Arch_101_Free_Chapter_Dec2011.pdf

8/22/2019 Arch_101_Free_Chapter_Dec2011.pdf

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Jordan J. Lloyd

Arch 101

How to get through architecture school.


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Designisnotatalent,itsaskill Havehobbies Understandrules,thenbreakthem Goodlearningtrumpsgoodgrades

Takerisks Asktherightquestions


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PArt 1:

FundAmentAls

efollowingsixideasarewhatIthinkrepresenttheessenceofhowtogetaheadinarchitectureschool.Frombreakingtherulestotakingtimeo,Ihopetochallengeyourassumptionsaboutthedesignprocess.


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Atalentisanaturalaptitudetowardssomething.Askillistheabilitytodo

somethingwell.Skillscanbetaught,butneedstobepractisedagainandagainuntilyoucandoitwell.

Creativity is a skill and a habit. You need to learn and

practise the skill, which then becomes a habit.

-EDB,How To Have A Beautiful Mind

Unlearning

Designisverymuchaskill,asitisanapplicationofcreativity.Ofcourse,havingagoodeyehelps,butbytrainingyourselftothinkcreativelyandapplyingthatskilloverandoveragain,youwillbecomeagooddesigner.

Toadegree,whatyoulearnedinschoolmustbeunlearnedrstinordertogetthemostoutofyourtrainingasadesigner.Isay designerbecauseIdonotmakeanassumptionthatyouwillactuallyendupbeinganarchitect.ereareanumberofreasonsforthis,butitsmainlybecause

anarchitecturedegreeissuchanamazingfoundationforacareerin,well,justaboutanything;frompoliticstoproductdesigntofashion.

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design is not A tAlent,

its A skill


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WhatImeanbyunlearningisnotthesubjectmatteryoulearnedatschool,butthewayinwhichitistaughttoyou.Asyouwillndout,thebestapplicationsofcreativityoccurwhenyoucanmakeconnectionsbetweenseeminglyunrelatedthings,andbeingabletomaketheseconnectionsisavaluableskilltolearnandpractise.

The 10,000 hour rule

eresatheoryaboutbecominganexpertinaparticularskillpopularisedbytheauthorMalcolmGladwellinhisbook Outliers.Gladwellsaysthatyouneedtodosomething(beitplayaviolin,orthinkcreatively)for10,000hourstobecomeamasteratyourchosenskill.Sothats6hourspractiseeverydayforthenext5years.

Doingsomethingfor10,000hoursdoesntcutit,however.ComputerscientistCalNewportassertsyouhavetodowhathecallsdeliberatepractise-putsimply,quantityisntenough.Youwillneedtospecicallypractisethinkingcreativelyandapplyingthoseskills,challengingyourselfandlearningtobecomecriticalaboutyourworkinaconstantfeedbackloop;theexpertsputinaboutthreeandahalfhoursofdeliberatepracticeeveryday,brokendowninto2sessions. Its not just

about putting in hours, its what you do with those hours. Quality trumpsquantity.

Some good news

Manyexperienceddesignersatthispointwillarguethatyoualsohavetopossessagreatdealoftalent.Whilstthisistrue,talentisonlywhatseperatesthevery goodfromthevery best,andeventhatcomesdownto

youropinion.

econtentinthishandbookwillsetyouupwiththethinkingskillsyoucanemploytobecomeagooddesigner.ebestthingaboutwhatiscomingyourway,isthatyourdesignprojectsarethemeansinwhichtopractiseyourskillsoverandoveragainoverthenextseveralyears.

Start practising your design thinking skills rom day 1 and hone

your design expertise over time - your projects are the perect way toexploit learning your skills.

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Design is a unny word. Somepeople think design means howit looks. But o course, i you

dig deeper, its really how it

works.

-SJ,inventor,co-founderofApple, Inc.

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Architectureschoolwilldemandmuchofyourtime,whetherornotitstime-tabled

ornot-itsverydiculttonotworkaerawhile.Havinghobbieswillkeepyousaneandmakesureyoudontloseyourfriends.

Have a good time, all the time.

