that we make "prints" or that we "draw up floor plans" - Meaning we don't design.
my hairdresser asked me what i was working on the other day and I said i was working on a concept image for a new museum and she should look for the drawing in the newspaper soon. she dropped her hands to her side and gave me a dopey look and said "so you have to DRAW too?"
lots of people think architects only draw house plans like you see in those books and that contractors are the ones that do commercial buildings. not kidding. heard it said many times.
MY hairdresser thinks that architecture is all about maths. I'd return the insult and point out that the only thing that keeps me from doing her job better than she is the fact that I can't see the back of my own neck, but I'm afraid she'd f*uck up what little hair I have left if I would.
yeah, the whole "good with advanced math" thing is kinda funny. I've met numerous people over the years that say that they "thought about being an architect, but I'm not good at math". If only they knew the truth...
Everyone of my parents' generation automatically equates architecture and civil engineering....if I got a penny for everytime an old fogey said to me...so..youre an engineer....AAAARGHHHHHHHH
that architects always hang around with supermodels and drive maseratis
Feb 21, 05 11:01 pm ·
·
pixelwhore - i'd swear that half the people who i've told i'm an architecture student tell me that 'i always wanted to be an architect, but i'm not good with math' i have no idea where that perception came from
Feb 21, 05 11:03 pm ·
·
also, a girl i no longer talk to asked me why i spend so much time at school 'drawing blueprints.'
she's a teacher. i asked her why she spends so much time babysitting other peoples' kids.
Top 5 ones I've heard since entering/leaving school
5. That all architects are spoiled brats that weren't breast fed enough
4. That we are womanisers
3. That we survive on bread & coffee only (I don't bread)
2. That there is no difference between us and engineers - gah!
1. That we are all GAY
the one that always gets me is "what kind of an architect are you?"
like thats the only type of archtecture i live for: victorian copy toilet paper holder house architect, or the Dr Evil post modernist glass tower architect.
it makes me laugh and cry that one the most well known american architects is probably mike brady, after frank lloyd wright. also that it is a question of "style", like londonsam mentioned.
I took the liberty of creating a wish list on Amazon and filled it with archi-books I actually want. My in-laws thanked me for doing it (I might be hard to buy for) and I got the Phaidon Atlas for my birthday instead of another FLW book (I already have too many).
Now on topic...
I often get asked if I do "traditional or that modern stuff."
e I agree - not enough and nothing are two different kettle of fish tho
B - so how long do you have to study for
A - 7 years...average. Throw a few years for experience before license
B - wow! Its must be worth it - financially i mean
A - No, most teachers and garbage men earn more
B - Oh really sorry to hear that, but I'm still not paying you
I hate it when I tell people I'm graduating from architecture school and they ask me "what type of architecture am I interested in." When I respond with "all of it" they never seem satisfied and I never feel like explaining it.
liger...i love your name. so what are your skills? :)
I hate trying to explain the damn "intern architect" thing. either people think you don't get paid, or that you're still in school, or that you aren't a real architect and never can be. yet I don't feel comfortable just saying I'm an architect. stupid, I know.
i heard someone use the word "liger" today on npr. some cat, larger than a mountain lion, was believed to be in the area. not sure what area they were talking about, but they got tired of say lion or tiger. instead, they used the word "liger."
Actually a liger is what they call a cross breed of a lion and a tiger. It does actually exist and it means the father was a lion and the mother was a tiger. One was born in an zoo in Asia about a month ago. I believe the "tigon" also exists...
1. that in architecture school all we do is sit and draw pretty pictures.
2. "why do you need to do math?"
3. architect is only for making the building look nice. engineers are hired to figure out what the walls are made of, where they go, how the cladding is hung, life safety issues, fire resistances, codes, etc.
Architects just draw the two lines for the walls on the plan and put the doors and windows in. It costs $100,000 - that's why we are so rich and happy.
I took DD floor plans (haven't even presented exteriors past fundraising stage, etc) to a committee meeting last night and presented some minor changes. I used the word "tweak" to justify moving a wall, and said "in thinking about how the thing is going to go together" to justify moving a mass. One woman was frustrated and said "let's get this thing out to bid! Can we do it next week? How long are you going to 'tweak' this for? A year?!?"
