Everyone that works in the field of architecture knows that it takes quite a high level of commitment and desire to become an architect. Nobody becomes an architect because they think it sounds cool or because they simply like to draw. There is a lot more to it and I think there have to be some cautions for you to even think you will experience any measurable success, yet, “Starchitects” are successful and well known because of their designs.
We thought it might be helpful if we can get some advice and guidance from them to the young architects – it might be better for young architects to work in small architecture firms, but they still need the advice and inspiration of starchitects. So we began to dig the web searching for some valuable points of advice from senior and starchitects to the young and aspiring ones, check out some of them below.
Some Pieces of Advice from Star Architects to the Young Ones
Do you have any advice for the young?
-
Zaha Hadid Architects:
” Focus, and work hard”
“You have to be very focused and work very hard, but it is not about working hard without knowing what your aim is! You really have to have a goal. the goalposts might shift, but you should have a goal. Know what it is that you are trying to find out”. DB interview, Jan 2007
-
Frank Gehry:
“Be yourself!”
“I tell my students, my students, that they should not look over their shoulder, they should be themselves and find their own way, and they will slowly realize that they will become the experts in their work and that nobody else is an expert in their work and that they will have into that matter with somebody else, I mean yeah…” more in the video below:
-
Peter Eisenman:
“Stay away from architecture!”
“Unless you are really committed to being an architect in the true sense of the word, it a terrible business, and I wouldn’t recommend it for anybody unless you need to do it for some personal reason, I would say go into business, go into law, medicine, but don’t be an architect.” DB interview, April 8, 2002
-
Norman Foster:
“Is architecture really what you want to do, if not, find something else!”
Foster advises upcoming architects and artists to make sure that what they’re doing is their true desire – if not, they should simply find something else. More in the video below:
-
Wolf d. Prix:
“I have three pieces of advises“
“First, if you only think in architectural terms, only architecture will come out. Secondly, it’s a quote (again from Bob Dylan), ‘Don’t follow leaders, watch the parking meters. and the third is, you don’t need the weatherman to know how the wind blows.”
-
Daniel Libeskind:
“Follow the impossible”
-
Bjarke Ingels:
“Design tomorrow’s world simple and clear”
We live in the anthropogenic age, where humans don’t adapt to life, but life adapts to human needs, Ingels explains, which makes his advice to young architects designing tomorrow’s world simple and clear. The key for young architects is to acquire the tools and language to comprehend the human needs outside of the architectural bubble and understand that they are here to accommodate – and not to be accommodated to.
In another interview with Ingels, he gave this piece of advice to the young “Just like in science, architecture is hypothetical deductive experimentation. You use your thinking to analyze and suggest and build up a conceptual framework. And when you can’t reach any higher, you can make an intuitive jump, a guess. You can suggest things and test them. But the higher you build before you jump, the higher you can reach.”
When considering your next career move, plan proactively and create Portfolios that include your best work. Consider looking into finding a mentor with Architect-US, and improving your Portfolios with our Portfolio Plans and Career Advice Program. We provide coaching and personalized mentorship, so you can have a professional and experienced take on your next steps in your career, as well as a great team to confide in.
Add comment