Hi guys, love the channel. I teach in sydney and generally find that students who have never experienced studio culture work lose out on the healthy competition it cultivates, which benefits their learning progress. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that competition can become toxic, but if managed carefully it provides students more motivation than if left to their miro boards and zoom.
Yes! Studio culture is a must. I´d like to highlight two concepts from your video: -Serendipity -Team Work I think both express the core of studio culture. I came from (and work in) a University that strongly encourages this culture. We call not only the room but the way each course is run as "Workshop" (taller) just like Hyper mentioned in an early comment. And I believe the word itself has a lot of meaning about how things have to work there. Collaborative work is the key Having said that, I admit that many teachers over the years don´t encourage the culture much, sometimes just the opposite, actually proposing order lists to look at or critique projects (alleging this is fairer and better organized) allowing students to just show up when is their turn, missing everything else, when we know that the best way to learn is teaching and/or getting involved in others projects
@@Archimarathon You know this physical space (In my Uni) could turn into a messy/dirty environment. Although I think it´s great students can stay overnight and prepare their projects there, even the central space of the building which is actually a cafeteria works like a big open space to work. Most of this culture defines us as professionals after graduation.
In my first year we had a decent sized lunch room and computer room that was open till midnight (no dedicated studio space aside from the tut rooms) my group of around 7 friends always used those spaces as our “studio space” especially the lunch room as we could store our stuff in the lockers there and we always had other students popping in and out, so having small conversations with them and amongst our self helped a lot! And you guys are definitely on point about learning the different tips and tricks from others because that alone saved me so much time! In contrast to now where I’m consistently googling and looking through forums such a headache! And studio group chats are no help either can’t really ask questions feels too awkward as I’ve only meet those other students via zoom.
I have never experienced a studio culture in school but as the time goes by me and my colleagues want it. There is one friend of mine struggle with her work and she wants to get clarifications (like when people know the answer but are not sure of it, could maybe stress or burnout of being alone working) and we urge of setting up a whole week of getting together in a shared space owned by one of them with lower and higher years, then collab, answer everybody's worries and get things done. Having a studio environment is a must.
I was fortunate enough to go through uni before the pandemic struck, I cant imagine having to work in isolation without the opinions of your peers to keep the idea mill in your mind churning. Having to work from home after a couple of years enjoying a work and studio culture, in my opinion has been a exhausting. Not only do I find myself getting stuck more and having to wait to schedule time on a teams meeting to discuss my issue, I am also not able to mark up, print out and draw as much without the same resources we have in the studio. If given the choice post pandemic in hopefully the near future, I would without a doubt, 100%, choose to be in the same space with my team.
Currently in my first year and most of my peers leave campus once studios are finished. I hang back and try to mingle ideas with other years and faculty. I learn the most in that time!
Hii.. From Sri Lanka. My transition was horrible because I did my first four years in a physical studio and suddenly transferred in to a virtual world. Especially design thesis was hard to workout and we were used to give feedback to each other. Especially most of us are from remote areas and we also struggled for good internet connections. What we actually did was we helped and crit each other. We met each other any place we can afford from ice cream shop to under the trees. But that was also fun where I am from a village and some of us gathered in paddy fields. Also long set of screen shots and sudden zoom sessions. But the the physical works with discussion is what made architecture education best. And I indeed missed it; especially sheared resources and knowledge made us
Here at Roger Williams University we still have in person studios with all years working in the same space. It’s amazing to bounce ideas off everyone and spending full nights at my desk right before a final crit. Can’t imagine learning Architecture any other way.
You are so lucky. It’s been almost completely killed off in Australian universities. I am getting messages on Discord from members in USA who have studio spaces at their universities but they are empty. They are the only ones there.
@@Archimarathon that is crazy!! I think covid has had a very massive impact on it. Last year we ran hybrid studio. Where we were able to work on our projects in the studio but our crits were all done via zoom. One bonus of that was that we could have guest critics from all over the country tune in and critique us but there was almost no participation from students during the crits. Glad it’s back to normal here.
That is amazing! In my University in Texas we still have studios as well, but there,s different rooms for each year 😔. It would definitely be WAY more effective if we had at least one large mixed-room where freshman could get input from seniors, etc.
