Architecture is unlike most other creative disciplines. A writer starts to write words on a page that become a book or a play. A dancer moves their body to become the dance. An artist draws or paints what becomes the final piece of art.
But architects do not make architecture. Architects make a representation of architecture. So it is important to understand what this means…
Part of the success of any design process is the preliminary work, including a great site analysis. A site analysis is a research activity that looks at the existing conditions of a site as well as possible future conditions. It considers physical qualities and characteristics, patterns and activities, relationships, context, givens, assumptions, opportunities and constraints within the immediate site and broader context and surroundings.
An architecture programme captures a building function in great detail. For some designers, the function of a building can be seen to restrict the creative process, innovation and aesthetics. The lack of attention to the functional requirements will assure those that use the building every day will see it as a failure in design. Architectural programme is therefore an essential consideration in every design project and process. Find out why…
You are going to be given some form of an architectural project or design brief for all of your design projects. You might even receive a brief for any other project that includes a level of design in your construction, communication and possibly even history and theory classes.
But what is a project brief, why is it so important, and what exactly should you do with it?
When you start architecture school you will hear people talk about scale and scale rulers. Most of the time they will assume you know what this is and won’t tell you how to use an architectural scale ruler.
You might spend weeks not knowing what a scale ruler is and even if you do, what the heck you’re supposed to do with it. The thing is, it’s one of the most critical drawing tools you’re going to use.
Do you find yourself a few weeks into the semester, fumbling around with multiple notebooks, random bits of paper and post-it notes, trying to remember where you wrote down that thing, that your tutor, said you had to get done this week? Are you overwhelmed with stuff that needs to get done and not sure what to start first or how you’re going to complete it all? It’s time to get yourself a student weekly plan…
Do you find yourself 3 or 4 weeks into a semester feeling overwhelmed, disorganised and falling behind? Does it take you this long to start to get into a groove and then spend the rest of semester trying to catch up on the time you’ve lost and juggle all your deadlines?
Find out how to get organised and create a new architecture semester plan…
When you discover you are enrolled in an architecture construction class, you might be asking why? Why do you need to be on a dirty building site amongst bricks and pipes and concrete? Architects design buildings, and builders, build? So why do you need to know about construction? Find out now.
In most of your design studios, you are going to be asked to keep an architecture design journal, sketchbook or visual diary. Sometimes it may be part of your assessment to show your engagement, process and completion of the required work. Even if you’re not asked to keep a design journal it’s a really good habit to get into. So what is a design journal, how do you start, and what goes in it?
Not sure what the main architecture design factors are in your new project? Overwhelmed by information and the brief and requirements and the client and precedents and diagrams and brainstorming and where to start? Learn how to approach an architecture design project, specifically answering the question: What do I need to consider in any architectural design?
Architecture school often places a big emphasis on design. But it is important to understand that design is only one of the architecture project stages. The process first finding a client through to getting your design built and the client moving in involves a lot of very different stages. Find out more…
Is your architecture productivity lacking? Do you find yourself sitting down for hours on end and working your butt off but for some reason things take way longer than you think they should? Is your productivity not as good as you want to be or as other architecture students seem to be? When you start to understand and implement good architecture productivity habits, things are going to change.
When you start architecture school, you may be required to take a class called communications, or visual representation or something similar. This is going to be new to most people whether you have done any kind of drawing, graphics or design before. So it’s important to know the point of a Communications class.
Architecture design studio class will form a major part of your education and they can be very different to anything else you might have experienced previously. Here’s what you can expect in an architecture design studio class and why…
Before you commit to studying architecture you might want to know what is architecture school like. Architecture school can be hard work, but also very rewarding. At first, it may be very different to anything you have experienced before, so here is what you can expect.
Becoming an architect requires a particular series of steps, including study, practical experience and registration. If becoming an architect is something that you are considering, learn about the full process here…
Ask most people what does an architect do exactly and they will tell you… they design buildings. This is true to an extent, yes, but a real architect will do so much more in the process of taking an idea to reality. Discover all the things an architect might do in their day here…
When you search the term “what is architecture?” you are inundated with definitions and abstract quotes about architecture being a language, a political statement, a collaborative process, an art form, a science, a reflection of culture. It can leave you confused. So let’s find out what architecture really is.
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This simple start up student planner includes:
**A new semester plan and typical week plan.
**Master task list, weekly and daily planners.
**Instructions to use these documents.
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This ultimate site analysis guide checklist includes:
**The 5 steps to a successful site analysis.
**The differences between objective, subjective, mega, macro and micro data.
**Comprehensive checklists for 18 categories of site analysis data.
