Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
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How to finish a project you don't like?
Hi people! So I am currently doing a Master's Degree in Architecture which is compulsory in order to sign projects in my country. Even though I decided I would not work professionally as an architect before I even got my Architecture Degree, my family wanted me to sign up for this, and I thought I could deal with it since it would be just another year...
So right now I am stuck in the design phase of my project. I lost my passion some time ago, and no matter how much time I put into my work, I never seem to be satisfied. It happened before I got my Arch Degree, which I barely reached to get, and it's obviously happening again now.
I seem to have more trouble dealing with multiple variables at a time, such as when dealing with something as open and oftentimes subjective as a conceptual design phase, when you don't even know what shape your building is gonna have (Like, you can solve the same project in so many different ways). I usually get lost in my thoughts, deeming each idea worthless or unfit for the project's purpose, spend so many days in front of a blank paper or screen that I've literally seen a whole year fly by with me being unable to get a solid foundation for my project at all. You can guess the results.
That's one of the reasons why I decided to look for alternatives to traditional architecture practice after school, since I know I wouldn't be a good architect anyway due to my preferences for specific problems and such a poor performance in basic architecture tasks... but dammit at least I want to get this over with, I refuse to give up now.
So I wanted to ask you guys, even if you know it's not perfect, even if you know you don't like it or even hate it and you feel stuck... how do you get away with it and just decide that "Okay I need to move on"? Any mind tricks or advice for the extremelly fussy kind? Because just repeating that to myself isn't enough to actually get it done.
Since you seem to need to finish this thesis of sorts, perhaps it is time to rethink your questions. Set parameters that to reduce of open nature of the project so that you are not spinning wheels with no limits to evaluate your design decisions against.
Screw the concept...it can't be perfect all the time. I had a teacher in studio who said having a great concept executed poorly is still a crappy building but a plain concept executed well can be a great building in the end. Just look around you, or even at your peers, architects don't know what the hell they're doing most of the time, or they simply accept the fact they aren't meant for greatness but can still make okay buildings that stand upright, don't leak and are up to code. There's no shame in designing and realising background buildings.
you're welcome
My favorite building form concept is a cereal box on its side with tall ceilings and large windows, like factories of decades past - it doesn’t take itself too seriously, allows for flexibility in use, allows for expanding, efficient and easy to maintain and operate, easy to occupy and find your way around. The idea that buildings need to say something or accomplish something or evoke a sense or give you vertigo and that that is what your job is as an architect is a made up thing. That eliminates a lot of the trouble. You’re a masters student, you are supposed to show mastery, meaning not doing what you think you think others want you to do, but doing what you think you should do. I bet you have more thoughts than you lead us to believe.
"How to finish a project you don't like?" Like a professional
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