master of architecture

[Cod]

cool
I would cancell my decision to get my master's if:
1. I found someone or maybe a group of 3 or max 4 who are into design and architecture who think like me and prefer to spend 2 to 3 years to their life taking part in different architectural competitions world wide, ..
2. They search for several books into theory and technology so that they will keep uptodate as well as working alot, and also the online research.
3. this plan needs some money as well,

ok, after all this conversation; may I know some about you? you are most probably an architect,aint u?
I am a bachelor of architecture, im 24, from IRAN

I'm New Zealand trained, United Kingdom qualified and have worked in New Zealand, Malaysia, Jordan (humanitarian), London and now Helsinki..and I'm really rubbish. So that said, I'm not successful, I don't work for myself and have no chance of being published in 40-under-40 or any similar ranking within the next two years when my time runs out.

So really, I'm not in a position to give you any advice. However, if I were you, I'd focus on developing the business side of your career rather than the architectural theory side. If you have time - then learn how to influence peoples decisions, how to meet their perceived needs, how to win them over. Then you be in position to take great ideas, and get them built and get paid for it.

Herzog's lecture at Aalto Uni was a good example of this. His Helsinki hotel proposal was very middle of the road, but he showed over 20 alternatives, including something you may have just considered yourself, and then deliberately used the phrase "that option didn't work, it was a stupid idea". Bad English, deliberately used. It's hard to argue with a PowerPoint slide that APPEARS to show that there is no other option than the Swiss cross floor plan design. He was clever at convincing the lecture hall, he won people over - and what do you know, he's immensely successful globally. We don't get taught at architecture school to sit in room full of belligerent bureaucrats and be able to win them over to good design. It's an essential skill.

[mehdinus]

I totaly agree with you,
Having the lingual skills to be able to present your work or design best is usually more important than being able to design best.
It's all about which architect has had the chance to be known more in the papers or journals and things like that.
It's really discusting when you see some connect some sciences which have nothing to do with architecture into architecture and say blah blah blah about it ... like some models resembeling human muscle or galaxial forms or ... and design a bulding which needs 50X budget to be built while it has the same value and function of a building built with the budget of 1X, which means 49X waste of energy and material and lifetime to me.
You know what, I'm into environmental architecture and sustainability into energy and material and putting humanly soul into design and my greatest wish is to have the position and ability to discuss all those not-architects who want to connect every piece of s**t into architecture.
anyways forget about it, what you mentioned is really really important.
do you have any ideas how I could improve my skills in presentation and changing or better say conquering the clients mind??
Do you know any books or papers about that?
I appriciate your supports

[Cod]

do you have any ideas how I could improve my skills in presentation and changing or better say conquering the clients mind??

..a marketing minor or major at a good university should do the trick...say Harvard - which is where Thallmer studied.

like some models resembeling human muscle or galaxial forms or ... and design a bulding which needs 50X budget to be built while it has the same value and function of a building built with the budget of 1X, which means 49X waste of energy and material and lifetime to me.

..don't forget though that we need to reach for the stars just the clear the tops of the trees. If we didn't dream 'extreme', then the like of Zaha's MAXXI in Rome , which we visited last week, would never have seen the light of day.

[Upphew]

..a marketing minor or major at a good university should do the trick...say Harvard - which is where Thallmer studied.

Going tangentially off topic, but I just have to post this: old entrance exam to Harvard, would you pass? http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/p ... rdexam.pdf

[mehdinus]

Sorry Cod, but I'm not into zaha's designs. I respect her attempts and the movement, but I don't believe is about fashion.
Her designs are like that or even Frank Gehry's.
I'm not a 2nd year student of architecture or a normalresident to admire these type of architectural designs.
In fact ask zaha herself and I guess she's going to admitt she hastes her previous designs cuz they look ugly, just being different is not a value by itself.
We all know the galaxial forms were made because of forces of gravity and the nuclear energy and the heat and the pressure and ... but let's look at zaha or gehry's designs, Let's put some earth surface forces on them, like climate, local winds, background texture and ... and we'll see what chaos these designs bring about.
That's why I said it's all about being able to present your design best than designing it best, and while you turn into a well journalist architect everyone is going to say blahblah blah and respect that design not mentioning the real architectural, and environmental or even cultural chaos behind their designs.
So I say again architecture is not a fashion or trend like the clothing business, architecture is meant to be more valuable and to exist much more longer and to shape memories and encourage life.
And by the way that idea to study marketing and like that is good but let's not think of a few extra years in the university again, I believe we need a type of education at most 3 months, cuz we're not going to major in marketting but we need to know maarketing solutions into our own career.
Let me know if you find any classes like that, and obviously i'm not looking for a degree in marketing.

[Cod]

Going tangentially off topic, but I just have to post this: old entrance exam to Harvard, would you pass? http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/p ... rdexam.pdf

..history of France? no kidding. No questions on American pre-history - touchy subject I guess.

[Cod]

Sorry Cod, but I'm not into zaha's designs. I respect her attempts and the movement, but I don't believe is about fashion.
Her designs are like that or even Frank Gehry's.
I'm not a 2nd year student of architecture or a normalresident to admire these type of architectural designs.
.

I never said I liked Zaha's designs.

