Architecture

<p>The ongoing <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2913-how-covid-19-affecting-architecture-business" target="_blank">pandemic has not only affected architecture as an industry</a> but has affected architecture education as well. The pandemic affected the way that architecture discourses were delivered. The virus led universities and educational institutes to shut down all over the world, taking in-person classes to online platforms. Though the system helps deliver lectures and maintain academic schedules, the long-term effects are unknown. Post pandemic <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2754-challenges-faced-architectural-education-affecting-profession" target="_blank">architecture education</a> is certainly going to be a different realm in the context of the syllabus, discourse delivery, workshops, exposure, etc. The virus has altered architecture education in ways unimagined. The situation has impacted the students and teachers alike. Following are few observations as to how the COVID 19 is affecting architecture education –</p>
<h2><strong>Transition and Adaptation to Interface Switch</strong></h2>
<p>The pandemic led to a transition from physical classes to online classes. Imagining the architecture discourse being delivered efficiently and benefiting the students through the online mode is a little unscrupulous. Architecture is a practical field of diverse nature, based on interactions and explorations at various levels – peer to peer, student and faculty, industry interactions, etc. The level of interactions and explorations that can happen in a physical studio is way more than those that happen over an online mode.</p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Covid-19-Affecting-Architecture-Education-3_0.jpg" alt="Covid-19 Affecting Architecture Education" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<p>Image Courtesy - <a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/video-conference-online-home-office-5167472/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a></p>
<p>While every one of us has tried to welcome and adapt to the online modes of working in life, with architecture education, 100% online mode cannot be the answer.</p>
<p>Looking for laptops or tablets, read <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/product_buying_guide/2522-10-best-laptops-architects-and-designers" target="_blank">10 Best Laptops for Architects and Designers</a> and <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/product_buying_guide/2521-7-best-tablets-architects-and-designers" target="_blank">7 Best Tablets for Architects and Designers</a>.</p>
<h2><strong>Peer Learning</strong></h2>
<p>Architecture is and has never been about lectures and classroom studies solely, it is more about practical and on the ground exposure, peer-to-peer interaction, brainstorming sessions, deliberations, so on and so forth. Architecture as a course is more about experiential learning than listening to monologues. With the online mode of education, this aspect of architecture has taken a blow. In my view, students might have missed on valuable experiences and insights owing to being locked up in the comfort of their homes and increased screen time. The clarity of concepts and design development comes from deliberations at various levels, online mediums pose a barrier in this context.</p>
<p>You must check out <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2804-how-architectural-student-deal-case-studies" target="_blank">How An Architectural Student Deal With Case Studies</a></p>
<p>and <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2795-things-consider-while-choosing-architectural-thesis-topic" target="_blank">Things To Consider While Choosing Architectural Thesis Topic...</a></p>
<h2><strong>Limited! – Discussions, Deliberations, Brainstorming, …</strong></h2>
<p>Online platforms were certainly able to facilitate lectures, however, the much-required discussions, deliberations and/or brainstorming sessions in groups were limited. This in turn limited the exchange of ideas resulting in limited development of concepts and ideologies. Many architecture schools encourage the trend of open studios to strike conversations and deliberations amongst the students and faculty. This can happen seamlessly on campus in most of the institutes, however, the online mode of education poses a great barrier in this regard.</p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Covid-19-Affecting-Architecture-Education-2_3.jpg" alt="Covid-19 Affecting Architecture Education" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<p>Image Courtesy: <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-using-laptop-s-3182759/" target="_blank">Pexels</a></p>
<h2><strong>Skill Development</strong></h2>
<p>Architecture is a skill-based course. Skills can be developed both online and offline, however, there are certain interpersonal skills and hard skills that develop better in a physical class. This becomes especially important for the students in the former years of the course. One can certainly watch and learn a lot of skills through the abundance of videos available over the web, however, to master a certain set of skills, constant interaction is essential. Skill development is an important part of architecture education. Certain skills can sure be developed through online platforms and MOOC courses, nonetheless, some skills can only be developed through constant instruction, institute infrastructure and face-to-face interaction.</p>
<h2><strong>No On-Field Exposure</strong></h2>
<p>Architecture education encompasses regular field visits, site visits and market surveys in addition to lectures and studios. Students suffered in this aspect of education due to the lockdown that was imposed in the nation. field visits or site visits were not an option during the ongoing pandemic, posing a setback to the students with regards to the practical exposure.</p>
<p>Read, <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2717-7-ways-improve-your-portfolio" target="_blank">7 ways to Improve your Portfolio! </a>for ideas regarding your portfolio.</p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Covid-19-Affecting-Architecture-Education.jpg" alt="Covid-19 Affecting Architecture Education" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<p>Image Courtesy - <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/worker-subway-construction-site-2633918/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a></p>
<h2><strong>Extended Institutional Boundaries</strong></h2>
<p>While there are negatives that came bundled up with the situation, there are positives too. Though the students lacked field exposure over the pandemic hit a year, but in many institutions, they got a chance to interact and engage with designers nationally and internationally, enrolled in numerous workshops and insightful webinars. Even the most dreaded end Sem juries and critiques took place over online forums. This helped in widening the horizons of the students by engaging experts from diverse walks of life, thereby extending the typical institutional boundaries.</p>
<h2><strong>Exploratory Limitations and Exploratory Pedagogy</strong></h2>
<p>The lockdown resulted in a lack of resources and paraphernalia for many students and technical gear for faculties. But at the end of the day, we are architects and <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2757-life-architectures-student" target="_blank">architects in the making</a>, meant to come up with solutions for the issues at hand. And we did just that! All the faculties and students with their limitations explored and innovated ways to meet the requirements of the course. <br>The pandemic paved a way for faculties to explore collaborative opportunities for themselves and their students. The crisis gave way for explorations and innovations in the pedagogic methods. Some of which might even stay when things resume post-pandemic. The digital platforms and tools would certainly make their way post-pandemic as an integral part of design education.</p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Covid-19-Affecting-Architecture-Education-1.jpg" alt="Covid-19 Affecting Architecture Education" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<p>Image Courtesy: <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/clear-light-bulb-placed-on-chalkboard-355952/" target="_blank">Pexels</a></p>
<p>The battle is still on! However, we are learning to live with the virus. Taking one step at a time, adapting to the conditions, innovating and bringing about a change in all spheres of our lives. The tough times make us believe that – “the show must go on!” And so it did, after a couple of weeks of being stuck and at a loss of ways to go about the situation, contemplations, the education continued with certain modifications, adaptations and transitions. “Change is the only constant” and the world changed during the pandemic hit period. The realm of education saw unimaginable changes. The crisis is an opportunity to change and evolve, it is a perfect time to reflect upon and move ahead with the positives and transition into a new era. The Covid-19 pandemic has its goods and bad, but it is us who will evolve as a generation once the pandemic subsides. It has affected architecture education both positively and negatively, but the academicians strive to put their bests to convert the negatives to positives and help evolve the architecture education scenario.</p>
<p>In case of any suggestions or experiences, please feel free to post them in the comments below.</p>
<p>Also read, <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2912-ultimate-guide-architecture-students-remain-focused-online-study" target="_blank">The Ultimate Guide for a Architecture Students to Remain Focused on Online Study!</a></p>


