10 THINGS ARCHITECTS COULD LEARN FROM IMPROV
1. Teamwork. One can not do it all alone. Sorry divas and Starchitects! Improv teams play well together. Each member of a scene has a purpose and asks themselves, “How can I contribute to the larger picture?” In improv, the better you make your partners look the better you look. Truth is: in improv, everyone is a supporting actor. Hmmm…
2. Play to be creative. Improv actors are trained to play… like when we were kids. If you watch kids play, they are not self conscious. They are uninhibited. They accept, extend, and advance each others play cues. They are open, curious, and laughing. To be creative, in a group setting, particularly in charrettes… if we learn to “accept” one’s ideas, then “extend” it by building on it, and lastly “advance” the idea by basing another idea off of it, we could see more fruitful results.
3. Storytelling. Good improv teams are great storytellers. Architects can learn to communicate the design problem and tell the storied solution from improv actors. After all, how does one take audience suggestions like, “reality TV,” “U2 concert,” and “Leonardo DiVinci” and make it work in a scene!?
4.Performance. Improv can help take stage fright and nerves and use them to your advantage. It will make you fearless. During presentations, own the nerves and don’t forget that every time there is a presentation there is still a need for some performance aspect. One thing I learned from doing improv is that the audience is always rooting for you to succeed. Know that… and check your zipper before hand. If the meeting goes awry, then be confident in having no idea what’s going on.
5. Be agreeable. There is a golden rule in improv called, “Yes, and…” That is, in improv, instead of being able to negate a new idea or direction your partner comes up with, you are required to agree with your partner; and then add information. Doing this takes one from being a listener to a contributor. It advances ideas and dialogue. This can be useful in design charrettes and collaborative settings.
6. Be open-minded. Improv actors can not go into a scene with a preconceived idea and wait to play it. If they do, they will miss some cues and ideas a partner may have thrown out there. And then the scene gets weird. Same goes for design.
7. Justification. In improv there are all sorts of absurdities, mistakes, and contradictions. In a good scene, the actors tie everything together and justify everything. Architects can do the same thing. There are always last minute program requirements that impact massing. We can learn to improvise the design and make sense of changes.
8. Ask questions better. Questions should give more than they take. In fact, don’t ask questions if you can avoid it. Make a statement. There is ownership in a statement. Take a position and see it through.
9. Pay attention to detail. Improv actors listen and observe everything in a scene well. Details lead to the objective. Details will lead architects in developing creative solutions as well. If we are not mindful of details, we will end up just spinning our wheels and making decisions on false pretenses.
10. No agenda for creativity. Set a time a place to be creative. In improv, it’s during a show and the stage is dark and empty. The same could be for architects. Set up a brief time and place. The time shouldn’t be more than 1-1/2 to 2 hours. After that, we lose focus. Shorter, intense meetings are better than longer disheveled meetings. Have a unique place where the creativity can happen. It should be quiet and secluded and permit creativity to occur.
via John Gresko, Project Architect | Chicago, IL, USA
Source: blink.hdrinc.com
Hey people, follow me on Instagram.
Search for “archimess” (without quotation marks) in the phone app, or log into webstagram and hit ‘follow’ from there - archimess on web.stagram.com
I’d be very glad to share pics with my tumblr followers and I promise you some great photos.
Check it out.
Cheers
FINALLY, a movie about architecture studio - ARCHICLUTURE
2 architects-turned-filmmakers turn the camera on the arch studio following 5 thesis students - posts on documentary, film, architecture, tech, Brooklyn, NYC.
This is a feature-length documentary that explores the role that architecture and design play in our daily lives. The film follows five architecture students through their final senior design projects in order to shed light on the critical issues impacting our built environment.
This is something to look forward in 2012. Keep up with their twitter page
Also check out this list from Archinect -
Top 10 Design Initiatives to Watch in 2012—for the public good
Happy Holidays Everyone!