Back in my day in school we used to call them Taller (Workshop) and many architecture practices call themselves that way too. It is a special kind of environment that leads to a special kind of mindset that is so fundamental. Speaking of computers, there's really nothing stopping people from having a digital-physical hybrid workflow, just as it happens in many practices. You print out, draw on the print outs, sketch, go back to the computer, print out, etc... In a studio space of course the teachers must demand students deliver prints and work out projects by hand during critiques.
I’m a 4th year at the University of Arizona. One of the things I find actively killing studio culture is the limitation of open studio access hours. Being limited to 9pm during the week and 5pm on the weekends makes a challenging environment to leave personal supplies forfeits those long working nights. Love these videos, a primary source of inspiration, motivation and insight for me. Keep it up!
Most of the students in my cohort are married with kids, so almost everyone goes home right after class. Usually, it's just me and a friend of mine. I know for a fact that if it wasn't for those late nights with her, I would have failed out of the program years ago. Working late in studio is hands down the best part of school.
I remember McKay Lyons saying that it is during those late night hours that important discoveries are done. So it’s that culture of staying in studio that breeds cross pollination of ideas.
I would argue that Design Studio Culture is one of the most critical elements to any architectural students long-term career development. While the video discusses building confidence and asking questions in a workplace environment, I believe studio culture is importantly more critical in forming long term relationships. Relationships, that will benefit everyone's future professional network. However, I also think studio culture is inadvertently one of the first things suppressed by the institutions that try to promote and encourage such a culture. The responsibility of building studio culture is then placed upon the student to create elsewhere, which is equally a disadvantage because the students then miss out on life/professional experience their tutors have. Unfortunately, in my experience of current studio environments, the tutors are also absent due to the requirements of running their practices during the day, managing day-to-day life, and preparing coursework every other hour. So, my question to the above is how can we change this?
I think a studio setup is a great living design library. In the sense that you have a couple of people around you who probably know stuff you may not be aware of, so instead of going through tonnes of design books which might be impossible due to deadlines. You can get that information you need almost instantly in a casual yet impactful way as you learn from your peers.
I'm in my final semester of Master of Architecture at university of South Australia, I have experienced a mix of a variety of studio cultures throughout my studies. Each year level (or individual studio brief for masters students) has a dedicated studio space where there is a strong studio culture where everyone comes in on set studio days and pins up work to talk to tutors and professors but also to bounce ideas of each other. This is where we genuinely find solutions for each other and create better projects as a result. However many of us find it over-stimulating to work for long periods in studio as it is a extremely noisy space and people are constantly moving walls etc, and thus often come and go throughout the day as we please.
Such an amazing video, when watching this there were some parts that I see when I did studio. But some things that didn't happen. In terms communication of Digital things, I often try my best to redraw as a diagram what they have and then Draw over that. But again, such an amazing video more people need to hear.
I'm a junior in arch school and have never had a studio experience. Just zoom :-( It's definitely blurred work time and personal time, making it difficult to feel like I'm really even in school. It feels like I just live in an isolated office. Though, I must say that these videos and other online resources have given me insight that I've noticed other students haven't picked up on. Trying to make the best of it. At least I can stay hydrated 24/7 lol
I'm in my second year and spent the first year online. This year has been in the studio and it's quite difficult. It has an awkward vibe about it even 2 months into the studio. Hardly nobody speaks to one another and everyone seems to be either intimidated or too shy to share and talk to one another about their work. I've currently got 2 group projects right now and there's very little conversation about the work via discord, teams, WhatsApp and it seems nobody is keen to have meet ups to discuss the work or our individual designs to put forward into the groupwork. It's incredibly frustrating.
I didn't know what I was missing out on until I went on exchange to Denmark where we were all in the same room all week with our individual desks. That was such a great environment and it was hard to come back in third year to only studio class and seeing the tutor once a week for 7 minutes. USyd still has Homebase studio which all students can access - I did a lot of my work at home but when I was struggling with something I would hang out there and discuss things with others and find the solution. Unfortunately though the 24 hour access wasn't healthy and fed the all nighter culture... This year I studied online for the first time which was so different and pretty awful. I thought the room for Master's students at UNSW would be more of a hub but often I'm in there alone when I'm on campus. Finally, I love going into the office and working! So easy to learn things from others so quickly, and also love having separation from home and work is important for me.
Now, married, and working on top of my masters degree, I prefer working from home to working at the studio. It's quiet, I can focus, and I have an unlimited supply of caffeine and cat love. But for undergrad, making models, hand-drafting, pinning up, and learning from other students was so integral. I feel really bad for the students who had to start learning architecture without it, via zoom.
