I was asked to speak to students at Mills Park Middle School in Cary a few weeks ago about a career as an architect. Whenever I speak about the profession, I try to show the larger view of what architecture really is because it in some ways, it is simpler than you’d think.

Like many from my generation, thoughts of becoming an architect started early in life. Most of my friends in design school shared similar interests in drawing and making models. Today’s kids play Minecraft and many already know free design software packages readily available on the web like SketchUp. I don’t think they realize how close they are to the profession.

I like to explain that art is where ideas form, but architecture is where they come together. Intuitively we know that impressive renderings of buildings in the news may not accurately represent the finished result. It’s true, the bridge from inspiration to completed building is as important as the initial “genius.” Fantasy images of ideas unable to be accomplished for technical, financial, or political reasons is a failure of the designer. However, the training to build this bridge is actually pretty simple and can start young.

So what skills development of school children will translate into a successful architectural profession?

For centuries, models have been used for design. A very high level of design thinking can proceed from simple paper and cardboard. Paper mache is about as basic and safe a medium as any for very young children to adults. For the average middle schooler, a cutting matte, hobby knife, steel ruler with non-slip cork on one side, and some white glue are all that is needed to build sophisticated architectural models. In fact, even professionals frequently use them, as the photo above of one of my own models in progress testifies. Advanced techniques add basswood and plastics, all available from local hobby or art stores for very little expense.

Today, architects sometimes build virtual models in the computer. These can be very realistic, such as my own example of the Reset House, still only a virtual project and physically un-built as of this date. When I was in middle school, my contractor neighbor suggested to me that architecture might not be a good career due to the rise of computers. This couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

The exploration of physical materials and the meanings and beauty that results is critical to being a complete designer. Being able to express ideas with models directly constructed by hand is as useful and appreciated today as it ever has been. To the uninitiated, this may seem short of the glamorous renderings in the news, but it is a more valuable skill and easy to do.

Thoughts about teaching kids to be an architect? Share your ideas below, on Twitter or Instagram.

It isn’t often we celebrate a World Cup final! As a lifelong soccer and architecture fan, today is a great opportunity for me to draw some interesting comparisons between the two.

1. Coordination is difficult but effective – Helping a team work together takes considerable effort. The communication, logistics, planning, and information behind the scenes look invisible on the big day, but many years go in to a winning conclusion.
2. Training takes years – Great soccer players begin when they can walk to maximize the 20 years following for training. Likewise, most architects have at least 10 years of training before they are licensed, but many of us have been hammering things together since grade school.
3. Team effort is more potent than any one team member – It takes a strong group of players working together to produce a victory just as a strong project team produces a winning building. Although one star or starchitect may get the credit, pros know that the supporting roles make it possible. No weaknesses can exist for a truly successful project.
4. Roles are diverse but necessary – Futbol has a manager, trainers, strikers, attacking and holding mids, a center “D,” flanking wings and backs, and goalkeepers. Design teams need architects, engineers, authorities, reviewers, interior designers, landscape architects, contractors, and subcontractors. In either case, if not all roles are strong or represented, the others have to pick up the slack!
5. Expertise must be expansive – Kicking the ball is just the beginning of the game. It is knowing subtleties that carries teams to success. From looking off defenders and dropping a long through ball, to identifying potential site hazards on first walk through and noticing a non-conforming detail—seeing what’s missing is just as important as what is wrong.
6. Planning for the site can’t be ignored – Understanding the impact of field or site conditions can be the difference between a win or a blowout. It’s a great place to start, and good design teams do a site analysis the same way a good manager plans for a potentially wet field that changes the speed and ball handling of the game.
7. Effective tools make hard work productive – Players adopt all sorts of equipment to assist their playing styles, from shinguard height, cleat distribution, and boot cover texture. Although architects can potentially use all sorts of tools to assist, many, like an experienced pro player, rely on just a few effective ones to apply their seasoned experience.
8. Preparation and planning leads to success – Getting the tactics and detailed plan right at the beginning reduces a lot of headaches later on. But…
9. Big changes can happen in the middle – Good managers and architects are flexible when conditions and plans change due to injury or design change. In fact, spotting these possibilities early might just be the tactic that wins the game.
10. Sometimes the outcome hinges on just one decision – Despite 90 minutes of play, a lone goal can win a game in a single instance of creativity or skill. Effective architects, like great strikers, are those that find a rare opportunity to turn a limitation into a winner!

What did I miss? Please share below!

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