Architecture is an all-inspiring field with an ability to create striking and purposeful buildings and connect with communities through impactful designs.
However, to be a successful architect, it takes time, self-refinement, practice, and persistence, especially after you begin your career. Staying up-to-date with the current trends, polishing your skills, and having industry-specific knowledge are some other aspects you need to refine and stand out in the stiff competition.
Besides implementing what you’ve learned from architecture school, here are some essentials you need to work on as an architect.
- Math and Related Knowledge
Mathematics plays a vital role in architecture, not because architects need to use complex formulas every day, but because math enables us to establish scientific and quantifiable relationships between different elements. The logical thinking skills developed by solving mathematical problems and equations are directly applicable to many aspects of architectural design.
As an architect, you don’t have to be a mathematician, nor do you need to remember advanced concepts like calculus 15 years into your career. However, you must be proficient enough in math to solve problems that require critical thinking and logical reasoning.
- Exploring Concepts
When we think of architectural concepts, we think of an abstract idea, one that is unchanging throughout the design process. This is not necessarily the case, a concept can be linked to many factors, and can evolve as the design grows.
Architectural concepts are the designer’s way of responding to the design situation presented to them. They are a means of translating the non-physical design problem into the physical building product. Every project will have critical issues, central themes or problem essences, and the general issues of designing a building can be approached in a number of ways.
- Design Rendering
Architectural rendering is the process of creating two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of a proposed architectural design. The goal is to illustrate a lifelike experience of how a space or building will look before it is built, accurately representing design intent.
There are three main benefits of using 3D rendering software for architecture projects:
- Develop design ideas more accurately
- Identify problems early in the development stages to reduce costs
- Communicate design ideas with clients and partners
- Improve Communication
Effective communication, fresh perspectives, and enhanced teamwork have created some of the world’s best projects. People who can communicate their desires, goals, and wishful outcomes are game-changers, and those people are valuable for any architectural company. It’s hard to talk about where you could be in 10 or 20 years. However, focusing on mastering your communication skills while you’re still young and improving intellectually, will make you ideally suited for future leadership positions.
- Be Inspired
Learning from architecture about different periods is critical. The concepts of modernism, structuralism and contemporary styles are often inspired by architectural heritage. Traveling around to explore mesmerizing architectural constructions is an excellent way to get inspired as most modern concepts, designs, and ideas use a framework similar to these historical marvels. Architects are known to be creative and provide practical solutions in terms of design. Traveling more often to these places will increase your creativity and let you tap into new ideas and approaches.
- Construction Laws and Regulations
Staying up-to-date with the current laws and regulations about constructing buildings is necessary. Knowing these regulations will assist you in finding out information like the size and number of windows you could install in a building. Only a few construction laws are directly related to the architect’s work but knowing this information will surely improve the way you design buildings.
