I'm just trying to imagine.. How will be the work of next generation starchitcts like? what's the next movement in architecture? ..you know our profession is very similar to the fashion design industry with 100000X bigger budget!
Sir Master Lord Balkins will answer your question momentarily, he is wizard like with predicting the future of fashion design & Stars & architecture...
head over to architizer, thats where the trendy are trending....massive pluralism to make every participant feel like a star, while no one else pays attention......i am waiting for the architzer win category for "architecture + long ass essays on internet forums about the demise of the profession"
I don't know the answer to this, but I like to believe that passion is a key ingredient. If you really want to stand out though, you need to pursue big ideas also. Putting together a building is relatively easy, an architect isn't even needed for that. But designing space as a function of our culture or how we live, redefining it based on an idea of how we *should* or *could* live, considering the narrative of the people who use it . . .
I think the trick is that if you're passionate, you'll always be playing with these ideas. You'll have them in sketchbooks, you'll talk about them with others. You'll attend events and network. Then, eventually, you'll meet the right person, or join the right firm that has similar ideas, and you'll start designing things you love.
In my mind, that's what success looks like at least. You might've meant "earn tons of cash" though.
Edit- Seems like I missed the very first comment (predicting the future starchitects) Answer- Whoever has big ideas and knows how to market them.
Obsessiveness + charisma. Being able to sell simple ideas as new big concepts to the rich and powerful will make you a star. Not sure if that's a good thing though.
gwharton has the ingredients for what I think most of us would like to see.
Work harder than everyone else and develop your own voice.
Work harder than everyone else doesn't mean put in 80 hr work weeks as a cad monkey, it means learn everything you can, take the risk to move jobs or start your own firm, hustle. Make yourself indispensable.
Find some aspect of architecture that is important to you which no one else is even trying to do well. And make a good run at it. If you can show why it's important, others will catch on. Not everyone, but enough to make you an expert on an approach you invented. How distinguished you become depends on how much your niche resonates with the wider world. That's the tough part to predict.
I politely disagree with Josh: working harder is the most basic idea, and offers no advantage in a competitive profession like this. It only keeps you in the rat race. Instead, find something where you have so little competition you can excel just by doing a decent job. Strategy is laziness made smart.
Working harder has provided quite a bit of advantage for me. The difference is you work smarter as you work harder. You work to advance yourself, not to remain as a CAD monkey. You work on what you need to do to get where you want to be.
Just demonstrate to owners at every chance how you are saving them money and helping them make money. How? Get work done efficiently, correctly, and don't be sloppy. If you can bring in clients that's even better.
Josh, I agree with the midlander "working harder is the most basic idea, and offers no advantage in a competitive profession like this".. you might impose some of your ideas only on your team by doing the hard work but you don't go so far unless you work really smart.
Miles.. no I'm not confusing, maybe somebody has dreams that are far beyond success..
no_form.. you're such a practical person, the difference between you and your clients that you've been in an architectural school, they haven't.. you have to take the control..
Why are you all missing the work smart part of what I've been saying and only focusing on the work harder? I thought I made that pretty clear. It's almost as if no one has a work ethic anymore.
Want to know how I work hard? I put in my all at the office to get things done while keeping my hours to between 40-45. I'm trusted with putting a building together, designing, interacting with clients, and more...this is within 3 years of being out of school. I studied hard to pass all my exams and was licensed in the same time frame. I've joined the board of a non-profit and volunteer on juries for high school design competitions. I read constantly, drawing inspiration from what I read, and actively engage in my hobbies.
All of that is working hard and smart to get where I want to be. The opposite would be working 80 hrs a week as CAD monkey. That's working hard but stupidly. I wouldn't recommend it.
How do you distinguish yourself in the profession?
I would like to hear you opinions..
I'm just trying to imagine.. How will be the work of next generation starchitcts like? what's the next movement in architecture? ..you know our profession is very similar to the fashion design industry with 100000X bigger budget!
Sir Master Lord Balkins will answer your question momentarily, he is wizard like with predicting the future of fashion design & Stars & architecture...