-VS,Spinal Tap

Balance your social lie with your work

Probablyoneofthehardestthingstomastergiventheamountofworkatypicaldesignstudentdoes.ehardbitisnotalwaysaboutdoingenoughwork,itsactuallynotbeingdisciplinedenoughtotaketimeotohangoutwithyourfriendsandfamily.Ahobbyinyoureveningsandweekendswillgiveyouadditionalskillsyoucanapplytoyourworkinmanycases,andtheyalsoallowyoutomeetnewpeopleandexposeyourselftocareerlifeenhancingopportunities.

Have un and spend time with riends, lie isnt just about your work.A hobby that takes your mind o work is encouraged.

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hAve hobbies


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Rulesoengiveyouagoodstructuretodevelop.Aerall,youwouldntbeinterested

insportiftheydidnthaveanyrules.Designisnodierent,butsometimesrulesneedtobebroken.

I dont believe in no-win scenarios.

-CJT.K,U.S.S Enterprise

Why learning the rules matter

Rulesareameanstoallowpeopletoparticipateinacommunity;solearningtherulesoffootballforexample,allowsyoutogetthemostenjoymentoutofthegame,whetherornotyoureplayingorwatchingit.Ontheotherextreme,lawsandmoralcodesareasetofrulesthatallowsocietytolargelyco-existpeacefully.

Indesign,especiallywhenyouarestartingout,learningtherulesallowotherstounderstandwhereyouarecomingfrom.Tobeeectiveasa

designer,youhavetounderstandtherulesandvaluesattachedtoyourprojects,ifonlyasastartingpoint.

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understAnd rules,

then breAk them


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Evertrieddesigningahousewithnorules?Itsincrediblydicult.Withoutrulesyouroutcomeispurelyamatterofyourowntaste,whichdoesntreallystanduptocriticalreview,andthereforeisfarfromthebestwayofdoingthings.

When to break the rules

Rulescanhelpyoutoplan,organiseanddevelopaproject,butsometimestheyneedtobebentorbrokeninordertocommunicateyourideaseectively.SomeoftheworldsmostfamousartistslikePicassoorVanGoughwereheavilycriticisedfortheirworkintheirtime,becausetheylookedlikechildrensdoodles.eywerebothinfactmasterdrasmen,beingabletodrawandpaintastonishingly

realistically.However,paintingrealisticallydidnotconveytheirideasaboutrepresentingtheworldvividly,orfromanumberofdierentviewpoints.Howdidtheydoit?eybroketheformalrulesofcompositionandmediuminordertocommunicatetheirideas.

Thinking inside the box

DavidGianottenfromtheDutcharchitecturermOMAtalksabout

thinkinginsidethebox.inking inside the boxmeansanalysingeverysingleruleandconstraintaclientoraprojectgivesyou,sothatyoucanndwaystodevelopyourprojectthatadherestotherules;butproducesspectacularandunexpectedresults.Davidaddsthatbreakingtherulesisbestreservedonlywhenthenalresultsareextraordinary.IhaveafriendwhooncehadtodesignaMuseumofTextilesforhismajorproject.Ifhehadfollowedtheruleslikeeveryoneelse,hewould

havedesignedaboringarchiveofartifactsmadefromtextiles.What ifI were to not represent the past, but also the future?, heasked.eendresultbecameanarchivethatcontaineditsownmassivegreenhousetocreatetropicalconditions.Why?TobreedaMadagascanspiderwhosesilkwouldbeharvestedtocreatenextgenerationtextileproductsformilitaryandcivilianapplications,whichisanextraordinaryresult.

In order to bend or break the rules eectively, you must understand

them rst, and knowwhen to break the rules.

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eBatterybyBjarkeIngelsGroupis

designedentirelybyexploitingdanishbuildingregulationsregardingtheheightsofnewdevelopmentsinthecity.

Project name eBatteryBat Faste Batteri

Architects BjarkeIngelsGroup(BIG)Designed 2006

Description

eBatterylinksthreedierentneighbourhoodsinthecentreofCopenhagen,Denmark,withamixofuses-fromahoteltooces,shoppingandleisurefacilities;connectedtogetherthroughabicyclelanethatweavesitswaythroughanewpublicparkspace.espectacular

shapeisdeterminedbyfollowingDanishbuildingregulationrulesforheights,exploitedtoprovidemaximumcommercialreturn.

ImagesBIG

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Maximum heights or buildings in

Denmark are determined by the distance

to the adjacent buildings o the site.

By ipping the distance silhouette 90,

the maximum height o a proposed

development is generated entirely by the

building regulations.

