Hey, Eric here with 30 by 40 Design Workshop answering your questions today, quick-fire
style so I can be sure to get to as many as possible.
Now, I save the best and most upvoted question for last so be sure to stick around to the
end for that.
Okay Reethi Tallam asks, “What was your thesis topic and what tips can you give for
a final year student who is doing his or her thesis?”
Well, my thesis project was an urban monastery and I used it as a launching point for developing
underutilized or abandoned acreage in the city of Boston.
Now, I think a thesis topic should have enough meat to dig into at a variety of scales and
while it has to be rooted in reality, really it's just an in-depth investigation and fleshing
out of a set of philosophies.
The monastery allowed me to look at urban planning, to learn about a religious building
typology with some interesting cultural implications, there was this deep historical context and
a number of really interesting precedents for me to research.
There were some cool spatial and formal opportunities there, and I knew this was a building type
that I’d probably never have the chance to do as a professional.
For all those reasons it ended up being a super fascinating and fun project to design.
So, my advice is to choose a topic with many layers of problems to solve.
And, you won't have time to solve all of them but you'll have the flexibility to chase down
the ones you find most interesting along the way.
Okay, Illustrious1 asks, “What's a challenge you've overcome as an architect that you're
proud of?
What's a challenge you have yet to overcome and are excited about the struggle to conquer
it?”
I think most people don't understand this, but the process of actually realizing your
work in the world - building your architecture - is actually an immense challenge.
Seeing your ideas through from concept to finished architecture is insanely rewarding
because you have to navigate this seemingly impossible set of demands, from the client,
from the budget, the contractors, regulatory agencies, and even your own shortcomings.
But that's sort of a cop-out though because every real architect has to do that.
So, I'd have to say starting my own practice was probably my biggest challenge to date.
Just trusting that I could support my family all the while doing something that I loved
is in itself immensely rewarding and it takes constant care and feeding; it's still a struggle
honestly that I face each week as I figure out where to head next.
In terms of a near-term challenge, if you've been following this channel you'll know that
I've been investing a huge amount of time and energy here working to get to 100,000
subscribers as my next milestone and I'm excited by the possibilities of where that will lead.
So, lots of big plans there in the future.
Maanda Eva writes, “Did you always know you wanted to be an architect and what advice
do you wish you had when you first joined architecture school?”
For the most part, I knew I wanted to be an architect but quite honestly I had very little
idea about what was involved in actually being an architect.
If you watch my short film, ‘A Choice to Make’ you'll learn more about my journey.
When I started architecture school I was absolutely terrible.
I came home on holiday break in my third year and told my parents, to their horror, that
I was done, that it just wasn't working out, I wasn't going to be an architect.
And, they encouraged me to give it one more semester and in that period of a few months
something just clicked.
I started spending every waking hour focused on my work.
Everything I read was about architecture.
I started making countless study models.
I spent all my free time drawing and sketching.
I'd stay in the studio until 3:00 a.m. debating architectural concepts with people.
So, what changed?
Well I put in the work.
I chose to become a practitioner and that's my advice to you, become a practitioner.
Make things, practice; experiment.
This is the advice I wish I had had when I started.
Take this seriously, no one's gonna force you to become an architect, you have to put
in the work and you have to really want it.
Oh shiad asks, “How do I get a feel for dimensions, room sizes, etc.?”
I recommend starting by learning the sizes of the spaces around you first.
Take note of how high the ceilings are, how wide the corridors are, build up this mental
catalog.
You can use modular materials like floor or ceiling tiles to gauge roughly how big spaces
are, but I also always have a small laser measurer in my bag with me.
Here in the studio I've subdivided the space precisely for this purpose so, I can show
clients okay, here's what a 12 by 12 room would actually feel like, or that's an 8 foot
ceiling but if you expose the structure it actually feels a little taller.
Another thing I often do is to use tape to lay things out, let's say it's a window opening
and I want to show the difference between two different sizes, I'll actually tape them
out on the glass here.
And, when you're drawing, always use scale elements in your sketches, in plans, sections,
and perspectives.
You want to add people, trees, furniture; all the objects that we relate to as humans.
This can really help you get a feel for room sizes and dimensions too.
Question from Krishna, “Is Photoshop important and if so, to what degree should I learn to
use it?”
Well, it's very important.
There isn't a week that goes by in my practice that I don't use Photoshop.
Like any software it's a tool you can use to communicate your ideas.
Tons of stuff to learn the basics on how architects use it here on YouTube, Show It Better and
Arqui9 Visualization are two good channels to start with.
Connall Gifford wants to know, “Out of all of your projects that you've done, which one
is your favorite?”
That's easy, the next one.
Jose asks, “In your opinion, what does it take to be a Pritzker Prize winner and how
does the world start noticing great architects?”
Well, the simple answer is by doing good work.
Now, I don't think you should look to prizes for validation necessarily.
Of course, recognition is nice and I enter competitions like many architects do, but
the fact is, there will only ever be a very few Pritzker Prize winners in the world.
So, even when you're doing good work you probably won't receive the Pritzker.
The second part of the question is more important and interesting and I think relevant to all
of us.
The world notices how good you are when you've put in the time.
Become a practitioner, execute, deliver, make things.
The more things you make, the more you'll realize that the last things you made, weren't
as good as you probably thought they were and you'll start to make better things.
I think too many people want the reward part without actually doing the hard work part.
The reward comes only after you've put in the hard work.
