Before starting architecture school, there are some questions that all architecture students have in mind. What skills do I need to be a good architect or to be successful in my school? There are some qualities that you really need to have in architecture school or professional life in architecture. However, we cannot literally call them “talent”. Because talent is innate. If you are born with the features that we will talk about in this article, it is enough to give your interest to develop them. But if you don’t have these features, don’t feel “untalented”! Because everything is learned in architecture, the important thing is practice, practice and practice. In this article, we want to discuss architecture through the most frequently asked talent and competence issues. In the rest of the article, you will see some features and abilities that every architect should have.
Do We Need Hand Drawing Talent?
Here is the most asked question: do we have to have hand drawing skills?
The answer to this question is actually a big yes, but it’s okay if you think you don’t have this talent from birth. Architectural drawing skills can be acquired with practice. Technical drawings are learned through many technical drawing books and technical drawing studios at school. It takes a lot of work to do technical hand drawing. Of course, it is a feature that every architect should have eventually.
Sketch, on the other hand, highlights students with hand-drawing skills at the beginning of the faculty of architecture. However, in the future, you can gain this ability by making lots of sketches, with a lot of practice and by following inspiring sketch artists. The important thing in sketching is to express your ideas with your own drawing language. There is no architect who does not sketch. If necessary, spend a lot of time with a sketchbook and pencil, making effort.
Architectural Perspective
Architectural perspective is about seeing and noticing what is around. Developing spatial perception is gained by thinking about space and architectural spatial constructs. The most useful disciplines that feed the architectural perspective on this subject are philosophy and other visual arts. With philosophy, you can think about space theoretically, develop ideas and gain critical perspectives. Reading on the philosophy and history of architecture improves your perspective. In addition, it is necessary to visit the historical places you study, travel the world and examine the iconic structures. Finding your favorite architects, examining all their projects, preparing case studies, making productions like “if I thought like him…” improves your perspective.
Interest in Art and Nature
The areas in which architects will be most beneficial to be interested are definitely nature and art. Strengthening the artistic side of architecture, developing your vision and being inspired by nature will take you to higher levels. It is essential to be good in a field of art that interests you, to have an idea about all visual arts, to visit galleries and exhibitions, to spend time in nature, to work on sustainable architecture and to follow developments in this field. Since sustainable architecture is a necessity, we recommend that you develop your awareness by being in touch with nature, rather than applying the solutions that everyone knows to your projects. So you get better at finding ecological solutions. Also, nature is the biggest source of inspiration. Being inspired by animals, plants and living things in nature comes from spending time with them and taking care of them.
Software Knowledge
We have treated this topic as “knowledge”, not a skill, because architectural software is learned through practice and study. It is imperative that you be good at at least 2 drawing programs and at least 2 architectural presentation and software for producing diagrams.
If you think that you are deficient in this regard, make sure to identify and complete your deficiencies. Spend your time on social media with inspiring collages, diagrams, representations and all other architectural drawings. Thus, you realize your shortcomings in terms of what you can do with architectural software. Taking action to make it will start with producing designs similar to the content you like very much. So, as we mentioned in other topics, find the things that interest you and try to do like them. As your architectural vision and perspective develops, your architectural productions and therefore your digital drawings will also improve.