...cutting out chunks o the maximum

volume. The red lines are fll in the areas

let, and are expressed as a series o oors.

Primary connections, views and arrivalpoints between each side the site are also

plotted...

The end result is an extraordinary piece

o architecture that has been generated

entirely rom thinking inside the box.

By joining up the two silhouettes, the

maximum volume the site can achieve is

specifed.

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Grades,muchlikeIQtests,areameasureofhowyoustackuptoaparticularvalue

system.erearemanyvaluesystems,sofocusonwhatyouwilllearn;notthegradeyouwant.

A lot o people never use their initiative because no-one

told them to.

-B,gratiartist

Grades are a consequence, not the aim

OneofthemostcommonquestionsIgetaskedbystudentsiswhatdrawing/idea/design will get me the best grade?

Forastart,thatsanincrediblycomplexquestiontoanswer.Moreimportantlythough,isthatitsnotthebestquestiontoask.ethingabouteducation,andthereasonwhyyouspendsomuchtime,eort(andmoney)intoit,isthatyouareheretoexpandyourknowledgeandyourskillbase.Afarbetterquestiontoaskiswhat drawing/idea/design

willexpand my knowledge?Youcanbeforgivenforwantingtoachievehighgrades;aerall,youmostprobablyhavecomefromaschoolsystem

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good leArning

trumPs good grAdes


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thathasstigmatisedmistakesandrewardedthosewhoconformtotheacademiccurriculum.YoumayhavegotanA*inbiology,butunlessyouhappentobeaurologist,isitworthrememberinginextremedetailhowyoururinarytractfunctions?

Ifyoujumpedinatthedeependandbegintodothingstosatisfyyourownthirstforknowledge,ratherthanwaittobetoldwhattodo(orworse,dothingsbecauseitwillsatisfyyourtutors),youwilldowell.Insamecases,agoodgradeisaconsequenceofsomethingyoudoforyourself.Inothercases,youmaynotgetthegradeyouwerehopingfor,butattheveryleastyousatisedyourowncuriosity.

There are diferent value systemsGradesaresimplyarepresentationofdoingwellinaparticularvaluesystem,andtherearemanyvaluesystems.Ifweweretotalkaboutintelligence,havingananalyticalmindforexamplemakesyouintelligent,butsodoesasyntheticmind(beingabletocombineseeminglyunrelatedthings),bothoftheseareusefulinarchitecture.

Likewise,letusconsideratypicaloceblock.Fromanarchitectural

valuesystem,wemayjudgeitasboringornon-descript,butfromaneconomicorprotvaluesystem,itmaybeconsideredexceptional.eresulttoshootforofcourse,isboth.

Whatgradeyougetattheendofyourdegreeislargelydeterminedbytwothings:Firstly,itisdeterminedbycompetencyincertainareassetoutbyyourcountrysarchitecturalgoverningbody.Secondly,itisassignedbyyourtutorswhohaveaverygoodideaatwellyouaredoing.

Look out or #1

Expandingyourknowledgeandhavingagoodattitudetowardslearningforyourselfwillgetveryfarindeed.Yourtutorswillnoticewhenyougooutofyourwaytoexpandyourknowledge,butthisissecondarytowhatyouwillbegettingoutofit.

Its ar more important to ocus on what knowledge or insight youwill gain, rather than get a good grade. Use your initiative.

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Risktakingisanessentialpartofthedesignprocess.Withouttakingrisks,progressis

nevermade,atbestitwillleadtoawholenewwayofdoingthings;atworst,afailedriskisjustonemorelifeexperience.

I you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have

to settle or the ordinary.

-JR,entrepreneur

Embrace ailure

Fromanearlyagewearetaughttobelievethatfailureshouldbestigmatisedandshouldbeavoidedatallcosts.Failureisanaturalpartoflearning,anditsreallynottheendoftheworld!Evenifyouthinkyouhavefailed,youhavemerelyfoundawaytonotdoaparticularthing(andevenafailureinonecontextleadstoasuccessinanother).

Forsomereasonmanypeoplethinkthattakingriskswillamounttofailureandthereforebuildinarisk aversionmentality.Ariskthathas

beensuccessfullypulledowillleadtogreatthings,andthedownsideisyoufail.Bigdeal.Pickyourselfbackupagainandkeepgoing.Itsbetter

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tAke risks


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totryandfail,thannottryatall-nowthatsarealfailure,asavoidingrisksatallcostsmeansyouwillneverprogress.

