Let me try to help. I just completed my portfolio as a transfer studnet for SCI-Arc. I know you wnat to apply for your masters but our portfolios will not be too far off. First research which school you want to get into. For example SCi-Arc, they have one of the tp graduate programs. They would like to see more art influenced medias in your portfolio if you have no architecture experience. Include paintings, drawings, sketches, sculpture, etc... Once you have collected all your work, format it into a layout made in Adobe Illustrator. The more thought the better.

hm...

should I try to design a house or do some interior design? or I just put together some random drawings, sketches and stuff?

Get yourself a book on Architecture student portfolios. If you have never put one together before, this would be a good way to start. Check out "Portfolio Design" by Harold Linton. It will give you a good pretty generic idea of what is good and what is not good.
My own personal preference, nice big images. One per page, full bleed if they are really good. Save the painstaking task of trying to lay out multiple pictures on a page, something which has great potential to go disasterously wrong. Simple in a protfolio is always better.
Also, have it printed at Lulu.com. It is a great cheap way to have a really nice book printed and bound. Basically, you publish a pdf on their website, and you can have them print as many as you want. Other people can buy them as well. Usually takes about a week to get your book, but it is definately worth it. They can also do rush jobs for an extra fee if you are in a bind.
As far as what to include in your book, yes drawings sketches, all that stuff. But don't be afraid to include something that reflects your current study. Architecture is a broad profession, and it most definately includes industrial design. Figure out a way to incorporate what you already know into an architectural context. As an industrial designer you need to consider how people use things right? The same goes for architecture, just often on more and larger scales. Sell how what you know as an industrial designer will make you a better architect.

xuan, if you don't know how to design a building yet, i wouldn't attempt to throw something together without a lot of guidance... go with your strengths... there are a lot of people who come from different fields into architecture, they don't expect you to know how to design a "building" yet, otherwise why would you be going to school, right? but definately showcase your broader design talents...

agree?

type portfolio into the search box at the top of the discussions page and press the button...

there's some people in there who have posted their portfolios that were non-arch backgrounds.

i understand that industrial eng. is more about efficiency, but i would think there would be a way to bring out your creativeness in some way - you can take any project and develop it. any stuff you've done outside of school is good too - sketching, photography, etc.

i'd also recommend looking at some brochure/graphic design books for laying stuff out. i think looking at a portfolio book is great, but with no arch experience, you're going to have a little more difficulty applying it towards what you're doing.

good luck!

yeah... I totally agree with you, postal.

But I do have some thoughts since I've been reading some books and do some research. I'm aware that "thoughts" and visible work are different though.. I don't know... Maybe I should get some professional to help me out....

And my strengths...well well I'm not sure about that..I learned how to sketch and really enjoyed it and I'm going to learn painting this summer, but I don't think I can count on it to impress the application reviewers....

Now im scared!!!

laurlian, that was awesome!!!! exactly what I'm looking for~ thanx awfully!!

if you have never taken a course in architecture, do not throw together an architecture project. it will only hurt you. put all your best industrial design/engineering projects in the portfolio. architects eat this stuff up because they don't know how to do it themselves. show your graphic and 3D skills if you have some training. sketches and constructed drawings are also great. you sound like you're in a good place to start a three year masters. don't worry too much. good luck.

oh and I have a question.

Does any one know about geomantic omen in China?? It emphasizes a lot on the harmony between building and environment, building and people.

Actually I'm really interested in it. Things like Arcology, gentle architecture and such are kinda hot, but chinese people have been practising it by rules of geomantic omen for thousands of years. In china no matter ancient palace, ordinary house, interior design or even the setting of mayor's office follow geomantic omen. Although it seems a lil bit superstitious, I believe it can be explained scientifically, which is I'm trying to do recently.

If I add such things into my portfolio, will people think im crazy??..

is different from feng shui?

i am skeptic (big time) of such things, but if you can present it in nice way and show how it is useful to you as process tool or guide it would not seem too crazy to me. because it is alien to many westerners criterion for considering such things could be based on aspects like rigor of your approach and so on. which can be dual edge sword.

IE, many western archi-students who present research work at my uni (in tokyo) seem to lack rigor in a major way (it is not taught in North American schools) and it puts the professors off of the work.

either way, i think evidence of creative attitude, whatever the content, is the thing schools are looking for. If you can do that i would say there are no rules or restrictions on what might work...

i'd say to stick to what you know best, and apply it to portfolio. also, besides the personal statement, i'm taking the portfolio as a chance for admissions to really see part of my personality and interests. it sounds like you are really into geomantic omen...

im coming from an art history background with some architecture from my minor. im taking a sculpture class, which im sure i'll use for the actual portfolio. i may not have much fine arts training, but i think im going to highlight my critical thinking abilities, and the project i've finished so far is an extension of that (im hoping). plus, if you look at enough art, you start to pick up a few things about form, etc.

rigor...that's the word im looking for...im really into rigorous thinkiing, not necessarily what looks "cool".

question: can anyone recommend a color theory book....i feel like whenever i try to use color, it never comes out the way i plan

Anything by Johannes Itten, the father of color theory.

The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Color

is the official book of most color theory classes.

joseph albers, Interaction of Color thats a good one too.

a question SPECIFIC TO people who have reviewed portfolios as an employer or on an admissions jury:

do you read long passages of text included in a portfolio? or do you usually skim over it and only look closely when you find a particular project more interesting?

at the advice of my instructors (practicing architects/admissions jurors), my portfolio includes almost no text - less than 75 words for 10 pages, cover to cover. My profs have told my classmates and me that text is almost completely irrelevant, because admissions committees spend about 2-3 minutes flipping through your work.

obviously this is approach does not cater to covering every detail in a project, but it will highlight the details you really want to call attention to.

"I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster, and leaves less room for lies."

or

"show, don't tell" (sorry for the cliche)

i am only asking because outside my program, the portfolios i see have much more text. i know people will have their own opinions, one way or the other, but SPECIFIC to jurors/employers, do you actually read long blocks of prose.

Industrial design shares alot of similarities with architecture. You will find this out as you proceed. As an ID you better make it beautiful and well designed. That is the first thing I think they will remark on, imo

oh..hoho.. i hope im an ID!! unfortunately Im a engineer...

xacto, I have the same question. I was told somehow the idea/thoughts/concept is more important than the image or the model you creat, especially for March I when applicants don't have much architecture experience. But how can people understand the concept if they simply glance over the pics in portfolio, ignoring text...

i agree xacto take it easy with the text......also the best piece of portfolio advice I’ve got is have a captivating image within the first couple of pages if not on the cover it matters

for portfolio, i only read text if images make it look interesting enough. should not be so but there it is.

Manther and laurilan, kudos for the helpful tips/links.