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Pumped to start Write of Passage this week with @david_perell and @will_mannon
I was convinced to sign up because of the similarities this course seems to share with my experiences in architecture school.
Here& #39;s a thread on how design studio builds inter-disciplinary skills:
I was convinced to sign up because of the similarities this course seems to share with my experiences in architecture school.
Here& #39;s a thread on how design studio builds inter-disciplinary skills:
1. You are given open-ended assignments with shared constraints:
The semester starts by defining the project site & programmatic requirements. The design problem can be interpreted in an infinite amount of ways, but students learn from seeing how others tackle the same premise.
The semester starts by defining the project site & programmatic requirements. The design problem can be interpreted in an infinite amount of ways, but students learn from seeing how others tackle the same premise.
2. You get frequent opportunities to show progress work:
Design studios met 2-3 times a week. Each student gets 20 minutes of feedback on their project. The scale ranges from 1:1 sessions to large presentations. Frequent milestones prevent anyone from losing momentum.
Design studios met 2-3 times a week. Each student gets 20 minutes of feedback on their project. The scale ranges from 1:1 sessions to large presentations. Frequent milestones prevent anyone from losing momentum.
3. Your work gets critiqued in a group setting:
Given the visual nature of architecture, the work often speaks for itself. One professor would start his class by putting each student& #39;s model on a table & ranking them. Public pressure pushes everyone to create their best work.
Given the visual nature of architecture, the work often speaks for itself. One professor would start his class by putting each student& #39;s model on a table & ranking them. Public pressure pushes everyone to create their best work.
4. You learn to compress & communicate big ideas:
It& #39;s tough to convey something you& #39;ve been working on for weeks to somebody else for the first time. Architectural diagrams act as "hooks" to enable others to understand complexity quickly.
It& #39;s tough to convey something you& #39;ve been working on for weeks to somebody else for the first time. Architectural diagrams act as "hooks" to enable others to understand complexity quickly.
5. You gain experience in steering conversations:
By interacting with an audience and explaining your ideas, you learn to read people. Facial expressions, body language, and questions act as prompts for you to steer the conversation.
By interacting with an audience and explaining your ideas, you learn to read people. Facial expressions, body language, and questions act as prompts for you to steer the conversation.
6. You learn how to invite others to comment on your work:
It& #39;s rarely beneficial to hide weaknesses & defend against criticism in a design review. It& #39;s more useful to frame both the strengths & weakness, and then be specific in the kind of feedback you& #39;re looking for.
It& #39;s rarely beneficial to hide weaknesses & defend against criticism in a design review. It& #39;s more useful to frame both the strengths & weakness, and then be specific in the kind of feedback you& #39;re looking for.
7. You develop the ability to evaluate feedback:
Students get opinions from all sorts of perspectives. They quickly learn that they can& #39;t blindly follow advice from any one source. After absorbing all of the comments, they learn to prioritize and act on the right feedback.
Students get opinions from all sorts of perspectives. They quickly learn that they can& #39;t blindly follow advice from any one source. After absorbing all of the comments, they learn to prioritize and act on the right feedback.
8. You discover the value in giving feedback:
Walk around the studio, show interest in other& #39;s work, and spark conversations. Collaborate on their project as if it were your own. You gain experience in solving problems that aren& #39;t present in your own work.
Walk around the studio, show interest in other& #39;s work, and spark conversations. Collaborate on their project as if it were your own. You gain experience in solving problems that aren& #39;t present in your own work.
9. You& #39;re involved in studio culture:
Architecture school is known to be intense. My group started with around 200 students, and only 40 graduated. You become friends with others who are serious, talented, and creative. The lines between work & play get blurred.
Architecture school is known to be intense. My group started with around 200 students, and only 40 graduated. You become friends with others who are serious, talented, and creative. The lines between work & play get blurred.
10. You& #39;re forced to work smart:
A single critique introduces multiple ideas that need to be explored. Drawings, renderings, and models need to be produced in just a matter of days. Not prioritizing the right things can lead to days of work in the wrong direction.
A single critique introduces multiple ideas that need to be explored. Drawings, renderings, and models need to be produced in just a matter of days. Not prioritizing the right things can lead to days of work in the wrong direction.
11. You think critically about how to use your tools:
There is a range of modeling, rendering, and analysis tools available to architects. It& #39;s easy to get allured into time-consuming software that doesn& #39;t return equal value. You learn to identify the right tool for the job.
There is a range of modeling, rendering, and analysis tools available to architects. It& #39;s easy to get allured into time-consuming software that doesn& #39;t return equal value. You learn to identify the right tool for the job.
12. You increase your endurance to focus:
Architecture school is known for crazy hours. Designing something for days straight while only breaking for food and naps can be physically and mentally taxing. It& #39;s tough, but it also helps build a super human ability to focus.
Architecture school is known for crazy hours. Designing something for days straight while only breaking for food and naps can be physically and mentally taxing. It& #39;s tough, but it also helps build a super human ability to focus.
13. You learn to challenge your assumptions:
One time I watched a guest-critic tear a student& #39;s design out of a site model and turn it upside down. "Isn& #39;t this more interesting?" He was right. It shows that there is no design assumption too holy to be questioned.
One time I watched a guest-critic tear a student& #39;s design out of a site model and turn it upside down. "Isn& #39;t this more interesting?" He was right. It shows that there is no design assumption too holy to be questioned.
14. You practice solving multi-dimensional problems:
Designing a building is like solving a Rubik& #39;s cube. When you solve a facade problem, it might create new problems for circulation. It& #39;s not enough to solve one side. You learn to resolve the part and the whole simultaneously.
Designing a building is like solving a Rubik& #39;s cube. When you solve a facade problem, it might create new problems for circulation. It& #39;s not enough to solve one side. You learn to resolve the part and the whole simultaneously.
15. You strengthen your mind& #39;s eye:
Architects work in 2D views to solve 3D problems. You develop the ability to visualize a full system, even when only working through a partial representation. This is like a drummer writing parts to a song without having the band playing along
Architects work in 2D views to solve 3D problems. You develop the ability to visualize a full system, even when only working through a partial representation. This is like a drummer writing parts to a song without having the band playing along
16. You& #39;re always considering UX:
A good portion of architectural critique revolves around the experience of the end-user. Whether it& #39;s functional programming, circulation, or aesthetic wonder, you& #39;re forced to put yourself in another& #39;s perspective.
A good portion of architectural critique revolves around the experience of the end-user. Whether it& #39;s functional programming, circulation, or aesthetic wonder, you& #39;re forced to put yourself in another& #39;s perspective.
17. You have something to show at the end of the process:
Guest critics and end-users are invited to a "final crit" at the end of the semester. Your project is not only a solution to a problem, but an artifact that encapsulates your ideas, skills, and thought process.
Guest critics and end-users are invited to a "final crit" at the end of the semester. Your project is not only a solution to a problem, but an artifact that encapsulates your ideas, skills, and thought process.
Working on creative problems while getting feedback from a group was one of the most valuable experiences in my life. Excited to go through this again with a focus on networking through writing.
