

Design, Principles

26 Things About Design Process That You Should Know

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Design is a pretty fantastic profession. I believe we’ve already established this. I’ve dropped mentions of it in a number of posts such as: What Does “Designing” Mean Anyway?, How do Architects contribute to Nation-building?, How Do Architects Think? – An Eye Opener, and Know The Difference: How Architects and Engineers Are Wired Differently.

So today I’ll be getting a bit more direct with this thing called Design Process – which is basically the process of designing. Doh.

As an architecture student, you’re going to be doing a lot of designing every semester. So you have to be familiar with what it typically entails, so you can reflect on how to make your methods better.

I plan to eventually get more in-depth with each of the little nuances that comprise each step, so I thought a little primer would be a good starting point for today.

Without further ado, here are some of the basic things you should know about Design Process, in the context of architecture school. Continue reading 26 Things About Design Process That You Should Know →

Fitness, Health, Principles

The Biggest Secret to Success: Take Care of Your Health

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Today’s post is going to be the cornerstone of all succeeding entries on how to stay healthy in architecture school and beyond. Think of it as my guiding belief on how to achieve success – “Life is a marathon, not a sprint – so it’s extremely important to take care of your health”. 

Are you setting yourself up for long-term failure by trying to achieve everything today?

I’ve been there, friends. For some time, I was a chronic workaholic myself – and then I smartened up. 

For us young people who are still full of the vigor of life, we sometimes feel indestructible. This is especially true for many a gifted achiever who constantly seeks their next youthful success.

We take pride in our perceived resilience – so we brag about our week long all-nighters in getting a project done, inject ourselves into the roster of a number of councils and movements, and feel shaky and useless when our hands aren’t tied by new projects.

So what of exercise and sleep? Enter the commonly used maxim “Ain’t nobody got time for dat!”

There’s nothing wrong with being driven and wanting to pursue a meaningful youth, but once your health starts to suffer on a habitual basis, you’ve reached a point where you might be actually compromising your long-term well-being.  Continue reading The Biggest Secret to Success: Take Care of Your Health →