#conceptualize

You've seen it before, right? The beautiful hand-drawn renderings, whimsical sketches, expertly crafted models. You're sitting there thinking to yourself, well, I can't do that; I must not be cut out for architecture.

Since you're reading this post, I'm assuming you've felt this way at one time or another, and you're not alone! So many people feel the same as you do, and many of them let those thoughts get in the way of pursuing their dream to study architecture.

Let's make one thing clear—architecture school isn't art school.

Does it help to have art skills and to be able to translate your thoughts and ideas clearly on paper? Of course, it does, but there's so much more to architecture than drawing a pretty picture.

Being a great architect means having insight into so many different aspects of the world around you. It's about knowing what kinds of information you need to know, where to find it, and incorporating those ideas into your designs.

The magical thing is that everyone is creative. Whether or not you think you're creative, you are. Given the exact same information and parameters as anyone else, you will develop a unique solution that only you could come up with—that's creativity.

If you're struggling with representing your ideas or developing interesting concepts, though, you may need to start thinking outside of the box.

See also: How to Avoid All-Nighters

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If you're not great at drawing, try model making

You can try additive model making (adding objects to create a form) or subtractive modeling (such as carving space out of a block). You can use wood blocks, relive your lego days, cardboard boxes, create paper forms, etc. Find a way to imagine and explore ideas through form-making.

Having trouble thinking spacially or drawing perspectives?

Try using Sketchup! Sketchup is an amazing free tool that allows you to quickly create meaningful forms digitally, which can then be printed out and sketched over to easily test out different ideas.

Printing out and physically sketching over these conceptual drawings can be a fantastic way to practice drawing, learn how to create perspectival views, and help you begin to really understand the world through a different lens.

See also: Essential Architecture Tools

Want to test out different ideas?

Once you have a design or sketch drawn or printed out, you can overlay multiple layers of trace paper to develop and test out different ideas. This is great for reconfiguring spaces in plan, experimenting with different elevation configurations, playing with section designs, and even diagramming.

Try collaging!

Photoshop* is another fundamental design tool that can be used to create collages and overlay images to develop compositions to portray your ideas. Students and teachers* can take advantage of a very generous discount on the Adobe Cloud programs, including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and many other programs.

You could even try creating tangible collages using colored paper or magazine cutouts.

Give sketching another go

It can be intimidating to see classmates and coworkers effortlessly churn out beautiful sketches and renderings but you can’t let that stop you from developing your own drawing skills. You can’t compare yourself to someone who has clearly been drawing their entire life. Give yourself a break and embrace your inner child, the part of you that has no fear of “messing up” or embarrassing yourself.

If the fine point of a pencil or pen doesn’t work for you, explore different tools! Try using charcoal, thicker markers, the side of the pencil tip, painting, drawing on tinted paper like newsprint. Instead of drawing a building, you can focus on gesture, form, light vs shadow, etc. You can even try blind contour drawings. There are all kinds of ways you can change it up and find a better tool or method that works for you. Try a combination of tools and methods and open your mind to new possibilities.

If you’re insecure about drawing or expressing your ideas, take more drawing classes. The more you draw, the easier it becomes and the sharper your seeing eye gets. Don’t let the fear of something not being perfect prevent you from trying. Architecture isn’t about perfection, it’s about exploring ideas, trial and error, and finding the balance between form and function.

What I've found through working in architecture is you need to find out what you're good at and what you like doing.

There are so many niches within the architecture and design industry; you just need to find your strengths and leverage them.

As for getting through architecture school, I get that you don’t exactly have the freedom to niche down and focus only on things you’re interested in. That’s by design. You’re still discovering who you are, pushing your limits, and learning all kinds of new things. I urge you to embrace those uncomfortable feelings in areas you’re not as confident in and try to take everything you can out of all your experiences, both inside and outside of school. Our experiences and what we focus on are what define us as designers. Don’t be afraid to do things differently and take advantage of all the resources and liberties available to you.

Happy designing!

♥ Chelsea

MIT researchers have discovered a novel method for constructing intricate three- dimensional structures using self-assembling polymer materials, which generate minuscule wires and junctions. They arrange block copolymer layers into orderly perpendicular rows, thus facilitating the creation of smaller chip components and serving as an alternative to photolithography used in the 1960s for computer chip fabrication. This evokes the image of a net, where intersecting fibers knot at their junctions, creating a flexible grid of square compartments. It evokes the concept of a fish trap, still in use for capturing fish and crustaceans, or the nets crafted by ancient Hawaiians from olona, firebrand, and stone sinkers. I focus on a site-specific wire mesh sculpture that, via its translucency, absorbs light and color, seamlessly integrating into the skyline while merging lyrical sublimity with appealing viewpoints on the present vs. the past. In a distinct setting, Irish author James Joyce employed wire imagery in his short story “Araby” to depict the emotional state of a young boy, shaped by the words and gestures of a little girl: “My body resembled a harp, while her words and gestures resembled fingers running across the wires.” Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Gilbreth, who used photography to scrutinize human activities, evoke thoughts of the Stereo Chronocyclegraphs as they transition from the microgrid to the mesh wire sculpture, with the actual vibrations of wires symbolizing friction or desire. Gilbreth affixed small lights to a worker during a job to provide a visual representation of the physical activity. Gilbreth developed these work motion models for the “motion-minded” worker who could reflect on their own physical actions. The visual abstraction tactics used in commercial graphics have little resemblance to the visual techniques adopted by the Fluxus movement or by German avant-gardist Hans Richter in his abstract animated feature Rhythmus 21. The rectangular black and white shapes that shift and manifest in varying quantities and sequences throughout this short video evoke sensations of clashing forms and engage the full sensorium as an implicit element of the creator’s artistic expression. Within a virtual spatial network, we can integrate such dynamic shapes into the imaginative realm, now enriched with hues or their absence.

Cubism is characterized by:  Using geometric shapes and forms from different perspectives of the subject  Bringing different views of subjects together in the same picture  Breaking down forms into geometric shapes  Creating a more pure level of visual abstraction  Cubist paintings show objects from many angles at once. The geometric touches can sometimes overtake the represented forms,…

Pablo Picasso is considered the art genius of the 20th Century and I fully agree. Of course he might not be your favourite artist or even one that … #art, The Importance of Pablo Picasso…