Helping you navigate architecture in a holistic way

Architects are often stereotyped for their love of black clothing, the long hours or even the obsession with modelling materials. But no one actually talks about the tools of the trade.

If you are currently in the midst of planning or preparing for your dissertation, I am sure you have already read many “how to” articles online, or maybe even checked out some books on dissertation writing from the library.

Staying motivated can be difficult for anyone, whether its designers, artists or architects. Instead of giving up half-way, we suggest some tips and methods on staying motivated to make sure your work is always great.

An architectural essay can be a bit tricky to navigate and these tips would also apply to other degrees and courses other than architecture and each course has its own layout, structure and must-haves so make sure you check these with your course leader first.

Adding people to your architectural drawings at any stage can be a great way to communicate how the spaces in your building will interact with the occupants. They show how the building will be used and it’s target audience.

A design tutor is your mentor during your time in university and they will vary through the years of your architectural career.

A tutorial or crit is essential for a cycle of feedback and improvement. While you’re in architecture school, you’ll soon realise that a big part of sharing your ideas and parts of your projects involve a lot of presenting.

A good Sun Path diagram is present in almost any architectural project. Being an architecture student, you don’t need an extremely detailed or highly accurate diagram full of numbers or figures.

An architectural portfolio should feel put together and professional with a theme, but for architecture students in particular, it can be hard maintaining a certain theme in about 20-50 pages.

Architecture blogs are a great resource. Whether its to learn something new, see what's happening in the community or just keep up with architecture news, blogs are a big deal.

The front cover of any portfolio should be clear, simple and encompass what the project is. You can choose to have a front image if you wish but it isnt needed.

The first skill I had to learn was how to work all day long. But this wasn’t studying in the traditional method with books, it was learning how to design and construct projects.