I am one of those people who got into this situation of "hybrid learning" having had some experience of studio and then disappearing to the abyss of the ZOOM and virtual learning stuff. The saddest part is the lack of feedback for sure, especially during mid-term reviews and final reviews. Just scrolling through PDFs of colleagues is not the same as having a real pin-up and a real conversation instead of looking to a dark screen of one live person presenting.
The other aspect is that, unfortunately for present day students, the design studio as a social commons is incompatible with corporate university structures that manage through private ownership. The prospect of an external rented studio is a wonderful idea, but risks bringing architecture back (perhaps it's never changed) to its privileged routes when only those who can afford it get to participate. I've been giving this a lot of thought, it would be interesting to compare Sydney and Melbourne; I perceive the latter as having a much stronger sense of public ownership and provision.
I agree 100% I am in my third year at unimelb at the moment and I am so disappointed that I am missing out on the studio environment. I find myself getting stuck on an issue and not sure exactly who to ask, or even how to ask for help. Before lock down I would often sit in the common area at uni to work just to run into other students but that is not really an option anymore. How are we expected to approach things from a different perspective when there is no spontaneous sharing of ideas and critiques? Its frustrating for sure.
Thanks for another fun video. What if architecture students set up a online space that allows for the studio experience, similar to twich youtube live zoom and so on. the platform would be strictly for architecture. Would it work?
Hey Guys, jumped back into studio this week after first year of masters online. Wellllll .....there is a lot of anxiety you see in the room and sketching seems totally amiss from peoples minds. Will be interesting to see if the tracing paper comes out or if all the computers skills we have accumulated in lockdown can cross pollinate into the type of studio you discussed. I do think younger students can have the same studios you look back on, just now with computers as the pallet/drawing board. Thanks guys, love your work!
@@Archimarathon Maybe referring to drawing boards is the wrong word. I think architectural thinking in drawing is becoming more cross between computer and sketching. The pattern or process of design is playing out on paper, then being explored to a new depth in the computer in the infancy of a design (parametric design for an example giving one design so many more outcomes after an initial idea). I also have the same experiences as Kevin at USYD with the student common room. Reflecting on covid practice, as isolated as it was it took collective zooms with other students leading the discussion with honest open sharing to drive a helping mindset. The ideals of studio I felt with my colleagues was still connected and now going back to the common room isn’t lost. My questions should be more direct, not at the rose-coloured glasses of past studio ideals, but at the moral of your story. Shared space work and I agree with that. The space/room/studio/common needs to be informal and non-programmatic in turn also being a draw card with the ‘right resources’ to foster collaborative discussion/critic.
Smoothest dismount Kev! Honestly I disagree we do need some kind of neoLuddism. Well jk not really, but the way technology is affecting craft is very real and you two hit the nail on the head. There are now generations of creators who work remotely and are encouraged to do so by vast array of tools that let them do that - whether or not it is producing good work. So much so that students do not have the skills of interacting, taking criticism, giving criticism and being open to that serendipity. It is happening in writing, designing, music, visual craft across the board - very concerning. "It is an illusion, there is no individual genius. It is a team sport."
@@Archimarathon I think culturally we now have immense learning power that the individual can use to learn and teach. It is great for decentralized, affordable and flexible learning but it only is effective up to a certain point. Beyond that you will need a structure for feedback and serendipity, especially with craft disciplines. I think the entire education system (as well as systems of employment and patronage) are trying to catch up, so move to enable these technologies more readily for students, compounding the flattening of learning. What would be revolutionary is to find forms of collaboration that foster that studio culture that work with instead of against the technologies. Easier said than done but as you two show with students seeking their own spaces in forms of houses and informal residencies, it is organically happening already. Maybe it will sort itself? Wouldn't hurt to try and help.
Problem is the architect I worked for said ask questions, but when I did he would do one of two things. One look like he was ready to kill me because he was stressed (him 75% of a working day). Two looked at me like I was stupid because I didn’t know every little detail, keep in mind the project was 5 years in and I didn’t want to overstep or at a stage where it required very specific details. The environment I worked in was a share space with a few architectural practices and unfortunately that was the same for other more seasoned architectural students, graduates, or newly registered. It was a culture there of if you do you are use as a punching bag for frustrations on other things that aren’t going well, or you get lost in your own space and afraid to speak up because you don’t know the right time. Worth noting too I was 25 at the time and actually came from a corporate background prior to architecture school, so it’s not like I didn’t know when or how to ask questions but much like a lot of my cohort found, it seems many architects in Qld at least have an elitist attitude that celebrate a culture of putting new comers down rather than building them up.
