you absolutely need to look at things you like (architecture). Study them, look at the plans/sections/elevations, understand how things function, why they were designed like that. Try to truly understand the methodology behind the design's you love.

I cannot tell you how often it shocks me that archtiect's don't study other's work, both current and past. The one commonality between those with great talent is a passion to keep getting better and a large library of books. Really, if you look around the studio, you'll see some that may glance here and there at publications and others that have stacks of books and visit the library often. I'd bet on the best in the class always looking for new inspiration. You certainly won't find the best sitting idle, expecting every good idea to just pop into their head.

With the internet, there really isn't any excuse not to have a HUGE library of images! Save them, organize them, write notes, then PRINT them and put them in a binder. Damn, this would have saved me countless days and dollars! I used to hear that people 'couldn't afford the books' etc., but that's not the case anymore.

I'd start with the big names, understand them, then look for ideas/approaches that really inspire you, then branch out and look deeper. All the normal ones, from Wright, Corbu, Schindler to the current celebs like Morphosis, Koolhaas (even though I am not a fan), Hadid, etc.


Think of it like music. You would expect every famous artist to be able to play 'Hey Jude' without thinking twice. A musician will learn his instrument, often more than one, and a billion songs on the way.

You need to start learning your instrument, then later when you really understand it you can write your own songs. Too often people think they just have to take the classes to be a good architect. To be good, it really requires that extra passion, that extra drive for perfection. Look at the other masters out there, past and present, understand and appreciate them, and you'll be one step closer to being better.


FYI - I thought I absolutely sucked as a designer until the very end of my second year. Some find things early, some later. Just keep looking and learning. Don't forget that the best teachers are your classmates. Study the drawings/models/designs of those you think (and your prof/jury thinks) are good. After sometime, you'll start to see what they see and you'll begin to know what your work needs.

It's all about uncovering that passion to push things further, to keep pushing your skills. You've taken the first step (most don't go that far), so just keep that desire to make something better alive with inspiration it'll fall into place.

accesskb, i'm still working on this one...

I had a similar problem while in school - the best thing i would make for an entire project would be the first sketch model. I would then spend my effort understanding the implications of that model and never get very far with design development. I suppose part of the issue was my desire to be thorough, perhaps at the expense of moving forward quickly enough. On the other hand, I am confident that my projects have strong conceptual foundations...now I'm stuck having to 'finish' them for grad school portfolio...


I agree with trace's comments as well...I would encourage you to look first to the masters of the previous few generations (Corbuisier, Aalto, Schindler...). It's sometimes difficult to disect the work of an architect that is still working his/her own way through a set of ideas. Critics, theoriticians and historians fumble about trying to understand the ongoing work within their imposed linear organization. Students often get caught in stylistic traps, distracted by fancy graphics and novel forms. Better to first digest work that has maintained importance over time - canonical.

Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. It essentially means "standard", "generally accepted" or "part of the backstory."
wikipedia

i think that this is a problem that we all have, especially early in our education/career... it takes a long time to work out a process that you are comfortable with and that gets results... my problem was always that i had too many ideas... i'd do the conceptual and schematic sketches and "solve" the architectural problem and then get bored with the solution before fully fleshing it out... then i'd move on to another scheme and another... i'd usually spend the first half of the semester developing alternative solutions to a project before finally progressing beyond the schematic...

during my masters project/thesis semester i was suffering from my usual process, then with about 3 weeks left something finally clicked after a progress pin up... that night i stayed up all night building a new model... i then spent the next 3 sleepless weeks producing a huge amount of work...

i guess that my advice is to keep exploring and working hard... eventually you'll develop a feel for the process and how to turn a great initial idea into a full fledged design... make sure that you document ALL of your process... for me, it is the most interesting part of the project and a very important part of your portfolio for grad school as it illustrates how you think and develop projects...

Is the problem that your initial sketches (or diagrams, or however you "start") are too detailed and "complete" that it handcuff's you when trying to explore options?

For a process for a generic project, I would start with my initial sketches in a very basic way with no real resolution (don't know how to describe this too well). Then when you figure out an option that you would like to develop start an iterative process where you come up with three or more different solutions to the sketch. These "solutions" should be only one step toward resolution, still pretty basic. If one or two of these have promise, do three or more drawings/models for each of them at one more step toward resolution. Etc.

The benifit to an iterative process such as this, is that you can generate a tremendous amount of work very quickly. This will always give you plenty of things to review with your professors each day at desk-crit time so that you will get the maximum benifit of that limited time.

Also, I try to always work without any distinction between design-mode or presentation-mode. This way, you don't basically stop design and say, okay now I need to do some presentation drawings/models of the project. You just keep working in the same mode and when the deadline comes you basically just stop.

Good luck.

keep a model or two which are v. sloppy, that you are continually ripping apart and putting back together differently, tacking things onto, experimenting with.

Also, one of the best ways to force yourself to develop a design is to make a jump in scale, and change the way you look at it. For instance, if you've been sketching plans and elevations at 1/16" scale, start a section at 1/8" or bigger. Then go back to the plans and update with the new information you've figured out from the section. Then build a wall section model at 1/2" or 1". The scale jumps force you to think about the way things come together, which will affect everything you've done and develop it, without encouraging you to jump concepts.