This is hilarious too - I have had people look at me with wonder and awe when I suggest a change in the design after listening to their input. They're like - "You can move those walls/door/ceiling?" I'm like - Yeh, pretty cool, huh? DUH! Same thing if I draw on the plans in front of them. They are like "You're drawing on the plans?!? Can you do that?!?" Sure can lil missy!
I never get any architecture books for Christmas, but I never ask for them... you can send me any extra FLW books you may have. Greatest misconception... that we actually might know what we're talking about. Of course, a lot of architects only know how to draw lines and think "conceptually". You have to know "where the rubber meets the road...or the bulldozer hits the dirt" so to speak.
I just want to know why the general public is so completely in the dark about what we do. Maybe it's why we bitch so much about the fact that we consider ourselves underpaid or overworked. Or unappreciated. Should we start to make and effort to educate the public of the values of using an architect?
this thread is depressing... except for the liger part.
at times i do meet people that are genuinely interested when i tell them that i am an architect.
Kellhammer - for the most part, i think the general public is in the dark about architecture because they really dont care to think about it very much. 90% of americans will never build anything substantial enough to hire an architect, and the scourge-of-the-earth tract home builders just make it worse.
some suggestions;
"hire an architect or else"
"no fear architect is here"
"it ain't 2by4 unless architect puts it there"
"architecture; not for your boss only"
"blueprints on us"
"two for one"
i mean public access..these are the banners representing products joe public buys. but most of architectural elite too proud to go there. we mostly educate people about how refined we are and why having us will make their lives refined and how much we know about better things in life. it is (architecture) so fucking holier than thou, public don't even know it is a service business, they can too buy. at least in residential level which is the %75 or more of all construction industry..
I heard the AIA radio commercial about a week ago on Air America and it completely threw me for a minute. One of my co-workers said he heard it on a AM sports channel. How do they pick where they place this thing?
a lot of people in the general public seem to think that we are engineers. then when you engage these people about what you actually do, they seem disgusted.
Feb 25, 05 5:11 pm ·
·
MAYBE the problem isn't that the general public is so in the dark about what we do, but that we're so in the dark about how inconsequential we really are...
we all have that artistic side that makes us think our lives are so tragic and special and that all the time we spend doing work and money we spend on education should amount to something great. maybe we're foolish for believing that. maybe architects just design buildings, and maybe i'm just one of 6 billion people in the world. tons of people work harder than us every day and see way less than we do. is everyone so miserable?
maybe we should realize that people as smart as us are foolish for spending so much time and effort doing something that offers little monetary compensation and even less non-monetary compensation and expecting so much more.
let's be honest. what if we got what we wanted? the things that made us architects would mean we would be just as miserable. look at us now, we complain about how little money we make and then look down at any architect who turns a consistent profit. we love to suffer. we hate suffering. we're all morons.
Feb 26, 05 2:35 pm ·
·
and speaking of ligers...
Feb 26, 05 2:38 pm ·
·
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faulty definitions of an architect
Aside from architecture generating shitloads of $$$, what would you say is the greatest missconception(s) of our occupation?
That we have anything intelligent to post about on Archinect.
that we are egotistical self-absorbed bastards....
...oh wait....thats true....
:D
that we make "prints" or that we "draw up floor plans" - Meaning we don't design.
my hairdresser asked me what i was working on the other day and I said i was working on a concept image for a new museum and she should look for the drawing in the newspaper soon. she dropped her hands to her side and gave me a dopey look and said "so you have to DRAW too?"
lots of people think architects only draw house plans like you see in those books and that contractors are the ones that do commercial buildings. not kidding. heard it said many times.
i draw blueprints!
MY hairdresser thinks that architecture is all about maths. I'd return the insult and point out that the only thing that keeps me from doing her job better than she is the fact that I can't see the back of my own neck, but I'm afraid she'd f*uck up what little hair I have left if I would.
yeah, the whole "good with advanced math" thing is kinda funny. I've met numerous people over the years that say that they "thought about being an architect, but I'm not good at math". If only they knew the truth...
