Tag Archives: Architecture School

36 Things You MUST Consider When Designing Your Project

November 10, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

(Disclaimer: Many of the examples of this post are as per Philippine Context)

For the most part, defining “good design” is pretty much subjective. Each architect will have his own guiding philosophy on what constitutes an effective proposal- so at least on the conceptual level, debating on merits of styles will be never-ending. However, unless you live in a culturati first world society that likes to live dangerously, you have to be sure that your design is safe and liveable. In order to do this, there are a number of key checks I’ve found to be essential when planning out your design. It’s best to consider these early on, lest you realize you’ve made a critical oversight or code breach too close to your presentation. Or worse – to find out during your deliberations itself while your jury grills you on your fatal flaws. Continue reading 36 Things You MUST Consider When Designing Your Project →

Design, Principles

26 Things About Design Process That You Should Know

November 6, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

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 →

Formation

What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School? – PART 5

November 3, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

This is the 4th part of a multi-part series about “What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School?“. If you’ve missed previous parts that be sure to check them out and then come back to this page. Happy learning!

PART 1: Architectural Communication, History and Criticism, and Architectural Design and Theory.
PART 2: Building Materials and Construction
PART 3: Structural Analysis & Conceptualization
PART 4: Lighting and Acoustics Design

Architects have X-ray vision. Bzzt bzzt.

We can’t see through peoples’ clothes (sorry) – though we can see into their minds; Instead of apparel, architects can mentally dissect the inner workings of a building.

In your quest to achieve your degree in Archi-torture, you will undoubtedly have to dip your toes into the realms of engineering courses – and survive. You’ll be taking up subjects to understand all the different systems that run through buildings, how to optimize them in your design, and what options you can suggest should they all conflict.

One thing to keep in mind: Just because you’ve taken up a few utilities courses doesn’t mean you can do the work of an engineer, because as I’ve already explained before, Architects and Engineers are wired differently.

What these courses will do is give you a good background and grasp of the trades, so you can take the lead during design coordination and site meetings. Architects, as the maestro of the orchestra, constantly have to reconcile everyone’s considerations into the architecture, so you naturally have to know first what those considerations are. Continue reading What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School? – PART 5 →

Design

What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School? – PART 4

October 30, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

PART 1: Architectural Communication, History and Criticism, and Architectural Design and Theory.
PART 2: Building Materials and Constuction
PART 3: Structural Analysis & Conceptualization

Imagine a pretty looking building without power, indoor plumbing, lighting, air-conditioning, and sound systems. Would you live in it?

Not so pleasant, right? In today’s contemporary world, we practically run on technology and convenience. Remove all that and it’ll literally be like a 21st century Dark Age. Technological advancement has become the cornerstone of human development, and the way we integrate all sorts of gizmos to our built environment is a clear indication of that.

Which is why you’ll be studying all kinds of building systems in architecture school.

In the fourth and fifth parts of the “What Can You Expect in Architecture School?” series, I’ll be giving you a glimpse on all those pesky (but useful) utility courses that you’ll be tackling in your upper years. Don’t be daunted – you’ll cross the river when you get there. Besides, you’ll be surprised at how fun they can actually be. This installment will give you the down-low on two of the most crucial utilities with respect to the beauty and pleasantness of your designs – Lighting and Acoustics. Continue reading What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School? – PART 4 →

Brainpower, Formation

Read Your Local Architectural Magazines and Get SMART.

October 29, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

If you’ve never took the time to open up an architectural magazine and browse through the content, you’re hampering your learning potential.

I bought my first two Architectural Magazines with my allowance way-back-when in 2008. I was a giddy little freshman who was both clueless and elated to learn about this new world before him. So as I stepped out of the bookstore I immediately tore open my fresh issues of Archikonst and BluPrint, found a nice seat in the food court, and devoured my new found toys.

To this day, I believe regularly buying and pouring through architectural magazines – especially your local ones – is a valuable learning tool for any design student. Here are some great reasons why you should consider buying some fine-print. Continue reading Read Your Local Architectural Magazines and Get SMART. →

Brainpower, Fitness, Health

12 Ways to Increase Brain Power for Architecture School – PART 1

October 28, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

Click here to jump to: 12 Ways to Increase Brain Power For Architecture School – PART 2

A healthy, clear, and efficiently working brain is one of the architecture student’s greatest assets. I’d like to give you a few life hacks to supercharge yours.

Around two years ago, I had a sort of nutritional epiphany that allowed me start living every day with a clear and efficient mind, and I’ve never looked back since. Today I’m going to share with you some of the life-hacks I really wish I knew back when I was younger. They’ve helped me live with constant energy and a clear mind, warding off crankiness and increasing feelings of well-being.

How I was able to browse through the peer-reviewed research and find the perfect brain-power plan for me is a different story all together – which merits a separate post or two. For now, I’d like to just give you the rough outline, principles and tidbits for the top 12 highly effective ways to make your brain feel like a million bucks every single day.

This is going to be a two-part series merely meant to be an introduction to future posts. Each of these 12 points will then have their own individual entries, discussing in more detail the scientific backing and ways you can effectively and safely implement their use in your lifestyle.

Without further ado, I invite you to expand your mind. Continue reading 12 Ways to Increase Brain Power for Architecture School – PART 1 →

Fitness, Health, Principles

The Biggest Secret to Success: Take Care of Your Health

October 27, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

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 →

Formation

Why Is It Important for Architects to Sketch?

October 24, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

It might be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway – Drawing is one of the most important skills of the architect. Today we’ll talk about why.

In a previous post, I answered a Twitter question about whether or not you need to be good at drawing to survive in architecture school. I said that while you don’t need to be excellent to survive, practicing your sketching skills is still an great idea that will bring you a lot of utility in the long run.

Discussed below are some things you may or may not know about drawing, and a couple of personal tips I’ve found to be very helpful. Continue reading Why Is It Important for Architects to Sketch? →

Blog Info - Q&A

Do I HAVE to Be Good at Drawing to Survive in Architecture School? (Q&A #1)

October 23, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

“Do you have to be good at drawing to survive in Architecture School?”

This question comes from Shai, one of our followers on Twitter. She is a high school architecture student hopeful, and her concern is one many others have once they consider design school as an educational option. So, do your hands have to be blessed by Olympus, lest you be thrown into Hades and flunk out? I have but one answer:

The truth is, it really depends.

Continue reading Do I HAVE to Be Good at Drawing to Survive in Architecture School? (Q&A #1) →

Formation

What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School? – PART 3

October 23, 2014 Aldo Leave a comment

This is the 3nd part of a multi-part series about “What You Can Expect to Learn in Architecture School”. If you’ve missed previous parts that be sure to check them out and then come back to this page. Happy learning!

PART 1: Architectural Communication, History and Criticism, and Architectural Design and Theory.
PART 2: Building Materials and Constuction

If you’re like me, then you’re not really a whiz with mathematics, and long calculations are sometimes public enemy number 1.

But if you love purposefully crunching values and find a thrill in chasing down a target numerical indication, then you’ll be in for a treat in your structural courses. Continue reading What Can You Expect to Learn in Architecture School? – PART 3 →