Takerisksallthetimeandfailoen.Analysethereasonwhysomethingdidntworkoutforyouandmoveonquickly.Ifsomethingisnot

workingout,donotbeafraidtowalkaway.Sayingnoisaverydicultthingtodo,butifyourgutinstinctistellingyoutonotpersevere,chancesaretheremaybeamuchbetterwayofdoingthings.

Overtimeyouwillknowwhatworksandwhatdoesntworkforyou,andbesuretocapitaliseonyoursuccesses.

More good newseonemagicalthingaboutbeinginarchitectureschoolisthatyouarefreetotakehugeriskswithlittleconsequence.Takingariskforexample,withanewkindofstructureforyourdesignmaynotendupgettingyouatopgrade,butatleastitdidntgetbuilt,falldownandkillanybody.

Bettertotakerisksandpushyourcreativitytothelimit,andtheneditoutwhatwouldorwhatwouldntworklater,thandesignconservatively

fromtheverystart.Exploittheopportunityofarelativelyconsequence-freeenvironmentinwhichtoundertakeasmanydesignexperiments(bothsuccessfulandfailed)aspossible.

One last thing

Anexperimentthatsgonehorriblywrongissimplyonemoreexperiencetonotchuptoyourdevelopinglifeexperience,andthereforeisnever

wasted.Itisimportanthowever,tomakesurethereissomesortofrecordofyourfailedexperiment.Foryou,itsagoodreminderofwhysomethingdidntwork,butmoreimportantly,atsomepointthatriskyoutookthatdidntpayo,maywellleadyoutoasuccessinanotherendeavour(moreonthislater).

Undertake as many risks as possible whilst you are in the saeenvironment o your school, move on quickly rom your ailures and

be sure to capitalise on your successes. Whats the worst that couldhappen?

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Designisnotanexactscience,andtherightanswerusuallydoesntexist.etrick

istoaskquestionsthatrevealacourseofactionforyourdesignprocesstoproducethebestoutcome.

Technology is the answer, but what was the question?

-CP,architect

There is no such thing as a wrong answer

Designisaprettygreyareawhenitcomestoabsolutes.Weknowthat3x3=9,whichnoonecanrefute,butacurvedroofcomparedtoaatroofisnottherightanswer;itjustmaybethemostappropriateanswertoaparticularcontext.

Oneofthemostfundamentalskillstolearnasadesigner-arguablythemostimportant-istheabilitytoaskthe right questions.erearemanyreasonsthisisimportant,buttwoofthemostfundamentalideasarising

outofthisstatementare:a.Whatpeoplesaytheywaywantsometimesisnotwhattheyneed.Andb.Whenyouhavesettledontheright

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Ask the right

questions


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questionstoask,thewholedesignprocessandnaloutcomearisesoutofansweringthosequestions.

Design is not the same as problem solving

AnotherstatementImsuremanydesignerswontagreewith,butmypersonalopinionissimplythatsolvingproblemshappentobeaconsequenceofthebestdesigns,nottheaim.

Forexample:

Post-itnoteshappenedcompletelybyaccident.emanufacturer3Mdidntsetouttosolvetheproblemofpeopletryingtowritenotes

thattheycouldstickanywheretemporarily.Whatactuallyhappenedisachemistworkingat3Mdevelopedalow-tackadhesivethatdidnthaveanypracticaluse,untilacolleagueusedtheadhesivetomakeabookmark.

Inaveryfamousexample,Apple,Inc.didntsetouttodesignadigitalmusicplayerthatwasbetterthaneveryoneelses-theyintendedtocompletelyrevolutionisehowconsumersbuyandenjoymusic.eiPodwasjustaproductofthisagenda,aswasiTunes,

Podcasts,andawholeplethoraofthingsthatmakeupApplesrevenueecosystem.

Whenyousetouttosolveproblems,youareproblemsolving.Designreallycomesalivewhenitproposesnewwaysofdoingthingsbasedonourbehaviour,andincreasingly,thatscomingfromre-combiningwhathascomebeforeusinanewcontext.

