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Young people often enter the architecture industry with a desire to build – to take ideas from head to paper, computer and finally to the site; this is our ultimate goal as architects. But their real-life experiences are far from their original dreams, as early career architects continue to face a long-standing disconnect between university education and the architectural profession.
The availability of on-site experience is a barrier to the industry and remains the part of the process that is most lacking for many young architects. This experience is difficult to gain at the outset and is usually undertaken by more experienced architects. Like most things that are hard to find, it’s extremely valuable. If you want to get well-rounded in your career, nothing can replace on-site learning during construction.
As part 1, my first project after university was working on a private hospital scheme in Kent. It was an overwhelming experience. I thought I was useless to the rest of the team, but I remember a seminal moment I experienced a few months later. While touring the site, walking around with the project architect, I looked up and saw my acoustic ceiling. Already set off.
Yes, it was a small contribution and a fairly standard design, but that’s when my drawing turned into something tangible. I was one of the lucky ones to have experienced a construction site early on and it paid dividends in my career, but not everyone is so lucky.
Universities do a great job with sustainability and materiality, and some even teach physical acts of making. But overall, students at these institutions are still failing. Architectural technology units often feel tacked on, taught by separate tutors, and are not well integrated with the design modules. At the same time, it remains commonplace for those who teach “architectural design” to lack real construction experience themselves – perhaps because field experience also informs their careers, leading them to understand architecture only as an academic act. As a result, many architecture students leave university with few practical skills and a limited understanding of the design and construction process.
Only by visiting the site in person can you truly appreciate the sequence of construction.
Many of the students I mentor express their dissatisfaction with the current system and frustration with the lack of direct knowledge imparted in the college experience—including relevant skills required by future employers. Even when students reach Part 3 level, they are often still struggling to gain field experience, which is particularly noticeable when trying to complete case studies.
When entering practice, students are typically assigned tasks that match their current skills, such as early design, drawing, and visualization. Naturally, experienced architects gravitate toward leading edge buildings. Over time, young architects hope to gain experience, but many do not, and they are relegated to areas that make the most sense for practice; focusing on efficiency rather than empathy.
Even with the best intentions in the world, without seeing a building assembled firsthand, young architects can never fully understand the impact of their design decisions and the reality behind the lines they draw. Only by visiting the site can we truly understand the sequence of construction, what happened at the intersections and how tolerance was allowed. We architects talk about craftsmanship, but true understanding does not come from mere observation. It can only be developed with an understanding of the opportunities and limitations of materials and craftsmanship – we learn a lot from seeing the craftsmen firsthand.
Contractors often complain that architects draw things that are not buildable, or at least we don’t take the time to understand how construction happens and how our designs are built. The adversarial setting between architects and contractors stems from a lack of understanding and empathy – something that can only be improved by better understanding each other’s roles, what we each value in a project, and accepting our differences. situation.
The message is clear – if you are a young architect looking to progress in your career, get on site
I fear the value of this industry will be further depreciated over the next generation due to the continued lack of field experience and construction knowledge. We should be worried about a future where architects are only concerned with aesthetics, while all elements and risks of detailed design are passed on to the contractor.
Many companies in the industry have adopted this approach (at least on larger projects), with a concept architect doing the initial design, followed by detailed design and on-site delivery by the delivery architect working in conjunction with the contractor or by the contractor’s in-house designers. This only exacerbates the lack of understanding between the parties and forces architects to be pigeonholed into certain disciplines and often frustrated by only going through part of the process. We have all witnessed firsthand the results of projects where aspects such as constructability and cost were considered too late in the process.
So what’s the answer? Only through understanding and experience of materials, craftsmanship and final construction can beautiful and functional buildings be created. In most cases, this experience can only be gained by touching a construction site and seeing its dirty and noisy beauty. This is a call to action for both segments of the architecture community – young graduates and experienced practitioners – to improve the careers of the future.
Students and young graduates need to enter the workforce with drive and enthusiasm to gain different experiences and fill gaps in current knowledge. They need to take control of their careers, not just be a passerby, and understand what is good for them in the long run. Eventually, they may even need to quit when the practice doesn’t provide the opportunities they need to grow. Many young or aspiring architects might actually benefit from spending time working for a contractor. Many friends and colleagues had similar experiences, and some even spent a year working and studying on site, eventually returning to construction.
Practitioners and managers need to take up their responsibilities and invest time and energy in mentoring young professionals and getting them into the field, even if this requires additional time and cost. As a young person, you can’t appreciate the value of that experience – actually seeing something being built for the first time.
The message is clear – if you are a young architect looking to progress in your career, get to the site by any means necessary.
> Read also: The history of architectural drawing reminds us how architects are disconnected from architecture
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