Fallinwater0328

Namely, OMA and MADA s.p.a.m are among that sort of firms. I've heard people works for OMA 24/7. By producing superhumanly cool architecture, they are actually hurting the physical health of their employees, which is really sad.

so_ein_quatsch

That, and OMA goes through interns like toilet paper

sunsetsam

I strongly agree with kjofkw. The best ideas hardly come from your studio hours, it comes fro the outside studio atmosphere, where you are most relaxed. I got all my design concepts while I was sitting down in my Art History Classes (sometimes influenced by a concept an artist followed), watching TV, in the bathroom, or just out side following my hobby of photography.

You can have a social life and carry some hobbies, you do not have to "live in the studio" like how some say. BUT, You must be very disciplined of how you handle timing in relation to your project. I've noticed first hand, people who just chit-chat in studios all during the project phases, but when the dead-lines are near, they are whining because they have been pulling all - nighters. Don't get me wrong, there are brilliant students who may have to pull an all-nighter once in a while, its inevitable, each person in A-school will be sleep deprived at least once, its only natural, but not as much as other students who socialize too much in the studio.

If I could quote my arch. professor, he once said, to be a successful architect, it doesn't matter how much schooling you had, or how rich you are, if you do not have a client, you are not going to succeed in this profession.

We are over worked, and under payed (unless you work for a corporate firm you get paid well but wont learn as much compared to a small boutique firm), but if you still have that drive inside of you after being a Cad Monkey while interning, and dealing with picky clients, greedy bosses- you may become something, maybe not...

Tzar

As a first year architecture student (at Cooper Union) I would say that the hours actually aren't half as bad as they are made out to be-- and mostly, the reason students are in the studio late at night is because they have been talking.- However, talking in my opinion is incredibly important. The idea of a studio is that one is able to observe everyone else's work, understand it and perhaps better your own project. My studio professors have all said that we are going to learn much more from each other then will from them and I really think this is true. But when it comes down to it on the big crit days, the choice is always between whether one finishes one more piece, sands one last side, cuts one more piece of paper or one gets a few more hours of sleep--- I almost always take the sleep because nothing is ever really finished anyway.

m24flo@gmail.com

sashimi: wow really? first year next to grad students? That must be really really awesome! can't wait to see everyone's projects. but wait.. (this is kinda irrelevant to this topic but...) I thought they were moving people to etsy street.

(I hope you're talking about cornell because if you're not I totally completely just embarrased myself asking this question)




4trees: I think someone visiting would see things like glued thumbs and sleepy eyes but I think as a student, the perspective would be very different. An visitor can't experience how students exchange ideas, critiques, etc. I took a course over the summer (maybe not long enough to actually give my input about studio life), but even then, we had a lot of fun. Yeah, it's like a cult, everyone interacts with each other in the studio, maybe not so much outside, but there's nothing wrong with having a college life inside the studio right? So many people hosted birthday parties inside the studio, and little celebration things, so I don't think architecture students are completely without lives.

sashimi46

yeah they do...though the grad students think the first years are pretty immature and annoying. only a couple of studios move to esty and they're not based by year. currently one studio from 2nd year and 1 4th year studio i believe are at esty. most of us are still here

architecture studio (at least at cornell) is like a frat in itself. we're together a lot....our classes have our own funds raised from dragon day..our own yearly traditions...we have our own architecture parties monthly, and dragon day (ritual pulled off by the 1st years) is like our own little initiation event.

Crash_Blair

I thank kjofkw for his post. I am a second-year architecture student and I feel very similarly. Thankfully my school seems rather balanced and I am taking classes where I do get to learn about the materials, learn about computer applications and fabrication, and learn about art history as well. I've always done just fine in studio classes but never felt like I wanted to be there 24/7. Eventually I realized that I was much more drawn to materials than I am about the conceptual design. And now I feel free because I don't need to be in studio for the rest of my life! I can happily do experiments and study U-values of walls instead. Hehe.