Architecture Education

‘Architecture’ wasn’t really very familiar to me. As a physic students during form 6, I has more understanding in Engineering. I took architecture was because of my mother’s suggestion. Well, you see, I have a uncle owning a construction company. Of course this wouldn’t be the only reason, I took it also because of one of my closest friend is taking it. Funny to think about it as to me, architecture was just drawing buildings and designing buildings. Since I do like drawings, I was thinking, why not try?

After enrolling into architecture, of course I got to know architecture isn’t how I thought it would be. Maybe I had this beginners’ crazy courage that you have no idea where it came from, but I do know I want to know and learn more about architecture. I learnt that architecture is so much more than just designing buildings or just drawing them. It involves so much more little detail things in life. It is a huge responsibility of an architect to design a functional building with so much more senses inside and eventually the building becomes a meaningful place for the users. Small things like location of the windows and doors, direction of the wind and how the lighting helps with the romantic feelings.

Now, if you ask me what I wish to learn from architecture school after understanding what an architect does, I would say ‘how to think architecturally’.

I realized not only me but a lot of students tend to misunderstood architectural building design as a very fancy work like multimedia design or packaging design. Schools start to emphasize on how great your building design would look like rather than the details for the services and spaces. In short, external envelope is more important than function.

During presentation board preparation, I still tend to do things that is more like normal art design students does, using Photoshop to make things look nice like I designed something really awesome. But, seriously I know deep down I didn’t do it the architectural way. I have some so far to semester 4 but it seems that I’m not even compatible to a semester 1 student. I think that is what I really hope to learn. Architectural thinking to me is still a very blur concept, I felt that I know it but I don’t really understand it.

This semester our lecturer really emphasized on using architectural way to do things. He encourage us to stop using Photoshop and start using our hands to create things in a more architectural way rather that a normal 2D designing way. I really like this kind of experience to really get to push myself hard on knowing more about architecture.

Last but not least, I think what students nowadays lack of is real life experiences, such as on site experience, hands-on experiences and real working experience. Most of us are looked in a comfort zone in school compound learning things on books rather than involving ourselves in constructions or in real society. By involving ourselves in the construction activities or projects could enhance our understandings that we have learnt from books. Learning to handle materials and jointing of materials can allow students to apply what we have learnt to real life.

Therefore, I do hope these could be learnt in an architecture school. Of course all these would only be useful if students themselves have the will to learn all new things and challenge themselves to a new level.