I failed my first year of architecture. Twice. It\u2019s not something I shout about but it\u2019s also not something I shy away from. I managed to complete my degree on the third attempt, extending an already long course into something stupid. Apparently, I really wanted to be an architect.<\/p>\n
When I speak about failure and rejection it comes from a place of hard-learned experience. I truly believe that the stumbles you make along the way make you a better person (and a better architect, I keep telling myself). Right now, it\u2019s getting to the time of year where students are handing in their final projects and leaving themselves open for judgement, so there\u2019s no better time to approach the subject of rejection and reflect on how we all react when things don\u2019t go our way.<\/p>\n
An architecture degree perhaps involves more rejections and rebuffs than most, given that judgment about designs is almost entirely subjective. Everyone has had a crit where a guest just \u2018didn\u2019t get it\u2019, leaving you floundering in front of everyone and picking up the pieces of eight weeks of work.<\/p>\n
While the tone of modern-day crits has, thankfully, softened from the savagery of yore, I am glad they still exist in one form or another, as the subjective criticism one experiences during university study gives architects a unique advantage over other careers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To any students reading, please do not be disheartened over the next couple of months. You may not receive the results or feedback you had expected, but this is a small part of your journey, and although it is easy to view critique as a form of personal attack, it is, in fact, part of your education, giving you the opportunity to develop a unique mindset. The professional world contains far more unjustified rejection and university is the time to develop a thicker skin and a mentality of \u2018what can I do better?\u2019<\/p>\n If you struggle with this, as I used to (and still do), here are some things to think on:<\/p>\n To some reading this, crits and folio hand-ins may seem like a distant memory, but that is even more reason to carry out a bit of self-reflection and question how you deal with rejection. When your presentation goes sour, or you make an unsuccessful bid, should you blame the client for not understanding your brilliant idea or should you think positively about how you can do better at the next one?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In comparison with student life, professional life may involve fewer cold shoulders, but all that means is you have fewer chances to improve. There is every reason to push boundaries, to wander out of your (and your client\u2019s) comfort zone and learn from what happens next. This can relate to all manner of things, ranging from fees and design choices to responding to the climate crisis.<\/p>\n Rejection is not a nice experience, but it is a necessary one that should never be avoided out of fear of the rejection itself. Nietzsche once wished suffering and ill-treatment on those that he cared about; I, too, hope that everyone reading this gets chewed out a little every now and then.<\/p>\n Students may well find the next few months difficult but they should try to see it as an opportunity for personal improvement, perhaps taking solace in the fact that, just as I struggled with passing my first year, failure is never the end of the story. Even my first article for the AJ got rejected \u2013 and here you are reading this.<\/p>\n Toko Andrews is an associate at Tunbridge Wells-based Kaner Olette Architects and associate lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I failed my first year of architecture. Twice. It\u2019s not something I shout about but it\u2019s also not something I shy away from. I managed to complete my degree on the third attempt, extending an already long course into something stupid. Apparently, I really wanted to be an architect. When I speak about failure and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9844,"featured_media":746642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[101146,100989],"yoast_head":"\n\n