Studying architecture is all about design concept and methodology. We didn't design a building until the second semester of first year in my uni. First semester projects were all about getting rid of our preconceptions of buildings and architecture. Hang in there, the fact that your drawing and model making is advanced will only help you communicate the concepts of your projects better later on. It's true, sometimes the things you hear people say in crits is complete bs, but that's just the nature of crit and you have to hope the prof sees through the post rationalization. The good ones usually do.

Hahahaha yes that's how it goes. You'll try to resist, but at some point you'll see the beauty of it. Probably.

Keep hold of preconceptions always the best way to do architecture.

28 and in your first semester of architecture school. It's not even Halloween yet and you have me shivering in my boots.

I think that you may be slightly naive to what is going on in this pitiful industry.

Why did you leave construction? You are going to make way less, and I doubt that you will transition very well to being a cubicle troll making love to computer all day.

I got into an architecture program at 17 years of age, after 8 years of insulting industrial experience and constantly getting laid off to due to lack of consistent work for whatever employer, and then continually looking for better opportunities in the field I gave up at 30 now.

Yep, I did 5 years undergrad for an accredited BA and then after being laid off for the first time in late 2008 I got my MArch... bad idea. SOOOOOOOOOO, yes after 6.5 years in school, and 8 years in the real world I got out. Why? BECAUSE THIS FUCKING INDUSTRY ID COMPLETE SHIT. Plain and simple. To be real with you I hope you're married and your wife has a good job, bc if you're not plan on being single the rest of your life.... you think any woman wants to consider supporting a 35 year old male with a dead end career path... GOOD LUCK... NO REEALLLYY!

Don't believe me, well just so YOU know, I never made over $38,000 a year, and that was before 2008... I left a job 3 months ago and I was making $33,000 a year.

is what de tawn said true about being an architect? I heard a lot about the realities of being an architect, which gave me second thoughts about the field.

Seems like after owning your own construction company it would be nearly impossible to don a black turtleneck, Corbu glasses, and sit around discussing models of rotating skyscrapers or how wonderful Gehry's MIT buildings really are. In short, you have already grown up. You are BS proof. Go back to your business, hire an architect and work with him to design the buildings YOU want.

This article from June 2009 Architect Magazine about El Dorado always makes me feel warm and fuzzy about our profession.  I don't think the whole article is online, so see if you can track down a copy at your school. Their work is great and they are just people who love to make stuff and have fun doing it.

Most press focuses on the super-starchitects but there are also just a ton of great, creative people - Marlon Blackwell, Frank Harmon, and Archimania being three I've seen speak about their work recently - doing really good, grounded work.

nsauter, if you like what ElDorado is doing you might find some resonance with your previous career that would make sense.  Architecture is concept AND tectonic AND business.  You've got two of those down, the concept stuff should be an addition to those two.

And archrab you made the right decision not doubt.

become an artist

The academy isn't  a bad foundation -- using the danish architect school in copenhagen, my experience was that only a few stayed with architecture but still  What realy count is innovation but if you own that ability they will kill you,  just make a search in this very spot. Real innovation meet hate esp. here.

But a good idea isn't something just anyone find just like that, building a house with just one material not 50 different things and beams, nails or fittings --- each asking a whole factory and production line--- , now such innovation would help ? That would be what anyone instantly would support ; Wrong just the opposite. ---  innovative idears is not popular, they want to build the houses, maybe with different materials, but basicly as houses allway's was build, they only talk about new idears and innovation as the saviour of all the bad things we see happen in the world, my advise to ; go become an artist. 

Yep. Go back to construction.

I personally disagree with it, but there is a large genre of architecture which focuses on construction/tectonics as the main generator of ideas in the design process, where the way that the building is made becomes the concept. Architects like Peter Zumthor and Tadao Ando would be prominent examples.

I hope dropping out of calpoly slo arch program was the right decision, though still contemplating if I have done the right thing.

@snail

Can I ask why you disagree with that? Peter Zumthors work is some of the most beautiful architecture out there in my opinion. Renzo Piano would be another.

Because it's not just about "beauty" ... I'm more interested in work that engages with social and cultural issues or involves deeper explorations of theory. To me the idea of being content with a well-crafted building in and of itself seems like a very passive attitude. I know that it's a subjective opinion, though, and to some extent it is a reflection of my own personal strengths and weaknesses.

Your not crazy there are people who are going into this profession with no experience and no education in "arch design" whatsoever. When it comes to me I did finally get a job in the field and I am transferring transcripts for a program in Orlando Fl and waiting to start class next year.

Here is the program

http://valenciacollege.edu/west/finearts/architecture/