This was a post we reblogged awhile ago and it got us mentioned on archdaily!!! If you haven’t seen it yet, enjoy, and click the photo to check out the archdaily post
(via hush-hushsettledown)
Source: theallnighter
Slightly different facts about Architecture
- Architecture received his 5 year Architectural degree in only 4 years
- Architecture doesn’t have a first or middle name
- When Architecture throws a party, he shows up 10 minutes later than fashionably late
- If a Grizzly Bear and a Polar Bear got into a fight, Architecture could break it up
- Architecture averaged 5.4 yards per carry in college but never played football
- In the song ‘12 Days of Christmas‘, the role of “my true love” was written for Architecture
- Architecture prefers his liquor brown and without any fruit
- Architecture has many lovers, usually at the same time
- Architecture told Le Corbusier that he should only use the first five points
- If Architecture enters a room, the temperature will rise by 2.08° degrees
- The Universe is expanding at 74.2km/sec/Mpc … Architecture is expanding slightly more than that
- Architecture owns the Dallas Cowboys football team
- It is generally thought that a female wolf will have one mate in her life … unless Architecture happens by
- Architecture has many secrets, but he will never share them because they would literally blow your mind
- Architecture has entered the Iditarod Alaskan trail race 4 times … and won 4 times
- Architecture invented water skiing on accident
- 74% of all Valentines Day cards are written with Architecture in mind
- Architecture taught Sylvester Stallone how to arm wrestle for the movie ‘Over the Top’
- No one has ever seen Architecture drink water
- Architecture can tell the origin of a piece of brick just by tasting it
- Chromium, the 24th element on the Periodic Table of Elements, was discovered by Architecture
- Architecture has never lost a staring contest
- The ‘Heimlich Maneuver’ was originally called the ‘Architecture Maneuver’ but Architecture thought that was confusing so he changed the name to ‘Heimlich ‘, after the man whose life he saved when he invented the maneuver.
- Architecture has never been married but he has been asked many times
- Architecture passed all the tests on the Architectural Registration Exam without having to take the test
- Architecture once ate 50 boiled eggs on a dare
- You can’t follow Architecture on Twitter, but he can follow you
- Architecture knows the last number in pi
- Architecture can talk about Fight Club
- Architecture’s sh*t actually does smell like roses
- At Christmas time, Santa Claus sits on Architecture’s lap
- Architecture once painted the world’s most beautiful oil painting using watercolors
- Lou skips to my Architecture
- Architecture went into the woods to get a Christmas tree and it fell over for him
- Architecture puts his pants on both legs at a time
- When Architecture chops onions, they cry
- Architecture considers practice to be a form of cheating
- The sun does rise and set on Architecture
- Architecture knows the secret behind Stonehenge
- If you have a good idea, it’s because Architecture let you have it
- When Architecture defuses a bomb, he cuts any wire he wants to
- Architecture actually knows what Willis is talking about
- If a werewolf bit Architecture, it would be cured
- Architecture knows what building Elvis is currently in
- It was Architecture that said that the 7th day was for rest, although he didn’t rest
- Architecture can speak Klingon … but he won’t
- Architecture knows all eleven secret herbs and spices in Kentucky Fired Chicken
- Architecture’s To-Do list has won a Pulitzer
- Architecture doesn’t need short-cut keys in AutoCAD
- It was Architecture that told Paul Revere that the British were coming
- As always, unique and funny in his specific architectural way - Bob Borson - LifeOfAnArchitect.com
Christmas for architects
BIG’s latest sports project involves some “architectural engineering” through the collaboration of Grontmij Engineers who have made a short presentation (in Danish) that showcases the projects finer points. The Handball Hall is designed for Bjarke’s old high school in Hellerup, Denmark.
Maybe I’m posting too much about BIG, but they deserve it. Which young architect wouldn’t want to work here. In my opinion, they are the biggest inspiration of our time.
10 reasons Architects can fix it
I love this text. I’m posting this for all those first year architecture students and the rest of you who forgot what a great profession we all have and why are we needed in the world.
1. Architects broke it
It’s probably our fault to begin with. I don’t really know the exact numbers, but buildings use more fossil fuels than cars, construction debris makes up the highest percentage of our landfills, building roofs and parking lots account for the majority of storm water run-out issues, and Market driven greed for greater and greater return on investment fueled a decade of speculative office and housing developments at a scale never seen before. And, now entire communities sit vacant and waiting for a recovery that may never happen. Can Architects be trusted to come up with solutions for problems we played a major role in causing in the first place?
2. Architects solve
Architects are some of the only professionals that are educated and trained to find, explore, consider, analysis, and obsess over solutions for complex problems. These are skills that can be applied to create opportunities for community enrichment, or simply arrange toilet partitions. The trick is setting your priorities.
3. Architects create
All Architecture begins with a blank sheet of paper. We begin with nothing but a need, or a desire. And, Architects are able (or willing) to draw the first line on that blank page. That is a powerful position to be in.
4. Architects are current
Architects are obsessed with “now”. We are always looking for the next thing. We are drawn to innovations and new solutions. We are restless; always seeking a better solution; a stronger image; and a more elegant representation of our collective aspirations. Architects reinvent ourselves with each and every project.
5. Architects are right
Architects have consistently and persistently believed in the right things. We were designing buildings that were environmentally sensitive years before “green” design became a fashionable buzz-word. Architects believe in efficiency; water conservation, recycling, using our resources wisely. We believe in urbanity. We believe in communities. We believe in cities.
6. Architects hope
Architecture embodies the collective passion of mankind. Architecture asks us to be better than we are. What other profession can make that claim?