Okay, Shi wonders, “How did you get interested in architecture?”
And, I want to again point you to my short film, ‘A Choice to Make’ and that should
tell you my story.
Marcos Sanchez asks, “How do you attract new clients to an architecture studio?
What kind of marketing is done in this kind of environment?”
This is a great question and it's something that's not taught in schools.
Marketing, at a basic level, is getting someone's attention.
You want to get in front of people who are buying and sell them the things you make.
Now, I use a combination of my website, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, Instagram, and
Pinterest to market my business.
You should check out my books for detailed marketing plans and I'll link up a video in
the cards of some recent marketing advice I had for a viewer.
So, check that out for a really detailed breakdown on marketing.
Ali asks, “Can you recommend any good books to improve my drawing and my architectural
skills?”
For the basics, I've always liked Frank Ching's books: Form, Space and Order, there's Architectural
Graphics, there's Design Drawing and there's Building Construction Illustrated.
That should get you started.
Also, you can check out this video with my essential recommendations.
Ithilween Shadowsong asks, “How do you learn to build?
How do you get to the point where you have enough knowledge to design your own projects?”
Experience.
There's really only one way to learn this and that's to work for a firm that's building
the kinds of buildings you want to do and study how it's done.
Much of what you'll learn after school is focused on how to put a building together.
What I've learned is that it's as much about sequencing of the building trades and how
materials come together as it is about anything else.
And, this will ultimately affect the way you design too.
Joseph van Wagoner asks, “Do you have any advice for someone pursuing architecture but
is color blind?”
Alright, I'd suggest that you accept it as a part of who you are as an architect.
I know there's software out there to aid those who are colorblind and other visual aids,
I'm sure you're familiar with these, but I'm not sure that's entirely useful or even the
point.
Use what you've got to make the things you don't.
Clarisse Padilla - I hope I pronounced that right - she asks, “What do you do when a
client won't approve any design you throw at them?
For the past two weeks I've made five sets of concept sheets from my professor and it's
gotten me nowhere.”
Wow, five concept sheets and nothing?
Alright, you only need one good concept so, for you perhaps focus on quality instead of
quantity.
Now, you can get stuck in a rut and I know that can be hard to extricate yourself from
and if this is you, you might try one of my favorite apps, which is called Oblique Strategies.
Now, this of course happens in practice too and it can be just as stressful.
I usually try and show my client something expected, something unexpected, and then something
in between and this range of possibilities lets you guide them from something they were
anticipating, to something they probably weren't, and then hopefully you can land somewhere
in between at a place just comfortable enough for them to buy in.
By the way, in the comments section in last week's video other pros have weighed in on
this question with some really valuable insights so, you should check there too.
Dauvic asks, “Can you help me install Archicad 20 on my mac?”
Ahh, no.
Brian Ortega asks, “How much do you use video editing for architecture I'm studying
architecture and I haven't found a way to connect both things but really want to Brian
I use it every week in my practice I'm transitioning over to using all video for my client presentations
now.
And, I really think they should be teaching this in school if they're not already.
Rather than straight pinups of drawings on the wall, storytelling through video is relatable,
efficient, and it's really effective.
So, connect your two interests by learning to tell the story of your work in video form,
like a short film, or a documentary.
Ask yourself how you would do things differently if you only had video to rely on and some
interesting possibilities open up, right?
Is anyone else doing this in school right now?
I'd be really curious to know.
Obviously, I'm biased here, but look at any online social platform right now, and see
how much they're pushing video and I think you'll realize this is a huge opportunity
for you all of you guys out there watching, a blue ocean strategy.
Okay and we'll end with Greek God’s question which is my personal favorite, “As a student,
what other activities can I do to learn the things which will actually help me in my career,
photography, vlogs, etc.”
Now, I saved this for last because I think it's the single most important question you
can be asking, I don't care if you're in architecture or if you're an unemployed coal miner.
If you take away just one thing from this video it should be to build metaskills metaskills
are skills that confer advantages to your entire life, and that's what Greek God is
referencing here, I think.
Communication metaskills like: writing, photography, videography, drawing, and verbal presentation
skills have far-reaching benefits in your life because they can be applied to any path
you choose in the future.
And, each of these requires that you learn how to tell good stories.
So, I think you've already recognized that photography and vlogging are forms of this
kind of metaskill.
Something like vlogging, or creating videos in general, develops all these: it hones your
planning and scheduling skills, your writing skills for the script, your verbal skills
to deliver the presentation, your photography and graphic skills to craft interesting visuals,
then you'll have to write an engaging headline, create a visually compelling thumbnail and
you'll need marketing skills to figure out the best way to deliver it and to build an
audience.
Then there's this immediate feedback loop, either it resonates with that audience or
it doesn’t; thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
When you get used to making, iterating, and delivering things consistently, you have a
competitive advantage over everyone else who thought it was just too much work.
Now, buying a camera and forcing myself to figure out YouTube was the single best metaskill
investment of the past five years, unquestionably.
Hands down it's made me a better architect.
Now, you don't have to rush out and buy a DSLR and fancy lenses, chances are you already
have a really good camera in your pocket and so, I would say use what you have.
Now, I'm really sorry I couldn't make it to all the questions you submitted, I do appreciate
all of them and I'm happy to do this again soon if you liked it.
So, please let me know in the comments.
If you did find this useful, please smash that like button below.
As always, thanks for coming back here each week, I appreciate you guys.
Cheers!