LECTURE 7 | ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION
- LOW HUI YIH | 1001540522
- Mar 21, 2016
- 4 min read
"What do you wish you can learn in architecture school?"
不闻不若闻之，闻之不若见之，见之不若知之，知之不若行之；学至于行之而止矣。
荀子《儒效篇》
Original text that translated literally:
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
Xunzi (313BC – 238BC)
The poetry about means :
"Not hearing is not as good as hearing,
hearing is not as good as seeing,
seeing is not as good as knowing,
knowing is not as good as acting;
true learning continues until it is put into action."
I was inspired by the poetry above on how to learn about something. The Bauhaus approach of “learning by doing” is still relevant in the architectural education today. “Learning by doing” is often defined as a process of learning by direct experience where the learner is expected to develop not only knowledge and understanding but also skills and values from that process as contrasted with formal classroom instruction or learning from books.
While emphasizing on the “learning by doing” approach, I wish I can learn more about the following in architecture school:
HOW TO THINK CRITICALY & OBJECTIVELY
Critical thinking is at the core of most intellectual activity that involves students in learning to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems. For instance, interpreting, analysing, evaluating, explaining, sequencing, reasoning, comparing, questioning, inferring, hypothesising, appraising, testing and generalising.
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS
Focus on developing creative problem-solving skills. In practice, designing a building is often more about making concessions and compromises while retaining a design’s main ideals.
SKETCHING & RENDERING
The basic technique of sketching theoretically is going to make a student know how to sketch properly. For instance, view point, hatching, stipping and scumbling. Besides, on site sketching also can train our sense on the culture, observation and proportion. As I mentioned before, I see and I remember; I do and I understand. I wish to learn quick free-hand sketches to communicate a design proposal because I know this is my weakness.
I wish our school can provide us digital modelling courses, I really wish I can learn those software such as Vray, Illustrator, 3ds max and etc. This is what the future world will be, everything will transform into digital, so we as architecture student have to learn the basic skill so we will not eliminate from the outside world.
REAL-LIFE PROJECTS
Involvement in practice is one of the way that provides chance to us to be more comprehend in architecture. Our school may collaborate with local architectural practices to enable students to work on real-life projects. These projects provide students with real-life learning experience in the industry, collaborating or consulting with an external client. For example, the design studio projects, we are now collebrating with Sg. Buloh Leproy Settlement to renovate a hall into a story museum. Besides, we also try a 1 to 1 scale project of installation art. Through this project, we learnt a lot even more than architecture. For instance, team spirit, time management, leadership and etc.
As an architecture student, we cannot too rely on digital software and research from Internet. We can learn something better when we hands-on. Not only "google" or "youtube" are able to help us to solve our problem. Before this, I leart about concrete mixing, bricklaying and site surveying practically instead of just learning in class. I found that, hands-on is more interesting compare to just sitting in an air-continioning room and listen to lecture. So, I wish we can have more chance to do something that are interesting and exict our passion in architecture.
WORKING DRAWINGS & DETAILING
Working drawing is something that very boring but I think it has its own improtance. Working drawing contributes in building construction that able to build a building from zero. Rules of thumb in the conceptual design and planning stage. Types of structural system and sizes of structural members, building codes and standards, costs of materials etc. I hope we have the chance to explore more structural design and detailing to produce a good building design.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
In addition to design thinking, architects must obtain a strong business acumen. Therefore I wish I can learn more about business and knowledge in setting up and running an architectural firm. I wish I can learn how to deal and communicate with client on how to present my ideas. Professional code of ethics for architects are also important.
STUDY TRIP & SITE VISIT
More field trips and site visits for me to understand other architecture school, heritage sites and buildings, construction site management, building defects, and good detailing. More overseas study tour of well-designed cities. I also wish that I have the chance to learn more about successful urban design and architectural elements.
EXTERNAL SPEAKER & CRITIC
Apart from lectures and tutorials delivered or conducted by the School, I wish there are more talks delivered by guest speakers who are invited to the School. Different people have different point of view and experience. Besides, more guest critics should be invited to participate in our design studio project reviews. The guest critics should be practitioners with vast experience in the architecture, art or design professions. The experience sharing and comment given by outsider are important for us as a student to accept the truth/ reality.
PORTFOLIO
I hope I can learn how to prepare an impressive design portfolio of my works. This is because, portfolio is very important for our future during interview or looking for a good job and scholarship.