A Solid Foundation

The question facing many architecture students is how well their school prepares them for the actual practice of architecture. The trouble is, we never stop learning ― it’s impossible to learn everything about the practice in four or five years of school. However, there are principles established in college that lay the groundwork for the professional practice of architecture. Having recently made this transition myself two years ago, I relate what I learned at the University of Arizona that has carried over.

1) Something From Nothing

Possibly the most important thing the architecture school taught me is how to fill a blank sheet of paper. This began day one when we were asked to sketch objects found around campus and fill the page to its extents. While quite literal, this exercise proves useful when we strive to maximize a site or get as much square footage as possible into a home, often starting with little more than a site boundary on a sheet of paper.

2) Study Precedent

Early on, I learned how to study existing works and apply their principles to my own designs. In school, this was done to advance our knowledge of the vastness of the architectural world. In practice, it serves a similar purpose, but there is more looking into the works of your peers rather than the titans of the industry to keep progressing your understanding of all aspects of architecture.

the Heurtley House by Frank Lloyd Wright

3) How to Draw

When I started school, I had no idea how I would be drawing. Learning how to set up a perspective and doodling in a sketchbook are useful skills. Beyond hand drawing are the computer programs; some may not translate perfectly (I drafted with Rhino in school and use AutoCAD in practice) but the principles correlate. Sketchup, the Adobe Suite, Revit, and VRay are all programs I learned in school and use in practice.

4) Develop a Design Aesthetic

“How to design” doesn’t have one correct answer; it develops differently for each person. Your personal design aesthetic begins in architecture school, and changes and shifts throughout your career. I did not focus on my own aesthetic until the fourth year when I looked back over my projects and realized they all had a similar set of principles that I continue to follow today.

5) Problem Solving (With Deadlines)

The deadlines never stop; it’s inherent to the profession. But learning to solve a design problem on a deadline―whether it’s a school project or a professional project―is a crucial skill that is first developed (and tested) in architecture school.

Me presenting my thesis project

6) Diversity of Work

The work I did in school was incredibly diverse. I designed everything from a modest shelter on a mountaintop to a ferry terminal in Vancouver. I believe this is the best part of architecture school. You get to try out various projects with vastly different programs, uses, and sites and see what you gravitate toward. You’re exposed to guest lectures featuring people from around the world using their architecture degrees in drastically different ways.

I feel this is the main charge of architecture school: to offer as broad a foundation as possible that can be used in whatever way best fits the individual. For some, it may be custom home design, for others, it may be set design for Broadway productions. There are myriad ways to use this wonderful degree and many skills that begin to develop in school which relate directly to architectural practice.

Montebello Collection by City Ventures | Designed by WHA