Everyone of my parents' generation automatically equates architecture and civil engineering....if I got a penny for everytime an old fogey said to me...so..youre an engineer....AAAARGHHHHHHHH
that architects always hang around with supermodels and drive maseratis
pixelwhore - i'd swear that half the people who i've told i'm an architecture student tell me that 'i always wanted to be an architect, but i'm not good with math' i have no idea where that perception came from
also, a girl i no longer talk to asked me why i spend so much time at school 'drawing blueprints.'
she's a teacher. i asked her why she spends so much time babysitting other peoples' kids.
because they think we earn a lot of money, we must be good at math to count ALL THAT money
Top 5 ones I've heard since entering/leaving school
5. That all architects are spoiled brats that weren't breast fed enough
4. That we are womanisers
3. That we survive on bread & coffee only (I don't bread)
2. That there is no difference between us and engineers - gah!
1. That we are all GAY
not all of us...gees louise!
south american misconception:
men that go into architecture are not 'macho' enough to be civil engineers.
women that go into architecture are not feminine enough to be interior designers.
the one that always gets me is "what kind of an architect are you?"
like thats the only type of archtecture i live for: victorian copy toilet paper holder house architect, or the Dr Evil post modernist glass tower architect.
it makes me laugh and cry that one the most well known american architects is probably mike brady, after frank lloyd wright. also that it is a question of "style", like londonsam mentioned.
i've met quite a few womanizers. mostly dirty old profs though.
architects only wear black and speak metaphorically.
THAT WE ALL WANT FLW BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS
Ohh ohh that we don't know anything about construction...geez that one gets me
wangsta, I have a great suggestion for you.
I took the liberty of creating a wish list on Amazon and filled it with archi-books I actually want. My in-laws thanked me for doing it (I might be hard to buy for) and I got the Phaidon Atlas for my birthday instead of another FLW book (I already have too many).
Now on topic...
I often get asked if I do "traditional or that modern stuff."
that we all live in really stunning modern houses.
jam-arch, i find that a lot of archi's don't know as much as they should about construction.
i've done the same fish. i don't get any flw books anymore.
"It takes that much college?!?"
"You must make a lot of money" - while I'm hitting my better paid friends up to buy me a drink.
"so in your 5th year of college did they teach you how to do skyscrapers?"
"You should see my friends house - it's unique" - referring to sububan spec home with bay window addition
haha last one is funny
e I agree - not enough and nothing are two different kettle of fish tho
B - so how long do you have to study for
A - 7 years...average. Throw a few years for experience before license
B - wow! Its must be worth it - financially i mean
A - No, most teachers and garbage men earn more
B - Oh really sorry to hear that, but I'm still not paying you
Fish,
Thanks for the suggestion, i'll give it a whirl. the best one i've seen yet is a pop-up book of famous FLW projects. The Gugg is stunning in 3D!
true, jam-arch.
I hate it when I tell people I'm graduating from architecture school and they ask me "what type of architecture am I interested in." When I respond with "all of it" they never seem satisfied and I never feel like explaining it.
liger, just tell them you are interested in none of it and watch the look on their faces.
liger...i love your name. so what are your skills? :)
I hate trying to explain the damn "intern architect" thing. either people think you don't get paid, or that you're still in school, or that you aren't a real architect and never can be. yet I don't feel comfortable just saying I'm an architect. stupid, I know.
i heard someone use the word "liger" today on npr. some cat, larger than a mountain lion, was believed to be in the area. not sure what area they were talking about, but they got tired of say lion or tiger. instead, they used the word "liger."
Actually a liger is what they call a cross breed of a lion and a tiger. It does actually exist and it means the father was a lion and the mother was a tiger. One was born in an zoo in Asia about a month ago. I believe the "tigon" also exists...
Marc
ah, thx marc and i just thought they got lazy. :]
1. that in architecture school all we do is sit and draw pretty pictures.
2. "why do you need to do math?"