[mehdinus]

Anyways.
You know what, I sometimes really get mad while I start to think about this.
Isn't that Architecture is all about HUMAN and human comfort, both physical and mental, then why are we architects starting to look for a solution in other places.
once we (in general I mean ;-p) were looking for solutions up in the skies, our heavenly Gods in Roman times. Once we've been looking for solutions in Evils ( humanly Gods=priests ) in Gothic times, once we nearly got close to the idea of architecture for HUMAN himself in the beginning of modern era but unfortunately we became so proud of our newly gained technical abilities and machinery that we totaly forget about HUMAN himself again and named house a MACHINE FOR LIVING[/b, that was when our modernism brothers started to f*** up everything again! That's shameful, you know
And now, these days we are living in; the trend has changed and we are looking deep into skies where we couldn't see when we believed HOUSE WAS A MACHINE FOR LIVING and we are thinking maybe, maybe the comfort and quality we are looking might be there within other galaxies hundreds of light years far from us!
And that's when I would say shame on us, really I mean that.
And i guess this story is going on just like that and those architects who think like me will never have the power to talk loud and gain support.

[Cod]

those architects who think like me will never have the power to talk loud and gain support.

Maybe you need to understand your market. Then understand your client. Then understand your design team. Then go in for the kill.

[mehdinus]

Don't worry Cod
Cuz I'm just starting and I will do my talking loud and understanding when I'm in the position to talk.Noone expects a 24 bachelor of architect to do so, but I'm obviously not into the last part!
I am considering teaching as well, then maybe I could fight those architects with my own pen and paper and army of architecture students trained my way ;-p of course all these plans are for my thirties I believe.
By the way how is the market for young architects there? I mean drafting and 3D modeling and project developing in architectural firms.

[Cod]

I'm really not the one to ask about the local market. I work for a company that designs sustainable cities in China. However, on this topic, it may be prudent to put it in perspective - as our kindly consultant has done.

http://blogs.worldwatch.org/green-desig ... %E2%80%9D/

Another great way that you could spend two years rather than doing a masters is by building a house. Half the office here has built or extended their own house. It's a fantastic thing to do when you have the time. You don't need the money as much, since at 24, banks look at you much more favourably than you realise.

You will be very employable if you roll up to an interview with builders hands and a portfolio of your recently finished home. I would imagine that you could project manage immediately - rather than going straight onto 3d modelling or door schedules.

[mehdinus]

heh, I don't know about the banks' policies there but it's not as you might think here, I couldn't get a loan for building a house!
If I had the land for free and I managed to build the house with weed and mud maybe I could build one ;-p
Otherwise I will need at least about 70,000$ to be able to build a house in a rural part of the country and maybe 3 times more in the city, which unfortunately I don't have now, lol, but i would love to build one if you have a client for me

[mehdinus]

Do you have any idea if the company you work for has any recruitment plans?
Well my thesis project is titled GREEN URBAN COMPLEX, and residential towwer and a shopping mall and a commercial building and it is designed in the capital city of Tehran, maybe I could send my portfolio to them?!

[Cod]

heh, I don't know about the banks' policies there but it's not as you might think here, I couldn't get a loan for building a house!
If I had the land for free and I managed to build the house with weed and mud maybe I could build one ;-p
Otherwise I will need at least about 70,000$ to be able to build a house in a rural part of the country and maybe 3 times more in the city, which unfortunately I don't have now, lol, but i would love to build one if you have a client for me

..maybe this is where some marketing nouse comes in. The guy giving you a loan isn't Warren Buffet, he's not even a bank CEO, he's probably not even a Regional Manager. He's a local banker - he has a nice car, lives in an ok house with a mortgage of his own and a family. He's wants to make money, but he's not going to take risks.

So what you need to do is put him in a position where he's going to make more money at a lower risk.

Instead of taking on the loan yourself, you split it (ie four seperate loan contracts with the bank - they wont give you a single loan for the whole project) four ways with four other people wanting to build. (I've seen that happen in London with four architecture students, and 6 months ago in Helsinki - trust me, it works). By splitting it four ways, and by building four indentical buildings on the same plot (subdivided) you can reduce the risk AND take on a bigger loan so the loan giver gets a better return. The identical buildings make it easier and cheaper to build because there are economies of scale.

You find the land, find the three other parties, and draw the drawings. You'll need a contract manager, which is where you'll lose profit - but you don't have experience to run the job (or do you?). If the three other buyers all have full time work, it'll be easier for you to get a loan based on the the general financial security of the other parties - but of course, you should get a job doing anything for now - even working for the builder who builds your house might do the trick. You probably need 6 months in work before you will get offered a loan.

This, of course, isn't the kind of setup they would teach you in a Masters of Architecture. It's the kind of thing you might start looking for after a Marketing minor.

[Cod]

GREEN URBAN COMPLEX

..have a read of the blog link above. The idea of sustainable, green design perhaps was a fad but maybe also a marketing ploy, and economic device. I sat beside the architect, worked for the company in London that created this building....



..do you know how much work we got on the back of this Stirling Prize nominated green building....none. A phone call from Germany, otherwise nothing.

Now I work for company that designs green cities in China (and had put together some fantastic green buildings in Finland).

The question is this - what is really going on here, and then ask, Who is John Galt?

Good on you for wanting to send through your portfolio, but this company is down-sizing - ie as people leave, it is not replacing them.
However, if you had a Marketing major and experience in the Far-East, which would help the boss improve his product exposure..then I'm pretty sure he'd be interested. Our company is increasingly made up of non-B.Arch consultants.