Architecture for Two with Lily Jiang (II): The lessons we applied during architecture school


Every year, we often muse at the future of the first-year students who have studied the glorified concept of architecture that have placed the architect in limelight. It always felt like a joking gamble on wondering how long their enthusiasm will last.
I will never forget a classmate of mine commented on how I looked haggard and worn down after putting up with my optimistic personality in life drawing class in first year. Till this day I still don’t know how to feel about the comment. Perhaps it is the experience from first year of architecture and to be able to be in the studio of our choice, our decision makings are different, and should we land in something that matters to us, our optimism may still be there, but the first year experience has given us some layer of realities of what’s to come.
I don’t want to use the excuse that we are overworked (and perhaps we are), but I do believe that, the more we see, sometimes we tend to draw a mask over our own expressions – perhaps stepping back from our personal connection with the work. Arguably, it is the combination of experience and maturity that builds our care of our work.
Continuing from our previous conversation, Lily and I have reflected on the lessons we have learned during our time at architecture school – ones that we learned and applied along the way.
10 things I learned in Architecture School
1.      Once you dive into architecture, you cannot leave architecture
(K) I find myself observing joinery and details of almost any interior, stage or film set I encounter like how I over analyse costume design in movies. I have a running joke where during gatherings I tell my friends to avoid the topic of architecture when really, I was already having an internal debate on architecture with myself. I can’t say that it doesn’t just happen to just us, it happens to anyone who becomes involved in what their passionate about!
Embrace it! But – be aware of it.
2.      Architecture does not mean buildings – and you will be debating with a lot of people on what architecture is.
(K) First year was hard for a lot of us, especially if we went into architecture school with a preconceived idea that architecture in architecture school was designing a lot of skyscrapers, houses, buildings, anything you can point to in the city really. Architecture school for us were lessons in understanding the relationships of spaces, the narratives built upon interaction and navigating within a space!
3.      You can’t please everyone
(L) I learnt the hard way of accepting the fact that there will always be people who won’t like my designs. The first few years of design studio, I was a very obedient student.
I listened to whatever the tutors suggested and did exactly what I was told.
They didn’t end up liking it.
Nor did I.
It wasn’t even a design that I would do.
It wasn’t me.
It was only until a tutor that really inspired me to think for myself. By doing a project with an idea I really like, it really convinces the tutors too that the design will really work out. Every tutor has their own styles. It is up to your conscience and how you convey your ideas to the rest of the audience.
4.      During the hard times – it is okay to seek out help.
(K) Competitions aside, know that it is okay to reach out for help.
Not the easiest job for anyone who has grown up to be super independent, however, I’ve learnt my lesson when my anxiety started creeping in unknowingly during my masters. I approached a counsellor at uni and they were a big help in understanding why I was feeling that way. At the same time, I was grateful for the friends who were there for me when times were getting hard.

5.      Friends are your lifeline
(L) I had a group of friends that I hung out with in university and we would be together 24/7. They meant the world to me. Not only it made my uni experience much more fun, they helped me with some important design decisions and advice.
We as humans work great in teams, I like the idea of collective intelligence where we share knowledge and build up one another. When it comes to emotional breakdowns, I would call my mum. Her comfort and support by just being on the phone helped me to never give up. Same goes to my colleagues, we are all going through the same thing and you are not alone. It is alright to share your struggles with your friends and family, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

6.      Don’t be too hard on yourself.
(L) As architects we need to have attention to detail. At uni, I was surrounded by talented people. They were very hardworking who always get HD. I wanted to be on the same level as them, but it got to a point where it became too toxic.
There is a line to realistic and unrealistic expectation. There were times where I just had to stop beating myself up. Instead give myself a pat on the back and say,
“You did well Lily, you did your best and that’s all it matters”.
Ever since I started architecture, I have been constantly critiqued by lecturers and colleagues, sometimes the feedback can be harsh and it’s hard not to be hurt by it. I think it’s a matter of which ones are constructive and would benefit your projects. Instead of putting yourself down saying you’re not good enough, I learnt to become more thick skinned.

7.      Incentive, incentive, incentive.
(K) Whether you like it or not, hard work will always get you somewhere.
This was the mantra I used to tell myself in high school, it somehow faded during my five years of uni. However, what I learnt during architecture school was having the incentive to try and learn things for myself – being able to discover new ideas, theories and niche topics were always a good driver for me to improve my own projects and become a better designer. This also means utilising what architecture school has to offer – whether it’d be the library, lectures, or even online resources (Lynda, Archistar, etc.), these opportunities are too good to past. The more there was to discover the more topics became debatable, which is what started this blog really…

8.       Keep it simple, stupid!
(L) You know when you’re in a studio that has a theme which is right up your alley and your mind races through so many ideas you could potentially squeeze into one design… I learnt my lesson, there was way too many elements that I had to implement into my design. Have simple ideas, too many makes it complicated and hard to follow. By having one strong idea, it allows more control and time to make something really beautiful.

9.      “if you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation.” – Murakami Haruki, 1Q84
(K) So long as you can explain your context and design intentions genuinely, you’ll get somewhere.
During fourth year, my friend and I were discussing about our worries on whether our designs were ‘good enough’. It was until our tutor assured us with “so long as you can give a good explanation and display it clearly – that’s what mattered” that it cleared a level of doubt within us.
I’m not saying that we just need to have clear diagrams and a good narration plastered in big visible texts – but planning on the design process with detail will lead to well thought out designs, as every decision is laced with a reason behind it. It is the same when preparing for a presentation you will need to be prepared for any kind of questions critics would throw at you.

10.  All-nighters can be avoided...
(L) Architecture has always been known for sleepless nights, many shots of coffee and red bull. I am actually the exact opposite to your typical architecture student. I would rather drink tea over coffee. I only had 2 all-nighters throughout my degree. After the first all-nighter, I promised myself that I would never do another all-nighter again. When time gets tight, I trained my mind to shift my emotions aside and focus more on logic and rational thinking. I disciplined myself to a strict routine by writing down a list of what I needed to get done by the end of the day and the end of the week, so I could focus on smaller objectives to reach my goals. The challenging thing is design never stops, it can evolve for as long you spend your time on until it reaches “perfection”.
In Response to:
Architecture for Two with Lily Jiang: I, II

About Lily Jiang // @lilyj_studio //

Lily graduated from University of Queensland in Bachelor of Architectural Design. She previously undertook two and a half years studying a Bachelor of Interior Architecture at Monash University in Melbourne.
She enjoys graphic design, and upon completing a Certificate IV in Graphic Design, she has been working as a freelance graphic designer.
Lily enjoys travelling and is always searching out new perspectives on the world. She is interested in modular architecture, and the expression of narrative stories and bodily experiences within spatial design. She believes that without the interior and event spaces, there is no architecture.
More on her works can be found here.

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