I remember during uni festering at home over my design idea. Epic fail. Same big idea, 5 days in the studio with passing input from tutors and others. Smashed it. "A problem shared is a problem halved"
Shocked to hear that any architecture school would get rid of studios! I've just googled my old school and was relieved to see that they still have their studios.
We finally got into studio for the first time last week! And already the difference it makes from sitting at home frustrated its massive. Especially when living with people doing other degrees that appear less time consuming, its quite demotivating when your working all the time and they are out doing other things. So its nice just to share the struggle 🤣
Could the decline of studio culture be attributed to the advancement in architectural technology? The requirement is placed on students to produce rendered solutions on equipment not easily/feasibly supplied by the institutions therefore students are buying out of pocket the equipment needed that cannot be stored on campus.
No. They (building management and admin people) have been trying to get rid of students using the buildings and “making a mess” for a long time. It’s been an ongoing downward spiral.
Hi from Texas! As a first year student, I would’ve been so disappointed if my studio design classes had just been lectures followed by independent drafting at home... I am glad my university still has that studio culture, I definitely need to take advantage of it and become more involved with my peers after watching this video.
I've very recently got my arch degree by correspondence (because that's the only way I could do it with my life circumstances) and I am supremely jealous of on campus students that get face-to-face studio time. I can't believe anyone would squander that opportunity.
I do feel like it’s a shame that uni melb has moved away from studio culture and I’ve definitely feel like I’ve missed out with that as well as COVID. I do find people try to replicate that on zoom with informal sessions but there’s no substitute
Great video and discussion. It's infuriating as an architecture student to be told that group assignments are important to learn how real-world offices operate, yet the studio culture of architecture schools from decades past (as Kevin and Andrew refer to) seems to have been largely eradicated from architecture school. Surely casual conversations over trace paper are much better reflections of how architectural firms operate than group assignments where students work individually and in isolation for 90% of the time and then bring their work together to form a group submission for the final 10%.
Home studio with lots of ZOOM with partner. Our first project we charretted in person and went well. Second project was online (Covid) and a bit of a shit show. Have to admit I will never co-design not in person. Making CDs not quite such a problem remote. Also, late to party. Is AMA moving?
Hi guys, love the channel. I teach in sydney and generally find that students who have never experienced studio culture work lose out on the healthy competition it cultivates, which benefits their learning progress. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that competition can become toxic, but if managed carefully it provides students more motivation than if left to their miro boards and zoom.
Yes! Studio culture is a must. I´d like to highlight two concepts from your video:
-Serendipity
-Team Work
I think both express the core of studio culture. I came from (and work in) a University that strongly encourages this culture.
We call not only the room but the way each course is run as "Workshop" (taller) just like Hyper mentioned in an early comment. And I believe the word itself has a lot of meaning about how things have to work there. Collaborative work is the key
Having said that, I admit that many teachers over the years don´t encourage the culture much, sometimes just the opposite, actually proposing order lists to look at or critique projects (alleging this is fairer and better organized) allowing students to just show up when is their turn, missing everything else, when we know that the best way to learn is teaching and/or getting involved in others projects
Still lucky to have the space
@@Archimarathon You know this physical space (In my Uni) could turn into a messy/dirty environment.
Although I think it´s great students can stay overnight and prepare their projects there, even the central space of the building which is actually a cafeteria works like a big open space to work.
Most of this culture defines us as professionals after graduation.
In my first year we had a decent sized lunch room and computer room that was open till midnight (no dedicated studio space aside from the tut rooms) my group of around 7 friends always used those spaces as our “studio space” especially the lunch room as we could store our stuff in the lockers there and we always had other students popping in and out, so having small conversations with them and amongst our self helped a lot! And you guys are definitely on point about learning the different tips and tricks from others because that alone saved me so much time! In contrast to now where I’m consistently googling and looking through forums such a headache! And studio group chats are no help either can’t really ask questions feels too awkward as I’ve only meet those other students via zoom.
