Archinect - Features

Becoming an Architect; Part 2: Surely there are easier ways to make money?

2021-07-08T12:47:00-04:00

In case you missed it: Becoming an Architect; Part 1: My Destiny

I moved back up north to be with my first proper boyfriend and started my first proper job. In the first week, I would sit at my assigned spot and enthusiastically say “Good morning” to everyone – no one said a word. The Partner, who I sat next to, grumbled “Morning” – I always felt he wanted to be more effusive but couldn’t as that was not the culture of the office.

Becoming an Architect; Part 1: My Destiny

2021-07-06T08:05:00-04:00

I grew up in a masculine household; my dad was a crane driver, and he operated those wrecking ball cranes that would slam into buildings to demolish them (obviously without Miley Cyrus sitting on the steel sphere). I was going to say a bit like the game conkers, but that wasn’t a thing here in the USA; google it.

When Our Passion For Architecture Dwindles

2019-08-22T13:00:00-04:00

Sometimes, when we spend so many years pursuing something, striving for a far off goal, and then reach it, we can become dissatisfied, or even depressed. "Is this what I've been working toward? Will this be my whole life now?" we might think to ourselves. It's a common thing for many graduates: you go into a firm, and the shock of professional life begins to diminish the zeal you once had for architecture. Even after gaining years of experience, we reflect on how far we've come and begin to yearn for something more. "Do I still want to do this? Is this job leaving me fulfilled? Has it just become routine?" These are all legitimate questions, ones we may all ask at some point. And whether it's as a recent graduate or an experienced professional, the issue of questioning our passion for architecture is something worth addressing.

The Importance of Building Professional Relationships in Architecture

2019-05-24T11:42:00-04:00

Relationships are the cornerstone of almost every aspect of our lives. In a career setting, the quality of our relationships with those around us can be directly related to our growth, opportunities, and overall success. Regardless of our ability, we cannot get far without the help of others. Some of us have well-established relationships, and some of us are still building them. In the grand scheme of things, it is the potency of this facet of our lives that will enable us to realize our ambitions and uncover what the future has in store.

Professional Growth and The Power of Observation

2019-05-07T12:57:00-04:00

The apprentice model has been a fruitful approach for thousands of years, with a clear track of mentorship and milestones, young professionals were able to methodically progress in their careers. However, we must acknowledge that everything we need to know will not be freely given to us. In architecture, there are aspects along our path that we will need to uncover on our own. Adopting a practice of observation can provide us with a unique advantage in our journey.

What to Expect After Graduating From Architecture School

2019-03-12T12:00:00-04:00

As a student, you have been working toward an ultimate and almost seemingly distant goal for quite some time now. And as you find yourself nearing the end of your education, one might wonder, quite appropriately, what life after graduation is going to look like.

#ArchinectMeets @mmmosarchitects

2018-12-18T12:00:00-05:00

#ArchinectMeets is a series of interviews with members of the architecture community that use Instagram as a creative medium. With the series, we ask some of Instagram’s architectural photographers, producers and curators about their relationship to the social media platform and how it has affected their practice.

Social media has undeniably affected the way we perceive, interpret and share opinions about architecture today. While we use our own account, @Archinect, as a site for image curation and news content, we wanted to ask fellow Instagram users how they navigated the platform.

We spoke to MOS Architects about their Instagram, @mmmosarchitects. For the New York firm, Instagram is less a tool for self-promotion than a way of killing time in between important moments. Their Instagram, to put it simply, allows them to reveal glimpses into their lives, both in the office and outside of it, as earnestly as an architecture firm can.

New year, new you: how a few UK firms are switching up their game

2016-01-14T05:48:00-05:00

It's that time again – the fresh slate of a new year, the bloat of holidays past and the intent to make good on promises to oneself. Evolution through resolution. Before Christmas, I'd attended a talk organised by London’s Museum of Architecture entitled “Alternative Careers in Architecture,” with guest speakers Chris Romer-Lee, director and co-founder of Studio Octopi and Carl Turner of Carl Turner Architects. The event was a perfect opportunity for reflection on career progress, work-life management and future ambitions – the main points of which are served up here, in three parts.