Oh No...
head over to architizer, thats where the trendy are trending....massive pluralism to make every participant feel like a star, while no one else pays attention......i am waiting for the architzer win category for "architecture + long ass essays on internet forums about the demise of the profession"
seriously! I didn't write those essays...
why did you chose this profession?
Be really good at what you do. Do more than one thing. Don't be an asshole. But don't be a pushover either.
I don't know the answer to this, but I like to believe that passion is a key ingredient. If you really want to stand out though, you need to pursue big ideas also. Putting together a building is relatively easy, an architect isn't even needed for that. But designing space as a function of our culture or how we live, redefining it based on an idea of how we *should* or *could* live, considering the narrative of the people who use it . . .
I think the trick is that if you're passionate, you'll always be playing with these ideas. You'll have them in sketchbooks, you'll talk about them with others. You'll attend events and network. Then, eventually, you'll meet the right person, or join the right firm that has similar ideas, and you'll start designing things you love.
In my mind, that's what success looks like at least. You might've meant "earn tons of cash" though.
Edit- Seems like I missed the very first comment (predicting the future starchitects)
Answer- Whoever has big ideas and knows how to market them.
Obsessiveness + charisma. Being able to sell simple ideas as new big concepts to the rich and powerful will make you a star. Not sure if that's a good thing though.
gwharton has the ingredients for what I think most of us would like to see.
Write an incomprehensible manifesto.
i am who i am and it happens to be architect.
@ Taylor- agree with all of what you wrote
Miles.. I'll start with two words you'll never understand "Egleb Wejhak" :)
Olaf- cool! but it happens that everybody else is an architect too :p (1 every 400 citizen in countries like Italy)
Work harder than everyone else doesn't mean put in 80 hr work weeks as a cad monkey, it means learn everything you can, take the risk to move jobs or start your own firm, hustle. Make yourself indispensable.
Find some aspect of architecture that is important to you which no one else is even trying to do well. And make a good run at it. If you can show why it's important, others will catch on. Not everyone, but enough to make you an expert on an approach you invented. How distinguished you become depends on how much your niche resonates with the wider world. That's the tough part to predict.
I politely disagree with Josh: working harder is the most basic idea, and offers no advantage in a competitive profession like this. It only keeps you in the rat race. Instead, find something where you have so little competition you can excel just by doing a decent job. Strategy is laziness made smart.
Come from money. Failing that, marry money.
^ You're confusing succeed with distinguish.
Working hard? I'd rather work smartly.
+midlander
forget about finding new shapes for luxury condos....thats been exhausted...explore new typologies...thats the new frontier imo...
Pursue your own uncompromising vision of architectural practice.
Don't pay attention to trends.
Work hard (and smart.)
The rest of this is just bs.
+ midlander- .. which is my strategy..
+jla-x
Josh, I agree with the midlander "working harder is the most basic idea, and offers no advantage in a competitive profession like this".. you might impose some of your ideas only on your team by doing the hard work but you don't go so far unless you work really smart.
Miles.. no I'm not confusing, maybe somebody has dreams that are far beyond success..
no_form.. you're such a practical person, the difference between you and your clients that you've been in an architectural school, they haven't.. you have to take the control..
Want to know how I work hard? I put in my all at the office to get things done while keeping my hours to between 40-45. I'm trusted with putting a building together, designing, interacting with clients, and more...this is within 3 years of being out of school. I studied hard to pass all my exams and was licensed in the same time frame. I've joined the board of a non-profit and volunteer on juries for high school design competitions. I read constantly, drawing inspiration from what I read, and actively engage in my hobbies.
All of that is working hard and smart to get where I want to be. The opposite would be working 80 hrs a week as CAD monkey. That's working hard but stupidly. I wouldn't recommend it.
I hope that's clear to everyone now.
1.get extremely good at one or two things.
2. get acceptably good at all others.
3. never work more than 45 hours/week for anyone other than yourself
Get gym membership, get six pack, get enough sleep and have a good complexion.
When have you seen a healthy looking architect? That's how you become different.
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