Come join our discord community
I have never experienced a studio culture in school but as the time goes by me and my colleagues want it. There is one friend of mine struggle with her work and she wants to get clarifications (like when people know the answer but are not sure of it, could maybe stress or burnout of being alone working) and we urge of setting up a whole week of getting together in a shared space owned by one of them with lower and higher years, then collab, answer everybody's worries and get things done. Having a studio environment is a must.
Great story.
I was fortunate enough to go through uni before the pandemic struck, I cant imagine having to work in isolation without the opinions of your peers to keep the idea mill in your mind churning. Having to work from home after a couple of years enjoying a work and studio culture, in my opinion has been a exhausting. Not only do I find myself getting stuck more and having to wait to schedule time on a teams meeting to discuss my issue, I am also not able to mark up, print out and draw as much without the same resources we have in the studio. If given the choice post pandemic in hopefully the near future, I would without a doubt, 100%, choose to be in the same space with my team.
Currently in my first year and most of my peers leave campus once studios are finished. I hang back and try to mingle ideas with other years and faculty. I learn the most in that time!
Yes. Always. Imagine compound that with actually working together
@@Archimarathon that’s the goal
Hii.. From Sri Lanka. My transition was horrible because I did my first four years in a physical studio and suddenly transferred in to a virtual world. Especially design thesis was hard to workout and we were used to give feedback to each other. Especially most of us are from remote areas and we also struggled for good internet connections. What we actually did was we helped and crit each other. We met each other any place we can afford from ice cream shop to under the trees. But that was also fun where I am from a village and some of us gathered in paddy fields. Also long set of screen shots and sudden zoom sessions. But the the physical works with discussion is what made architecture education best. And I indeed missed it; especially sheared resources and knowledge made us
Sounds resourceful and hopefully you can look at that and have a smile in the future.
Here at Roger Williams University we still have in person studios with all years working in the same space. It’s amazing to bounce ideas off everyone and spending full nights at my desk right before a final crit. Can’t imagine learning Architecture any other way.
You are so lucky. It’s been almost completely killed off in Australian universities. I am getting messages on Discord from members in USA who have studio spaces at their universities but they are empty. They are the only ones there.
@@Archimarathon that is crazy!! I think covid has had a very massive impact on it. Last year we ran hybrid studio. Where we were able to work on our projects in the studio but our crits were all done via zoom. One bonus of that was that we could have guest critics from all over the country tune in and critique us but there was almost no participation from students during the crits.
Glad it’s back to normal here.
That is amazing! In my University in Texas we still have studios as well, but there,s different rooms for each year 😔. It would definitely be WAY more effective if we had at least one large mixed-room where freshman could get input from seniors, etc.
You guys are sooooo lucky. Make the most of if it regardless. Also it doesn’t mean you can’t go and mingle in different years’ studios too
Back in my day in school we used to call them Taller (Workshop) and many architecture practices call themselves that way too. It is a special kind of environment that leads to a special kind of mindset that is so fundamental.
Speaking of computers, there's really nothing stopping people from having a digital-physical hybrid workflow, just as it happens in many practices. You print out, draw on the print outs, sketch, go back to the computer, print out, etc... In a studio space of course the teachers must demand students deliver prints and work out projects by hand during critiques.
Yes exactly. That’s why I had that image of Bjarke drawing over the screen.
I’m a 4th year at the University of Arizona. One of the things I find actively killing studio culture is the limitation of open studio access hours. Being limited to 9pm during the week and 5pm on the weekends makes a challenging environment to leave personal supplies forfeits those long working nights. Love these videos, a primary source of inspiration, motivation and insight for me. Keep it up!
Great to hear our videos are finally making it to the USA audience. Cherish what you have that we don’t.
Also. Come join our Discord community if you haven’t already
Most of the students in my cohort are married with kids, so almost everyone goes home right after class. Usually, it's just me and a friend of mine. I know for a fact that if it wasn't for those late nights with her, I would have failed out of the program years ago. Working late in studio is hands down the best part of school.
Amplifies the education and important skills to be learnt.
I remember McKay Lyons saying that it is during those late night hours that important discoveries are done. So it’s that culture of staying in studio that breeds cross pollination of ideas.
