Back to School...

This post is part of a great series called ArchiTalks. It was & is curated by Bob Borson of "Life of an Architect." I am glad to be a part of this diverse set of architects & designers coming together to speak on various topics relevant to profession and life in general. Please enjoy the 21st installment:

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September is here and the cooler, less humid weather will forecast the approaching Autumn season. The hot and humid summer has many looking forward to this. "Back to School" is synonymous with school kids, yellow buses and backpacks. What does it mean to you? Is there a change in your schedule? 

Before having children, there wasn't much change in my daily and weekly routines. I'd just know it would be a longer commute with more people on the roads. However, now I've become ArchiDad. It's a full blown operation in "Back to school" mode. My wife becomes an extra super woman prepping, ordering, and stockpiling my children's clothes and supplies. Her extraordinary motherly exuberance couple with her "educator" mindset astonishes me on the deals and creative ways she gather and finds the best things. (Honestly... I'm usually in awe most of the school year.) It's bittersweet. 

​Nevertheless, this start to the school year brings me back to my college years. Architecture school is unique in its own right. If you Google it, you're assured to hear some outlandish anecdotes of overnight design studio projects or the most difficult critics at design reviews. 

Like any other profession, while in college we are trained for what we will ultimately do. Experence plays a large role also, however much is attained through books, research and understanding how and what to look for. It becomes ingrain and second nature. 

I had a good friend approach me years ago about his role on a large new project. The scope of work involved a mixed use building in an urban city center. After hearing the ambitious plan he was proposing, I gave him some general advice: It would be best to get a zoning / property analysis as part of a feasibility report. Basically let's see if your plan is even doable. (Yes with money most anything is doable. However, most people don't have an unlimited budget.) 

What threw me off was when he asked if I could show him how to do the report. I had to be honest. Like any good architect, we do our due diligence when consulting design services. There's no way I can give you my knowledge and understanding of building codes, zoning and general architecture in an hour. 

You hire an architect for a reason. We are specialized in an area you, a client, need and / or just need someone knowledgeable to explain what design possibilities you have. Having read a book, watched an HGTV show or took a "how to flip houses" course does not make you an architect or even a designer. 

After leaving college, years of experience, I develop a mindset, honed to the technical yet artistic craft. This hasn't grown in an overnight but with time. It plays a major part our professional judgment and design decision making. This is what we do. This is why you hire us. 

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PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR STORIES FROM MY FELLOW ARCHITALK PARTICIPANTS. 

Enoch Sears - Business of Architecture (@businessofarch)
Back to school!

Bob Borson - Life of An Architect (@bobborson)
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/i-wish-i-were-going-back-to-school/

Matthew Stanfield - FiELD9: architecture (@FiELD9arch)
Designing Back to School

Marica McKeel - Studio MM (@ArchitectMM)
ArchiTalks: "Back To School”

Jeff Echols - Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)
What Have We Learned? It's Back To School For #ArchiTalks 21

Lee Calisti, AIA - Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
good to go back to school

Mark R. LePage - EntreArchitect (@EntreArchitect)
Back to School: Marketing for Architects

Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
4 Tips As You Go Back To School

Michele Grace Hottel - Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)
#architalks 21 "back to school”

brady ernst - Soapbox Architect (@bradyernstAIA)
Back to the Cartography Board

Brian Paletz - The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz)
Back to School

Michael LaValley - Evolving Architect (@archivalley)
#ArchiTalks / 15 Ways to Make the Most of Your Architectural Education

Eric Wittman - intern[life] (@rico_w)
getting [schooled] again

Sharon George - Architecture By George (@sharonraigeorge)
What's better than architecture after school?

Jarod Hall - di'velept (@divelept)
Back to {Architecture} School

Keith Palma - Architect's Trace (@cogitatedesign)
bettermenTen

Adam Denais - Defragging Architecture (@DefragArch)
[ArchiTalks #21] 10 Things Architecture Students Say Going Back to School

Jim Mehaffey - Yeoman Architect (@jamesmehaffey)
Back to School? It Doesn't Stop there for Architects.

Tim Ung - Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)
10 Things I wish I knew about Architecture School