The Real Reason You’re Struggling In Architecture.
Whether you’re a student or a young professional in the field of architecture, it’s not uncommon to experience difficulties along the way. Being a multifaceted discipline, the architecture industry involves having skills towards design, the ability to work in high pressure situations and towards deadlines all whilst effectively communicating with others. Whilst it’s a career that offers the chance to shape the world around us by contributing to the spaces and structures that become inhabited by communities, it is also a career that comes with a long list of hardships. Throughout this post, we explore the reasons why we struggle in architecture from the demands of architecture school and working in practice to the ever changing pressures that cause burnout and stress.
Iterative Discipline
One of the key characteristics of architecture is that the design process embodies an iterative process. As we’ve seen through and through multiple times, iteration is a key part of any architecture project, which requires constant refinement and development. This concept of always improving an idea and a piece of work never being ‘complete’ or ‘finished’ is so engraved in us yet we try so hard to still achieve perfection, that iteration is most certainly one of the most common reasons for students struggling in architecture.
When you can always improve something or change one more thing, which inevitably turns into three, four, five more things, at what point should we stop ourselves and agree to disagree that the work produced is sufficient and contentful rather than being ‘perfect’ ? As more students speak about their experiences, it’s clear to spot the common theme of not being able to sleep or take breaks as a result of this behaviour. However if you accept that it will never be complete and that it’s the nature of iteration, it becomes a lot easier to get through the process but also define yourself as a designer that does not necessarily strive for perfection but creativeness that holds value and contributions to the field.
We know this is easier said than done, but there will always be room for improvement given the subjective nature of the field, that you might as well accept the lack of perfection and focus on what the project has to offer at this given stage.
Lack of Communication
Communication is a vital aspect of any profession, and architecture is no exemption. Being a highly collaborative field that is massively based on having good communication skills, if you can’t communicate effectively with others, this can have negative impacts on you. Being able to communicate in teams is something which you will be doing day in day out at the workplace, so university is an ideal time to expand on your communication and collaboration skills when working in teams, at a studio or even in pairs. This will improve the way you communicate ideas, whether this is through visual representation of sketches, diagrams and renders, or if its through speech, for example being able to explain concepts and ideas behind the design precisely and confidently at crits. Difficulty expressing your thought process can be incredibly frustrating, causing most individuals to give up an explanation or not be able to convey the quality of the idea.
Being exposed to the working world, you quickly realise that an architect is always, always, communicating and working closely with contractors, engineers, consultants, sub-contractors, the client and many other branches. It’s not only who you’re communicating but what you’re trying to communicate. Whether that's design ideas or building codes and technical packs. Good communication is essentially the key in practice to making sure that everyone is on the same page. Lack thereof complicates things as it leads to misinterpretation, delays, errors and conflicts, which can ultimately impact the project progress and overall success. Beyond this, we rely heavily on visual representation, another form of getting your ideas across.
So if you struggle with communicating your project or with other professionals in general, practice speaking about your ideas to gain confidence and learn your strengths in visual communication.
Burnout & Stress
I think by this point every individual who is in the architecture industry is accustomed to the idea that burnout and high levels of stress are very common amongst us. Some blame it on the nature of work, whilst others like to say it’s a result of not maintaining a good work-life balance. The reality is, when you’re in an environment which requires constant communication with various bodies, numerous deadlines and having to simultaneously manage a variety of projects, it can very quickly become difficult no matter how organised you are. Having such a rigorous curriculum that requires such a significant portion of our time and efforts adds to the challenge of balancing studio, lectures and submissions that it can become overwhelming. It only takes for a couple of bad days and some work to build up before feeling demotivated, causing increased levels of stress and burnout. Maintaining healthy outlooks with the way you manage your time, creating effective to-do lists and understanding that you can’t always be focused on architecture and with the idea of success, are small steps in mitigating the chances of you procrastinating.
During architectural education, we’re very quick to normalise the concept of always having work, given the competitive environment, which results in long hours and sometimes very ill-advised all-nighters. These habits you develop in those initial years, builds your character as a designer, where for most this means developing habits and perfectionist traits that make it difficult to take a break or simply ‘switch off’. Developing these mindsets will do you more harm than good, where eventually you’ll find yourself losing motivation. Especially if these ideas of having complete work are reinforced in moments where you received feedback and criticism during crits. Where the discussions that take place are supposed to help you iterate and achieve more, it can become very stressful and negative if you interpret it from a position of trying to achieve ‘perfection’. The pressure to excel can be significant, even leading to imposter syndrome and hence affecting confidence and performance.
These habits and practices of feedback continue into the working world. With the added pressure of criticism, there becomes an urgency to please clients, contractors, stakeholders and yourself as a professional with your own values.
In conclusion, architecture school and the architecture industry as a whole, presents numerous challenges for students and professionals alike. The demands of the field, including the workload, competition and pressure to deliver high-quality work, can make it challenging to succeed and thrive. With the right mindset, dedication and support system around you, you can build healthy habits to overcome these struggles to get close to your goals and aspirations. Don’t forget about the importance of asking for help where needed, seeking for support from peers and colleagues and taking that much needed break. A lot of the time what we identify as difficulties have simpler solutions that begin by looking after ourselves.
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