What do you wish you can learn in architecture school?
Think. Sketch. Brainstorming in a group.
Almost all of us have different class timetable. Group work can be only after working hours. But the problem we having in UCSI University currently is studio can only be used from 9am to 6pm, excluding weekend, unless students make a booking in advance. Supposingly, every students can have their own design studio throughout their semester without being troublesome to book studio which is in vacant. Learn in group is better than learning alone at home. Two heads are always better than one. Sometimes our ideas come from peers inspiration. When you are stucked with ideas, brainstorming with friends will help you generate better thinking and even can make you proceed faster rather than you keep on thinking idea at home alone.
How to convey message through sketching?
I found out that many students are weak in sketching. Sadly, though students have brilliant ideas in mind, he cannot sketch well to present his design development ideas. What we need is getting knowledge of how to apply all those basic skill of sketch like using technique of scribbling, stippling, stroke and etc on our coursework. Of course, lecturers expect degree students to explore everything on their own. Thinking of those who always being passive, they pay tuition fees, however they somehow deserves some advice and guidance from lecturers in fact. When students find it hard to sketch, they might as well draft it digitally or even using software that they are good at. However, lecturers prohibit digital software up to Year 2 semester 4. I suggest having sketching class for every semester. Classes like Visual or Design Communication in Semester 1 only is not enough. Learning sketching only in basic is helpful, but what if lecturers can provide higher level of guidance, for instance showing reference of how master architects will sketch their ideas will be much appreciated. Mixing technique of using markers, artlines, pastels, charchoal and etc is something new to be taught in school.
Learn working while you are studying.
Talking on hands on experience is what students have to involve in. Their experience can prepare them for their next working life. How to think on site like a Resident Architect? Referring to working drawing produced in office or workspace and inspect site work is somehow what students need to try on site. Understanding of Building Construction and Technology can be better for sure rather than rushing for coursework dateline only. Maybe the issue of not having this kind of practice in school is due to limited credit hours for such extra hands-on experience. Why not having 2 to 3 weeks of site inspection and experiencing right after interim critique, instead of having 6 weeks of school break where students feel free doing nothing at home.
Work with machines.
UCSI University does provide students with such machine lab, but students only get to work for design studio coursework only. Building construction and technology lecture should take place in make lab where students can be asked to produce a sectional model with detailing joint made of wood, steel or glass within 2 or 3 lecture hours.
Instead of giving lecture building in the history, why not learn from the way they design and let us create our own old and new in Malaysia. Our country has old identity but there is no sign of transformation between the old and new architecture. Although it is not possible to do hands-on experience to preserve heritage or old buildings in our country, but trying to work out on through scale model will be interesting for history class.
What kind of education u want so far for architecture?
Am I learning what I want for architecture? I think what i've learn from architecture school is a foundation skills , knowledges and design sensibility.
In my opinion , I think we cant learn all of the architecture in school. When I observe these architectural work that achieve these worldwide acclaim , I start to wonder how they create these creation by interpreting their own architecture thought and idea into their style.
I think what i want to learn in architecture is to develope own ability to think. To think critically , to think objectively. In architecture , ability to think and interpreting own idea toward your works will make your own identity will make your own architecture thinking.
But how? I think architecture school not only should enhance our architecture theoretical understanding but also the real architectural meaning. In architecture theoritical , we should learn form a good way to think and build for the society. In a way , build a better environment and sustain what we have now.
In architectural practice, we should have a proper skill interprete idea into a real physical building and structure. The time when i was an intern in an architecture firm when Im diploma, I only could see the thing i draw in actual scale and construction . For example architecture school should encourage student with real scale projects , construction and building material resources.
The kind of education i wish is education that explore student idea or thinking thoroughly but also comply the skill to tranform student thinking into practical architecture.
A balance between architecture thinking and architecture practice.
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LAI HONG JING
“What do you wish you can learn in architecture school?”
A simple but full of thinking and meaningful question.
