seppuku

depression? no. anger? maybe. but it is directed at myself, not others.

i work harder and reconsider. and i get better. i would recommend listening to your profs and avoid your 3 choices.

yup, reexamine the project, you could even start over, and in doing so, force yourself not to get hung up wasting time on things that wont even be talked about in the review.

If you building a 3d model, only model what is essential for the rendering, photoshop in the rest...that was one of my big hiccups, modeling EVERYTHING as if I were virtually building the building...

School is about learning. Listen to what your critics say, learn from them, remember their comments on your future projects, and move on.

I discourage yelling at your critics. They are your superior and can make the rest of your educational days unpleasant. Whether you agree with them or not, they are (usually) a wiser voice that can serve as a phenomenal resource to enhance your project.

Regardless of how nicely or rudely the criticism is put, remember:

it is not personal.

It's about your work. And work can be and is improved over time. Thank God.

We all --even your critics-- started out in architecture school not knowing much if anything about design. We had to learn how to do it and get better at it.

And we did. So will you.

...you mean besides learn from them and move on?

What ever that latin term is....Cease the Day!....Fe Fi Fo Dum!

Cease the Day!

Sharpei Cheez-ums!

most importantly depends on who made the review...

as my previous professor said, 90% of the architect do not know what they are doing...

why do architects and especially academics have such nonsensically low opinion of their colleagues? i know what i am doing, and can't think of any practicing architects who are morons.

i can understand students thinking they are better than they are, but profs and professionals in my experience generally have their shit together. OK, so my uni may have been a bit different, with two pritzker winners teaching and all that, but still, unless your school is rubbish your profs probably deserve benefit of doubt. and so do your colleagues.

encouraging anything but a culture of respect is in my opinion self-destructive and short-sighted.

Citizen-

I've heard the "it's not personal" line thousands of times, and always wonder... if we spend so much time pouring ourselves into our projects, how can harsh criticism be anything but personal? As to the second part of your comment, I couldn't agree more. There are maybe one in a billion FLLW's who are just plain talented and can be great without learning, but the rest of us need to buckle down and focus ourselves to learn the required stuff.

Having been at both sides of the review - the reviewers are there for themselves as much as you are there for yourself.

It really isn't personal. I know that's hard to hear when you are the one up there being attacked. But seriously... the most randomest thing can set the tone for the review. Or maybe the reviewers were instructed to concentrate on some issue or task.

The most non-constructive and perhaps damaging reviews are when you are just praised, fluffed up, and told nothing of real value.

You have to ask yourself honestly...

Is your work shite? Are you a pretender? Many, many people are.

If not then rest assured... they will probably be dead long before you will be. And they are likely cretins. You can't really do worse than being a dead cretin can you?

But that's assuming your work isn't shite, which it likely may be. So you have to be honest with yourself and we can't help you with that.

Podzilla,

I know exactly what you mean, and when I was a pup in school, "it's not personal," while quite true, would've meant nothing to me. It's taken years (and years) to finally internalize that to the point where criticism doesn't threaten to shatter my feelings.

Still, the basic concept that the things they are saying are about the model/drawing/design and not about me/myself/I cannot be raised too early.

It dawned on me when I was in my late twenties: I am not my work. That was a great moment for me.

just wait for the professor to get ryled up... go after a student...then get attacked by the 'gator lock'

jump, don't move to seattle. we have lots of practicing (and experienced) morons.

really holz?

i mean even the worse of the designers in the offices i worked for were in the end very competent and knew very well what they were about. the office culture kind of required it, as did the construction process. you can't usually fake your way through a structures calculation, or get permission to build then have a building certified without being at least competent. not unless running a scam of some sort...


can you? (this is not rhetorical, i am actually curious)


for me competence is not nearly enough, but i respect my colleagues for building at all. it isn't easy.

i also respect educators. i understand academia better than i would care to and i know it isn't easy. there are some people i would like to throw a shoe at, but in general the teachers at archi-schools are doing what they are supposed to do. It is hard to see as a student, but with distance of time and experience i see there are reasons for some of the things that might appear odd while student. it is not an easy job at all.

not that the status quo is enough in our times. there is a lot we need to do to bring our profession into the green light and all that stuff, but that is another problem altogether...


OF, you think beligerence is reasonable substitute for intelligence and willingness to learn? with all respect, that sounds like the bush doctrine ;-)

Alcohol.