7. Architecture is in our DNA
The built environment creates the parameters of our life. We are born, live our lives, and die within the walls of Architecture. From hospitals, to daycares, to schools, to offices, to homes, to parks, to restaurants, to funeral homes, to cemeteries. Architecture stands beside us (consistently and patiently) as we define our very existence in the world.
8. Architects collaborate
Architects no longer “design” we “negotiate”. The art of creating buildings lies in the choreography of complex systems and diverse interests and forces. The Architect can act as leader, facilitator, counselor, our collective conscience, a touch-stone, inspiration, and lynch-pin. Architects are fuel for creation.
9. Architects are indestructible
In 2009, 40% of all Architects were laid-off. We are ALL still here. ALL of us started our own company. Architects continue to work because we see a continued need for our service and skills and efforts and talents and passion. Architects will continue to work for the needs of our community, with or without bank financing.
10. Architects are storytellers
No one is excited about the program of a building. No one cares about the materiality of the forms. No one thinks about the building systems. No one really loses sleep over the cost of a building. No one remembers the difficulty we traversed during the process of design. Everyone forgot the 2 week delay, No one is interested in the references we made, and no one remembers the speech you made about balance and harmony at the city council meeting. But, everyone remembers the folding chair they sat in to watch their son or daughter graduate kindergarten and middle school and high school and college. Everyone remembers their first job interview; their wedding day; or the 10 days in ICU after the birth of their 3rd son; or the first time they noticed their Grandmother’s fading memory; or looking into your future wife’s eyes at 2am and slowly brushing her hair out of her eyes and seeing a path that leads to the rest of your life. Architecture is not a form; Architecture houses a life.
Architects can tell that story.
Source: coffeewithanarchitect.com
THE IMAGE OF THE ARCHITECT
This is what I’ve learned this summer - Architects are pretty much like high-class whores. We can turn down projects the way, they - prostitutes, can turn down some clients, but we both must say “yes” to someone, if we want to stay in business.
Back to school guide for architects
- I felt that, with the start of the new semester, just around the corner, I’d have to write a post just like this one, but the guys and girls from BuildBlog, done a great job with this. -
It’s that time of year again; rural Universities have started classes and urban Universities will start soon. Architecture school is an extremely demanding major requiring different skills and a broader range of tactics to successfully navigate. Here at the BUILDblog we’ve put our combined 18 years of university architecture school experience together and we’ve come up with a list of 10 critical items we think you’ll need to tackle academics and shoot out of Architecture school without all the baggage.
1. There is no substitution for hard work.
If you’re not a hard worker the remaining nine bullet points probably won’t make much difference to you. The study of architecture requires that you be productive and diligent. You’ll miss good parties; friends will look at you incredulously as you head off to the studio on a Friday night. Stick to it and be industrious
2. That you have to pull “all-nighters” to get your projects done is a fallacy.
It’s simply not true. You’ll be told differently from students higher up the ranks. When they tell you that “there’s just no way around all-nighters” they will be holding a cigarette in one hand, a triple grande coffee in the other and they will have a look on their face so morbid that it will seem more appealing to simply change majors. Don’t believe them, they’re delusional. Work hard, work efficiently, work with self discipline. You don’t have to pull all-nighters to produce exceptional work in architecture school. The students who have supposedly “been up for 3 nights” always seem to be sleeping on the couch in the library during the day
3. Nobody likes hearing a presentation from a zombie.
Practicing how you present yourself and honing your communication skills are just as important as the architecture you are discussing. Get a bit of sleep the night before presentations and crits (refer to #2).
4. Crits aren’t always about architecture.
There’s also less at stake during crits than you might think. You’re going to have jurors that love your projects, jurors that hate your projects and everything in between. Often, jurors show up with their own agendas – the thesis of that book they just published, their latest project they feel the need to defend, an axe to grind with another juror, who knows. What you should know is that these things are beyond your control. Present yourself well, listen to and respect the jury and at the end of the day don’t worry too much about what they think or don’t think. We’ve seen some exceptional presentations and we never saw anyone being offered a job on the spot. Conversely, we’ve seen some presentations go disastrously wrong, and there were never any real-life consequences. Crits have less of an emphasis on the design; it’s an opportunity to work the kinks out of your presentation skills before you’re actually talking to a client – at which point there will be consequences for a poor performance
5. You are the CEO of you.
In academia we would occasionally come across the professor who tried to steer our projects in the direction of their own personal agenda. Sometimes that’s for the best and sometimes it’s not. Obviously the appropriate path depends on the professor and the context – but just because a professor has a vision for your project doesn’t mean that you need to follow suit. Use your judgment – those same skills of persuasion and tact will come in very handy later in your career
6. You’re paying them, not the other way around.
A good professor should receive your full respect – after all, they’ve forgotten more about architecture than you’ve ever learned. At the same time you are paying tuition to be taught and professors should be held accountable for your education. If you’re not getting what you want out of a class or studio it is up to you to voice that concern and your professor’s to address it.