I would argue that Design Studio Culture is one of the most critical elements to any architectural students long-term career development. While the video discusses building confidence and asking questions in a workplace environment, I believe studio culture is importantly more critical in forming long term relationships. Relationships, that will benefit everyone's future professional network. However, I also think studio culture is inadvertently one of the first things suppressed by the institutions that try to promote and encourage such a culture. The responsibility of building studio culture is then placed upon the student to create elsewhere, which is equally a disadvantage because the students then miss out on life/professional experience their tutors have. Unfortunately, in my experience of current studio environments, the tutors are also absent due to the requirements of running their practices during the day, managing day-to-day life, and preparing coursework every other hour.
So, my question to the above is how can we change this?
You can’t solve everything but simply working with someone else around is an important first step.
I think a studio setup is a great living design library. In the sense that you have a couple of people around you who probably know stuff you may not be aware of, so instead of going through tonnes of design books which might be impossible due to deadlines. You can get that information you need almost instantly in a casual yet impactful way as you learn from your peers.
Get the most of it while you can
I'm in my final semester of Master of Architecture at university of South Australia, I have experienced a mix of a variety of studio cultures throughout my studies. Each year level (or individual studio brief for masters students) has a dedicated studio space where there is a strong studio culture where everyone comes in on set studio days and pins up work to talk to tutors and professors but also to bounce ideas of each other. This is where we genuinely find solutions for each other and create better projects as a result. However many of us find it over-stimulating to work for long periods in studio as it is a extremely noisy space and people are constantly moving walls etc, and thus often come and go throughout the day as we please.
That’s studio as class/classroom as opposed to studio as studio
Such an amazing video, when watching this there were some parts that I see when I did studio. But some things that didn't happen. In terms communication of Digital things, I often try my best to redraw as a diagram what they have and then Draw over that. But again, such an amazing video more people need to hear.
Pass it on to your colleagues
@@Archimarathon already on it ahah
We loved the exchange with our students and we learnt a lot from each other. :)
I'm a junior in arch school and have never had a studio experience. Just zoom :-( It's definitely blurred work time and personal time, making it difficult to feel like I'm really even in school. It feels like I just live in an isolated office. Though, I must say that these videos and other online resources have given me insight that I've noticed other students haven't picked up on. Trying to make the best of it. At least I can stay hydrated 24/7 lol
I hope things will get better soon.
I'm in my second year and spent the first year online. This year has been in the studio and it's quite difficult. It has an awkward vibe about it even 2 months into the studio. Hardly nobody speaks to one another and everyone seems to be either intimidated or too shy to share and talk to one another about their work. I've currently got 2 group projects right now and there's very little conversation about the work via discord, teams, WhatsApp and it seems nobody is keen to have meet ups to discuss the work or our individual designs to put forward into the groupwork. It's incredibly frustrating.
Join our discord
I didn't know what I was missing out on until I went on exchange to Denmark where we were all in the same room all week with our individual desks. That was such a great environment and it was hard to come back in third year to only studio class and seeing the tutor once a week for 7 minutes. USyd still has Homebase studio which all students can access - I did a lot of my work at home but when I was struggling with something I would hang out there and discuss things with others and find the solution. Unfortunately though the 24 hour access wasn't healthy and fed the all nighter culture...
This year I studied online for the first time which was so different and pretty awful. I thought the room for Master's students at UNSW would be more of a hub but often I'm in there alone when I'm on campus.
Finally, I love going into the office and working! So easy to learn things from others so quickly, and also love having separation from home and work is important for me.
Sadly most don’t know what they are missing
imagine architecture school online now, I dont even know what my classmates look like
Now, married, and working on top of my masters degree, I prefer working from home to working at the studio. It's quiet, I can focus, and I have an unlimited supply of caffeine and cat love.
But for undergrad, making models, hand-drafting, pinning up, and learning from other students was so integral. I feel really bad for the students who had to start learning architecture without it, via zoom.
Was lucky enough to learn this lesson from Kevin. Go to studio people!
Glad to hear!!
:D just the video I was looking for!
No Jedi mind tricks needed. Awesome
I am one of those people who got into this situation of "hybrid learning" having had some experience of studio and then disappearing to the abyss of the ZOOM and virtual learning stuff. The saddest part is the lack of feedback for sure, especially during mid-term reviews and final reviews. Just scrolling through PDFs of colleagues is not the same as having a real pin-up and a real conversation instead of looking to a dark screen of one live person presenting.
Except that’s still not studio. That’s just class.