Then again I deal with good reviews the same way...

alcohol!

but really, i remember, after the worst crits i ever had during school, i made an appointment with my studio advisor and just had a good talk with her about my strength and weaknesses. she was really encouraging and it was great to talk on a personal non-formal level about my time in studio.

she said, your worst moments will be the ones where you will learn the most. now that i'm done with school, i know that she was right.

i think it's important to move forward... but don't forget what you would have done differently and learn from it.

become a lawyer make lots of money, hire those in the crit, file lawsuits...

Smile the entire time you're getting slammed -- it shows them you're not taking it personally even though you are. And then make sure you listen to what they say and agree with them that you have to make those adjustments.

Well I do think it can get personal sometimes-it's your hard work and sweat that's gone into it- it your baby-anything said against it WILL soind personal.

Some students think too highly of themsleves- think they have done a great job- but the truth is- the work just isn't up to the mark- or it just wasn't presented well enough. If you can't explain your design well anough you are the only one to blame- you can't expect critics to see what you have not shown them.

On the other hand, there are come critics who are just out to get you- because a) they dont like you or b) they don't like your architectural theories or c) both 'a' and 'b' (which can be killer!)

No matter what people say, there is no such thing as an objective jury- critics will ALWAYS see your work through their own eyes and not your own. Soyou could rationalise your design a thousand times over- but if they have set their mind on something-they won't see it any other way (and that's the pain that comes with aged and experienced critics)

SO all in all, I think each case is different- a student needs to know when his/her work really wasn't at par with the studio and when the critics are just bein nasty for the heck of it...

loac - was there any inclination during the semester that you weren't doing well?

A responsible instructor would have let you know pretty early on if they thought you were slacking off or weren't understanding the material.

Unfortunately, with most studio professors you will have to be proactive and ask for written feedback over the course of the semester (essentially, teaching them how to teach). This is the best way to ensure that you'll get the most out of studio and end up with a positive review and good grade.

As hard as it may be, taking a step back, taking a breather and really looking at your work in the eyes of your professor will help. Learn from his/her comments, there is always SOME truth to what is said.

"loac - was there any inclination during the semester that you weren't doing well?"

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but this is the first review of the semester of my thesis project.

Overall, my poor review is my fault because I didn't give them enough to look at. I have been having a hard time "getting my head around" my thesis ideas. So I presented a very simplified version of my what I have been researching- which helped me clarify what I was really interested in - but it didn't help them see the breadth of my topic and it didn't give them a choice of different things to comment on.

My problem with this thesis is just figuring out how to turn ideas into architecture. I have no problem doing a lot of work, I just don't know what to do. I need to work on my methods of design.

don't cry.
you are probably smarter than they are.

From yourself...

"They thought I had not been working hard enough."
'Overall, my poor review is my fault because I didn't give them enough to look at...it didn't help them see the breadth of my topic and it didn't give them a choice of different things to comment on.'

...and...

"My problem with this thesis is just figuring out how to turn ideas into architecture. I have no problem doing a lot of work, I just don't know what to do. I need to work on my methods of design."
'And had some suggestions of what they thought I should have been doing.'

They did their job, and well it seems. Learn from them and move on

having experienced both sides of the table I will say the following

it doesn't matter if you take it personal or not, if you are truly passionate about architecture and the education you are getting you will put your everything into it - including things you didn't know you had inside of you. A bad review is better than a good review because, aside from confirming that your critics/jurors are wise and experienced it also shows that you have room to grow (otherwise you might as well die). Take it on the chin, document what they said and if you don't understand seek them out or your tutors for clarification. You may even find that the opinion is not shared. Have fun and don't take yourself too seriously - there will be enough of that later in life

How I personally deal with bad reviews: first I bitch about them. Then I take a couple of days break from the project. Then I look at it again and figure out which bits of the review were accurate. And then I work on those bits.

I highly recommend it.

crits=85% jury ego 10%truth 5%hand jestures

I understand how you feel when the crit. says that ominous phrase, "...unsuccessful design/concept/scheme/etc."

But I think the most important aspect out of the review process, is what YOU have personally gained in your DESIGN PROCESS. If you challenged your mentality, went out of your comfort zone, and didn't play it safe. I say this because many of the people who are going to critique you, did not know what was going through your head during your week, 2 week, month, or semester long project, theyre just going to critique you on what you show them, and how coherent your design is, in relation to your concepts.

What you should take from the critiques in-general, is how you can channel their suggestions into creating a design that speaks more fluidly and clearly.

And remember, architecture is always a work-in-progress.

so... did they offer any suggestions on how to move forward?

They had some very vague suggestions. Which is fine, but it is more helpful for critics to be specific in their suggestions, then I can choose whether or not to follow their advice.