7. Get more mileage out of your hard work.
We were often prohibited from using the same work in different classes. For instance, the same photographs of an architecture project could not be used in both an architectural studio and a photography class. Such practice was considered double-dipping and deemed unacceptable. We never agreed with this – it’s not the way the world works. In our practice we don’t take separate photos for Dwell, Met Home, Sunset and Architectural Record. We take the photos once and send them to everybody, as well as use them on the website and the blog – otherwise we’d be up all night. Obviously there are examples of abuse and it’s important to be judicious about the issue, but we’re fans of getting the most mileage out of hard work. Be clever.
8. Your portfolio is not the Holy Grail.
Portfolios are important, no doubt. They are not, however, the most precious object on the earth’s surface. Craft it, refine it, use it, leverage it and realize that someday it will be collecting dust under a pile of construction documents in your office. It is a tool useful at a certain period in your life, it is a stepping stone. It is not more important than how you think, who you meet and how you operate in the world. Most of all don’t expect other people (like non-architects) to give a crap about your portfolio – to them it’s 20 pages of pretty pictures with a leather cover.
9. Diversify
Take some classes in real-estate, business or engineering. You will need these perspectives more than you can imagine as an architect
10. Don’t bore your non-architect friends with archi-speak.
If you’re not careful, by the time graduation comes around the architects will have degenerated into a cult, locked away in the studio with their own language that nobody can decipher. Get out of the studio from time to time and leave the archi-speak at the door. The lawyers, MBAs and pre-med students you talk to over beers at the bar will be your clients someday – don’t scare them off.
(via buildllc.com)
Source: blog.buildllc.com
The brutal truth, that every architecture student should face
So, I’m back on tumblr. Maybe if today I wrote a post like a review from the last few weeks, it might be more interestig, but these past few hell weeks and the great conversation I had with my todays-rae-of-sunshine a while back, made me write this post about the fucked up “movie” some architecture students live in.
I was “watching” this movie for some time now, but these last few weeks was very intense. It made me vomit a few times in my mouth and made me have some very serial killer thoughts.
PEOPLE!!!
… don’t go through architecture school, thinking that at the end, there is a Prizker’s waiting for you with handing on your diploma. NO, this is the biggest mistake and you can’t afford to live with this illusion.
It’s ok to have personal dreams about - “how it’s going to be when you get a limitless budget on a project, with a non-metaling client and get world famous for the project”. This is OK, every single one of us does it, it’s a mission impossible, but we do it.
But displaying this publicly and acting in front of everybody like this, just makes you an asshole.
- Just because you finish early every time, doesn’t mean that your project is the best.
When I look at those projects I can find at least 5 mistakes that will change their whole design, or even if there aren’t any, the graphic presentation is shit. A PROJECT IS NEVER FINISHED IN IT’S FINEST.
- Just because you are a suck up and do everything the professor tells you, doesn’t mean that your project is the best.
When I present my project, I want to know that, the final result is my own little master peace and I like to sell it as one. I don’t mind that I, maybe have some mistakes, but as long as I can give my soul to my product, I’m happy.
The fact that, all of you Zaha Hadid’s wannabes, do everything that your professors tells you, even though you don’t like some of the suggestions, will bring you a better grade, does not make you a great architect. SUCK IT UP and make you project - YOURS.
- “NO!!! Black frames, doesn’t make you a good architect.” - This makes me sooo mad.
So here is the brutal truth…
Almost, every single great architect that you know of, was rich. They have/had enough money, so they could afford not to work a single day and still leave millions to their children.
This means, that they have all the time in the world to make that single project that will make their carrier skyrocket.
I’m not saying that they don’t have the talent, but if, lets say, 60% of the architects have the money and time, so that they don’t have to worry about this main factor in their lifes, can make an ass-kicking project, that can bring them a Prizker.
When you finish school, you will spend years working like a CAD monkey, in some big firm, so there is little space, where you can get above the others, only if you really have the talent and know how to sell yourself and you have to take that chance that will be given to you in a millisecond.
You will have to have some big politic connections. Lets take Frank Gehry, for example. This guy has some interesting designs. But they are always over-budget, have million of technical problems and they still get build. We have to ask ourselfs -How does somebody agrees to build his designs, that always, have problems?CONNECTIONS people, CONNECTIONS is the main thing you need to get BIG.
Maybe just one or none of the students here on tumblr will make big.
You just have to face the truth, that we are going to work like regular architects, doing nice designs, that will, form time to time, be presented in some magazine or website and forgotten after few months.
This is the real world. If you can’t take it, go to Hollywood and try out for a big movie star, you have a better chance in that.