The other aspect is that, unfortunately for present day students, the design studio as a social commons is incompatible with corporate university structures that manage through private ownership. The prospect of an external rented studio is a wonderful idea, but risks bringing architecture back (perhaps it's never changed) to its privileged routes when only those who can afford it get to participate. I've been giving this a lot of thought, it would be interesting to compare Sydney and Melbourne; I perceive the latter as having a much stronger sense of public ownership and provision.
Would be interesting to have a chat about that
@@Archimarathon great, I'll message you through dischord
I agree 100% I am in my third year at unimelb at the moment and I am so disappointed that I am missing out on the studio environment. I find myself getting stuck on an issue and not sure exactly who to ask, or even how to ask for help. Before lock down I would often sit in the common area at uni to work just to run into other students but that is not really an option anymore. How are we expected to approach things from a different perspective when there is no spontaneous sharing of ideas and critiques? Its frustrating for sure.
Join our Discord community.
Thanks for another fun video. What if architecture students set up a online space that allows for the studio experience, similar to twich youtube live zoom and so on. the platform would be strictly for architecture. Would it work?
That’s why I have built a strong community on Discord
Hey Guys, jumped back into studio this week after first year of masters online. Wellllll .....there is a lot of anxiety you see in the room and sketching seems totally amiss from peoples minds. Will be interesting to see if the tracing paper comes out or if all the computers skills we have accumulated in lockdown can cross pollinate into the type of studio you discussed. I do think younger students can have the same studios you look back on, just now with computers as the pallet/drawing board. Thanks guys, love your work!
You clearly don’t understand the type of thinking through drawing architects do. No one is talking drawing boards
@@Archimarathon Maybe referring to drawing boards is the wrong word. I think architectural thinking in drawing is becoming more cross between computer and sketching. The pattern or process of design is playing out on paper, then being explored to a new depth in the computer in the infancy of a design (parametric design for an example giving one design so many more outcomes after an initial idea).
I also have the same experiences as Kevin at USYD with the student common room. Reflecting on covid practice, as isolated as it was it took collective zooms with other students leading the discussion with honest open sharing to drive a helping mindset. The ideals of studio I felt with my colleagues was still connected and now going back to the common room isn’t lost. My questions should be more direct, not at the rose-coloured glasses of past studio ideals, but at the moral of your story. Shared space work and I agree with that. The space/room/studio/common needs to be informal and non-programmatic in turn also being a draw card with the ‘right resources’ to foster collaborative discussion/critic.
Smoothest dismount Kev!
Honestly I disagree we do need some kind of neoLuddism. Well jk not really, but the way technology is affecting craft is very real and you two hit the nail on the head. There are now generations of creators who work remotely and are encouraged to do so by vast array of tools that let them do that - whether or not it is producing good work. So much so that students do not have the skills of interacting, taking criticism, giving criticism and being open to that serendipity. It is happening in writing, designing, music, visual craft across the board - very concerning.
"It is an illusion, there is no individual genius. It is a team sport."
Thanks. So do you think this education is not just happening at universities but also deep into the entire education system?
@@Archimarathon I think culturally we now have immense learning power that the individual can use to learn and teach. It is great for decentralized, affordable and flexible learning but it only is effective up to a certain point. Beyond that you will need a structure for feedback and serendipity, especially with craft disciplines. I think the entire education system (as well as systems of employment and patronage) are trying to catch up, so move to enable these technologies more readily for students, compounding the flattening of learning. What would be revolutionary is to find forms of collaboration that foster that studio culture that work with instead of against the technologies. Easier said than done but as you two show with students seeking their own spaces in forms of houses and informal residencies, it is organically happening already. Maybe it will sort itself? Wouldn't hurt to try and help.
I think what we showed is an anomaly. The reason why we made the video
Problem is the architect I worked for said ask questions, but when I did he would do one of two things. One look like he was ready to kill me because he was stressed (him 75% of a working day). Two looked at me like I was stupid because I didn’t know every little detail, keep in mind the project was 5 years in and I didn’t want to overstep or at a stage where it required very specific details. The environment I worked in was a share space with a few architectural practices and unfortunately that was the same for other more seasoned architectural students, graduates, or newly registered. It was a culture there of if you do you are use as a punching bag for frustrations on other things that aren’t going well, or you get lost in your own space and afraid to speak up because you don’t know the right time. Worth noting too I was 25 at the time and actually came from a corporate background prior to architecture school, so it’s not like I didn’t know when or how to ask questions but much like a lot of my cohort found, it seems many architects in Qld at least have an elitist attitude that celebrate a culture of putting new comers down rather than building them up.