With regard to critics in general, I have long believed that they are usually only trying to sound erudite in front of the other critics, and aren't that concerned with helping the student out.

i took the afternoon off work today...proceeded to my alma mater to critique 11 students for 5.5 hours...11 times you listen to students present their project, you analyze the concept, you read their drawings, examine their model, ponder the project strengths and weaknesses, and then try communicate in a few sentences something to help each of the 11 students better their projects and themselves...

in the last 2 months, I've been to 3 critiques, and after each time, my mind is exhausted from trying to inspire students, who sometimes get offended, get defensive, or sometimes just don't care...and as all guest critics, we do it for free...one final crit last term went on for 8 hours...that's almost $1k of billing time that these critics are giving away for your education.

loac, most critics will not offer a menu of specific suggestions for you to pick whether to adopt or not...most critics will offer thoughts, and hopefully inspiration for you to better your project...the specifics should come from the designer...that's you!!!!

and belive me it's never personal...and we all know you worked hard, but so did everyone in the studio...it's about the work you pin up!!!

The more specific the suggestion, the less the critic thinks of you as a designer. Why? Because designers are problem solvers. A good designer does not need to be told solutions, and actually sometimes even prefers to only hear the problems, so that the critic's solutions do not pollute their own assessment of the situation. When a critic presents you with solutions, it means they do not think that you have the capacity to come up with them on your own. (or that they're not a very good critic)


Warning, I am approaching the soap-box...

I'm feeling like a bit of a ranting old person here, but why do we think it's ok to throw away the advice of teachers? Why is a student's opinion just as valid? Sometimes it is- but many times it isn't. Information and experience constitute validity to a much greater degree than does taste, so why are we so willing to write off criticism with which we disagree as coming from someone with different tastes than ours? Why can't we occasionally actually just try to listen and improve?

(I have now put the soapbox away. But it stands waiting, in case it is needed again.)

In a lot of cases though, it's people that are barely out of grad school themselves that are teaching and doing reviews. And in a lot of cases, they are teaching due to working in the right office and having good connections. I can understand why a student wouldn't take their 'advice' that seriously. How much info (practical or conceptual) can someone who is that green really impart?

When I was in school, I honestly very rarely (maybe two studios out of six) ever felt that the teachers had my best interests at heart. Sometimes during final reviews I felt like I could just leave the room after I presented while they talked amongst themselves about something. Who I was or what I did was immaterial. Not every faculty member is good by any stretch of the imagination. I think for a lot of them, it's more about networking amongst the other critics than inspiring the students.

Crits tend to be like advice from your parents when you are a teenager. Seemingly naive, irrelevant and shortsighted when you hear it, but looking back it all makes sense.


We've all had horrible crits, schmooze festivals (particularly at the more celeb filled schools), etc., but I've also gotten (and listened to) great crits by people that I can't stand their designs (Lynn comes to mind).


It is up to you to determine what is good or not. That's part of learning to learn, which is essential once you no longer have crits. I think it is a little shortsighted and naive to make broad generalizations that critics are not trying to help.

Critques are there to help you. But you have to remember that architecture, especially in school, is very subjective. Take what you want from them. Keep what you like and think about how to re-engage the next time around. Unless you are there solely for the grade. Then do exactly what they want from you. Lay down and surrender.

loac - if you want the reviewers to be more specific, you have to ask them. It's your review - if you don't understand what they are talking about, ask them what they are talking about. ask them to elaborate.

To me it sounds like you're a bit lost in terms of how to go about developing a design methodology around a concept or problem. I'd sit down with your thesis advisor or prof and see if they can't help you brainstorm and strategize. This is something you should have learned before you entered into thesis - I'd think back to your earlier studios and try to identify what design processes you've been exposed to.

if you understand what it is you are trying to do, your reviews will end up being more productive.

simples - as a reviewer, the easiest trick to keeping students engaged is to say something positive about their project first before getting into what needs work. You don't have to be specific in terms of how the student might move forward, but it's not constructive if a reviewer only points out problems. most people need some reassurance that they did something right before they will listen to what they need to improve.

toasteroven make a very good point...don't be afraid to adopt a conversational tone during the review...and make sure that you get what you need from the reviewers...ask questions, engage!!!

toaster, over the last couple of years, i've really started making my goal in critiques to inspire students, so my days of the harsh pointing out of problems are long gone!!! though i've been told that i've grown far too soft on students nowadays...i guess i am just trying to make sure my cynicism and the negativity of todays' market in our profession isn't dragged into the crit...

loac...lot's of great input here...hope you are taking notes!!!