Train yoursel to ask questions

Askingtherightquestionsisafundamentalpartofyourdesignskills.Itsnotjustaboutaskingtherightquestions,butinaddition whentoasktherightquestions.inkbacktomyexampleoftheMuseumofTextiles.equestionwasnt how do I design a textiles museum,itwas,What if Iwere to not represent the past, but also the future?

By asking the right questions, you are engaging in a critical dialoguethat will lead to a new (and better) way to doing things.

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Whatdoesitsay?Whatdoesitmean?Iswthing?Dowewantthat?Whydoweneedhere,whatsthemessage?Whatsthetake

youfeel?Whatsdownbelow?Howelsecathis?Whatsthatfor?Whoneedstoknowthatchangebehavior?Whatsthepayo?

didntknowbefore?Howdoesthatwork?scrolling?Whatsthesimplerversionofthorder?Whywouldthismakethemchooseofthislooklike?Whywouldsomeonelea

wesayingthistwice?Isitworthpullingatitclearer?Whatstheobviousnextstep?Hmatterifsomeonemissedthat?Doesthatbetterasasentenceorapicture?Wheresthere?Whatwouldhappenifwegotridofbetter?Howcanwemakethismoreobviowegotridofthis,doesthatstillwork?Isit

happened?Wherestheidea?Whatproblesomeonesmind?Whatmakesthisamust18


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hatitsaysandwhatitmeansthesameosaythathere?Ifyoustoppedreadingwayaer8seconds?Howdoesthismake

wesaythis?Whatsmemorableabouthat?Whoneedstoseethat?Howdoeshatdoessomeoneknownowthatthey

hyisthatworthaclick?Isthatworth?Areweassumingtoomuch?Whythatthat?Whatdoesamorepolishedversioneatthispoint?Whatsmissing?Whyare

ntionawayfromthat?Doesthatmakewwouldsomeoneknowthat?Woulditakeiteasierorharder?Wouldthisbeeverb?Whyisthatthere?Whatmattershat?Whyisntthatclear?Whyisthiss?Whathappenswhenthisexpands?Ifobviouswhathappensnext?Whatjust

isthatsolving?Howdoesthischangeave?-JF,Questions I ask when reviewing a design19


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Design is not a talent, its a skill

Creativethinkingisaskill,designisanapplicationofcreativity; Skillsneedtobepractisedoverandoveragaintoachievemastery; Alignyourprojectworkwithpractisingyourskillindesign

Have hobbies

Hobbiesinyourfreetimegivesyoustructurefromyourprojects; Maintaingoodrelationshipswithpeoplethroughyourhobbies; Makesuretobalanceyoursocialtimewithyourwork

Understand rules, then break them

Rules,likehobbiesgiveyouasolidfoundationfordesignwork; Byunderstandingrules,youllknowwhentobendorbreakthemif

theresultsofdoingthisareextraordinary;

ink inside the boxtoproducespectacularresults

Good learning trumps good grades

Gradesareaconsequenceofwhatyoudo,nottheaim; Dothethingyouwilllearnthemostfrom; Gradesareanindicationofconformingtoaparticularvaluesystem,

nothingmore

Take risks Risktakingisanaturalpartofthedesignprocess; Architectureschoolprovidesasafeenvironmenttotakerisks; Moveonquicklyfromfailure,capitaliseonyoursuccesses

Ask the right questions

Designisagreyareawithnowronganswers,justbetteranswers; Itsfarmoreimportanttophrasetherightquestion;

eanswertoyourquestionswillleadyoutonewandunexpectedplaces

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Fundamentals Summary


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What is the biggest change in

science over the last feenyears? Its a movement rom

the search o universals to the

understanding o variability.-MG,author (the same can be said or architecture too)

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isdocumentisafreechapterfrommyupcominghandbookforstudentscalledArch101: How to get through architecture school.Ifyouhaveanycommentsorareinterestedinpublishingthenishedversionofthishandbook,pleasecontactmeatthewebaddressbelow.

Topics covered

Fundamentals Perception Ideas Learning Process Becomingunstuck Productivity

Time Sowareliteracy Communicatingideas Wallpresentations Verbalpresentations Writing Feedback Managingtutorials

BeyondSchool Resources

2011JordanJ.Lloyd.Allmaterialquotedmaterialcopyrighttheirrespectfulownersandfullreferencingwillbeavailableinthenalhandbook.

Forupdates,visitjordanjlloyd.me

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