best thing i ever did was work in construction...actually building buildings. if you can't do that, you should be visiting job sites during all phases of construction and take note on how things are being assembled.

touche' crave....

shortcuts are hard to find in this business.

my first office was great cuz they thought it was worth their time to teach me to be competent across the board. so i can't speak to your experience directly, but i did help myself by reading as much as i could on things like waterproofing, concrete construction, steel frame construction, etc. as much as possible i applied and tested the stuff from the books with work at the office.

i also got out my old structures books and re-freshed my math skills, and ordered a few texts on design in earthquake zones. basically, i put myself through a mini-course based on the work i was doing in the office (i was working as structural design assistant for awhile).

i enjoyed that time immensely. in hindsight i don't think i learned any faster. maybe i learned MORE and understand things better now as a result, but there is in the end no substitute for experience...which takes time, unfortunately, to amass.

if it really concerns you, i would advise sitting down with your manager/boss and explain that you want to get some more experience with construction side of things and see if he can help work that into your routine. you might be surprised.

don't forget to take OSHA10 training first, and bring your hard hat , safety glasses, steel toed boots and reflective vest.

Crave got it right "swing a hammer" I worked for a landlord for a year doing demolition and renovation it really helped me understand what I was drawing.

Is habitat for humanity near you? I have gone out building with them a few times too and seeing an unfinished house and working on its construction will speed up the curve a little

knowing how a building goes together is impt, but be careful not to convince yourself architecture is in fact mostly about buildings. cuz it isn't. the practice of architecture involves a LOT of other things too, equally as impt.

i am only saying this because it took me nearly a decade to realise the point. architects work FOR society and IN society and the most important things we do take place when we are speaking to and with others. that may involve putting a building together, but it usually will be other things. If you want to be an architect please don't let that side of things go, because catching up is a serious bugger.

really you WILL learn how a building goes together. definitely go to building sites. definitely swing a hammer if you envision a future in stick-built homes, but also spend a lot of time paying attention to the way the office actually works. The lessons i replay in my mind the most often lately are not the ones about how to detail a sash, but the ones about how my boss talked to all the people he needed to get the office through the day. He was (is!) amazing. And he hardly ever set pencil to paper.

just a thought from someone a wee bit further down the road.

+1 jump

sometimes i feel like i'm trying to unlearn "building" to understand what architecture really is.

community college detailing class

very good advice from jump.

I work in construction and whilst I again a lot of very useful stuff, it's def not all architecture. And I need to remind myself of that or be reminded (thanks jump!).

thanks the good advices.
I did go to local construction site and ask for a tour and learned a lot from that. but since the project my firm does are mostly not local, so it's hard for young architects like myself to go to the job site... feels I'm learning more from my spare time than from my job... I guess what I can do now is just read as much as I can?

find full construction sets and spec books in your office and study them... volunteer to help process shop drawings... volunteer to do field measurements.

also - get involved in committees and community groups in your municipality that deal with planning or public projects. You'd be surprised at how much you'll learn about architecture from attending a meeting on what to do with a local playground.

the further up the ladder you get (as jump is saying), the more you'll realize the importance of learning how to ask the right questions and how to deal with a diverse group of people. reading is fine, but you'll learn quicker if you network and find many mentors.