Firstly, I would like to hope that every architecture school might provide us more installation works so that student can actually learn more throughout the progress and the construction works. Why do I think so? Because base on my experience, I truly learnt a lot about the construction and others technical works throughout the progress which actually gave me more perspective about architecture. Hard to deny that, student actually need more experience on doing big scale model which they will receive what they actually cant from only doing computer works.
Other than that, I wish to learn more manual rendering and sketching rather than computer rendering. Although the majority of designers nowadays prefer computer rendering, hand drawing is still very much alive and kicking. It remains the most fluent and unhindered way to transmit what is in designer’s imagination to the physical world. Why I find manual is better because it give us more space of creativity. Besides that, sketching also allows you to prepare numerous versions of your concept very fast, and then to decide which one to develop. Thus, you train and improve your creativity.
Last but not least, I would love to have a lot of different kind of architecture workshop which is open to all architecture students from different university in order to bond relationship between each other’s. During the workshop, every student got the opportunity to learn from others as well as share their knowledge to others. So that, we not only can receive the knowledge we don’t have but also we can make a lot of friends from different place throughout the workshop.
Lastly, I wish to learn some fashion style in architecture school also. It sound ridiculous but as a designer we not only need to show some design sense in works but also ourselves. If all of our classmate who could make themselves cool or stylish while lecture, I think it would give us another way of energy to study. Besides that, we might look more like a designer if we being more fashionable.
HWAN CHING SHEONG
1001541143
Basically, before I chose architectural. I would say everyone would think it’s all about drawing or designing a building. Without any knowing
that an architect need to handle everything from design to
construction and management.
During my day in diploma studies. I experienced working as a intern in an architect firm. Learnt that working is way more harder than studying as if compared to my course works. I faced the situation where I needed to produced few drawing ideas of space planing withing a day from sketches to DWG files. It’s hard where I have to brainstorm the idea to the limit while knowing that design idea doesnt come from a formula like math that have a solution. Design is so subjective. But design can be improved as we aged. Reading magazines and scrolled to articles like Archdaily, Dezeen, and so on do help us in improving the design. But apart from the design I wish to learn more about the detail in handling a project. As a project developer.
What I wish to learn in architectural school ?
Where i wish to learn more about handling a meeting with the consultants and contractors. Discussing from schematics design idea from a sketch to a graphical proposal. I always wanted to conduct a meeting
mainly about a briefing of a projects to the consultants presenting my base idea while replying their
question about my idea.
Not only that, what’s the main thing i concern about is the
process of developing the construction period. Where handling
the stress coming from the consultants and contractors. I always wanted to learn how to ‘surf along the wave’ as I know there will always be conflict between consultants among consultants and
also contractors. How I serve to gain the benefits of both parties
to avoid misunderstanding or even raging about some particular issues.
With this skills of handling parties, I believe my work as a project mangers or so call developers can help
reducing the problems faced during a project development. What I really wanted to see is that I can
manage to help enchant the bond between the consultants and also to reduce the issues faced while
constructing the building.
LIM WINN SERN
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I love architecture, and I chose this course myself. But I don't how it actually works, before I enroll in this course. After years of studying we are only able to know a little bit architecture and basics, and I realized you need to further you knowledge with experience, readings, or research. There is one thing that I wish I can learn in architecture school is landscaping. I personally love plants, for me building without considering plants or greenn is dead.
Landscape of architecture that will help the environment. Its not just about the aesthetic of the space, for shades or planting trees, but the understanding of the behavior of the plants. How does the plant grows, and how will it grows in a self sustain condition, the science of it. O2 produced, CO2 absorption, The help of eco-systems. How make the plant to cools down the building, understanding soil that different type of plantation need. This would really help in the future of architecture, as erecting building at the same time, reviving the environment. I feel that landscape should also be part of the important role of every project.
Secondly is experiment of materials. We need to understand the behavior of material and design more precisely. A lab experiment the mixing of material or invent use in a new way. What most people only memorizing the material code but without really understand the behavior. It will enhance creativity and invention of building. Example of how heatherwick studio do, he likes to create and experimenting new things.
Tan Yeong En
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