Sorry to hear but that sounds pretty toxic. Glad you got out of there.
I remember during uni festering at home over my design idea. Epic fail. Same big idea, 5 days in the studio with passing input from tutors and others. Smashed it.
"A problem shared is a problem halved"
Great quote. Who is that by?
Shocked to hear that any architecture school would get rid of studios! I've just googled my old school and was relieved to see that they still have their studios.
What’s your old school?
@@Archimarathon St Lucas in Ghent
Ahh yes Australia have almost completely destroyed it in all universities. Bureaucracies won.
The camraderie gained in studio happens nowhere else on campus or at home. Take advantage of it if you can.
It seems USA is quite lucky
We finally got into studio for the first time last week! And already the difference it makes from sitting at home frustrated its massive. Especially when living with people doing other degrees that appear less time consuming, its quite demotivating when your working all the time and they are out doing other things. So its nice just to share the struggle 🤣
Great to hear. Where are you studying?
@@Archimarathon University of Edinburgh, lectures are still online but just having access to the space is more important in my mind
Cherish it. Many universities in the world don’t provide such facilities for students to work collectively at.
Also. Come join our discord community if you haven’t already.
Could the decline of studio culture be attributed to the advancement in architectural technology? The requirement is placed on students to produce rendered solutions on equipment not easily/feasibly supplied by the institutions therefore students are buying out of pocket the equipment needed that cannot be stored on campus.
No. They (building management and admin people) have been trying to get rid of students using the buildings and “making a mess” for a long time. It’s been an ongoing downward spiral.
I’m going to do a prez in my firm talking about the studio culture at deakin😂 next week. I guess no one would truly understand it though.
What it had.
Hi from Texas! As a first year student, I would’ve been so disappointed if my studio design classes had just been lectures followed by independent drafting at home... I am glad my university still has that studio culture, I definitely need to take advantage of it and become more involved with my peers after watching this video.
Yes. And now that you have joined our Discord server too. You are saved!
I've very recently got my arch degree by correspondence (because that's the only way I could do it with my life circumstances) and I am supremely jealous of on campus students that get face-to-face studio time. I can't believe anyone would squander that opportunity.
By studio we don’t mean class. We mean just working along side someone in the same space.
@@Archimarathon Yep, I know. But I didn't even get that!
I do feel like it’s a shame that uni melb has moved away from studio culture and I’ve definitely feel like I’ve missed out with that as well as COVID. I do find people try to replicate that on zoom with informal sessions but there’s no substitute
Studio is not class. That is even a misunderstanding of that term now. It’s simply working along side others (not in class).
@@Archimarathon but even not providing a lock up space for students makes it hard to create that culture
Indeed.
Great video and discussion. It's infuriating as an architecture student to be told that group assignments are important to learn how real-world offices operate, yet the studio culture of architecture schools from decades past (as Kevin and Andrew refer to) seems to have been largely eradicated from architecture school. Surely casual conversations over trace paper are much better reflections of how architectural firms operate than group assignments where students work individually and in isolation for 90% of the time and then bring their work together to form a group submission for the final 10%.
Yeah that’s not how group work is meant to work. Have you seen the group work episode?
@@Archimarathon Sure have. Also a great discussion
Home studio with lots of ZOOM with partner. Our first project we charretted in person and went well. Second project was online (Covid) and a bit of a shit show. Have to admit I will never co-design not in person. Making CDs not quite such a problem remote.
Also, late to party.
Is AMA moving?
Yes AMA is moving
it so cool your office looks like Hadi tehrani's Hamburg office
Loved the intro! 😂
Thanks!
S whose studio is that. Why is it empty ?
If you have watched the video you would have learnt that’s Andrew’s office that he is vacating as they are moving to a new location.
@@Archimarathon what if the architects studio became more co-share environment instead of single entity?
Headline next day “acclaimed Melbourne architect breaks leg in freak skateboarding accident”
Hahaha
17:50 who works with such interface?! I'm proper triggered
PLEASE start a podcast!!!
Podcasts are too long. These are tailored with the balance of stuff keeping people engaged.
Come join our Discord server.
@@Archimarathon Never heard of Discord before - but will defs check it out now. Thanks!!
I wish you guys did a studio tour before you leave
Not much to see. You can see a little bit in the video “It’s About Time”
Self-isolation kills!
Indeed. Literally