3. architect is only for making the building look nice. engineers are hired to figure out what the walls are made of, where they go, how the cladding is hung, life safety issues, fire resistances, codes, etc.
argghgh!!!
velo - no the contractor does all that. :)
Architects just draw the two lines for the walls on the plan and put the doors and windows in. It costs $100,000 - that's why we are so rich and happy.
I took DD floor plans (haven't even presented exteriors past fundraising stage, etc) to a committee meeting last night and presented some minor changes. I used the word "tweak" to justify moving a wall, and said "in thinking about how the thing is going to go together" to justify moving a mass. One woman was frustrated and said "let's get this thing out to bid! Can we do it next week? How long are you going to 'tweak' this for? A year?!?"
This is hilarious too - I have had people look at me with wonder and awe when I suggest a change in the design after listening to their input. They're like - "You can move those walls/door/ceiling?" I'm like - Yeh, pretty cool, huh? DUH! Same thing if I draw on the plans in front of them. They are like "You're drawing on the plans?!? Can you do that?!?" Sure can lil missy!
a liger is also bred for its skills in magic
I never get any architecture books for Christmas, but I never ask for them... you can send me any extra FLW books you may have. Greatest misconception... that we actually might know what we're talking about. Of course, a lot of architects only know how to draw lines and think "conceptually". You have to know "where the rubber meets the road...or the bulldozer hits the dirt" so to speak.
I just want to know why the general public is so completely in the dark about what we do. Maybe it's why we bitch so much about the fact that we consider ourselves underpaid or overworked. Or unappreciated. Should we start to make and effort to educate the public of the values of using an architect?
yes, lets start the architects revolution.
VIVE LE STRAIGHT EDGE!!!
yes, lets start the architects revolution.
VIVE LE STRAIGHT EDGE!!!
yes, lets start the architects revolution.
VIVE LE STRAIGHT EDGE!!!
maybe we could get Ian MacKaye to do a song about it. hell, maybe thats what he was signing about the whole time...
this thread is depressing... except for the liger part.
at times i do meet people that are genuinely interested when i tell them that i am an architect.
Kellhammer - for the most part, i think the general public is in the dark about architecture because they really dont care to think about it very much. 90% of americans will never build anything substantial enough to hire an architect, and the scourge-of-the-earth tract home builders just make it worse.
some suggestions;
"hire an architect or else"
"no fear architect is here"
"it ain't 2by4 unless architect puts it there"
"architecture; not for your boss only"
"blueprints on us"
"two for one"
i mean public access..these are the banners representing products joe public buys. but most of architectural elite too proud to go there. we mostly educate people about how refined we are and why having us will make their lives refined and how much we know about better things in life. it is (architecture) so fucking holier than thou, public don't even know it is a service business, they can too buy. at least in residential level which is the %75 or more of all construction industry..
that THERE IS GREAT MONEY IN THE PRACTISE OF ARCHITECTURE
I heard the AIA radio commercial about a week ago on Air America and it completely threw me for a minute. One of my co-workers said he heard it on a AM sports channel. How do they pick where they place this thing?
That I want to go check out the new Super Walmart.
a lot of people in the general public seem to think that we are engineers. then when you engage these people about what you actually do, they seem disgusted.
MAYBE the problem isn't that the general public is so in the dark about what we do, but that we're so in the dark about how inconsequential we really are...
we all have that artistic side that makes us think our lives are so tragic and special and that all the time we spend doing work and money we spend on education should amount to something great. maybe we're foolish for believing that. maybe architects just design buildings, and maybe i'm just one of 6 billion people in the world. tons of people work harder than us every day and see way less than we do. is everyone so miserable?
maybe we should realize that people as smart as us are foolish for spending so much time and effort doing something that offers little monetary compensation and even less non-monetary compensation and expecting so much more.
let's be honest. what if we got what we wanted? the things that made us architects would mean we would be just as miserable. look at us now, we complain about how little money we make and then look down at any architect who turns a consistent profit. we love to suffer. we hate suffering. we're all morons.
and speaking of ligers...
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