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Contemplating the effects of Covid 19 on architecture education? Wondering if it affected architecture education positively or negatively? 
Read along for insights on the ways Covid 19 is affecting architecture education.  

How the Covid-19 Affecting Architecture Education

<h2><strong>Why is an Internship Important?</strong></h2>
<p>For <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2757-life-architectures-student" target="_blank">an architecture student</a> doing an internship at least once during their bachelor’s is mandatory. To be a certified COA (Council of Architecture) architect, you must do at least one architectural internship during 4.5 or 5 years of your degree. Most colleges even have a slot in their curriculum for their students to fulfill this requirement.</p>
<p>Doing an internship has a lot of benefits for the student. An internship is probably the only way for most architecture students to interact with the world outside and know how things before work. In a shielded environment of a design or construction studio, students often do not get the opportunity to explore and come across problems that are pretty common in the real world.<br>Internships also help students find their area of interest and help them decide what they want to pursue after graduation. A student can, in training, experiment with their fields and hone a diverse skill set. They can do more than one internship and understand the different sectors open to them after they complete their architecture school. The diverse skill set is often something many potential employers are looking for.<br>They also work as the transition stage between the academic environment and professional work.</p>
<p>Take a read to this inspirational article and get inspired <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2718-why-should-you-be-architect" target="_blank">Why should you be an Architect</a></p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/sign-2300042_1280.jpg" alt="Architectural Internship" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<h2><strong>When do you Look for an Internship?</strong></h2>
<p>The next question that comes to the mind of any student is how long their internship should be? And when to start?<br>An internship can last for different amounts of time since, for a student, the opportunities limit to summer and winter vacation; the most common internships of 1 to 3 months. Some colleges and universities give their students a chance to intern for 6 to 8 months.</p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/hourglass-620397_1280.jpg" alt="Architectural Internship" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<p><a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/hourglass-time-hours-clock-620397/" target="_blank">Image source- Pixabay</a></p>
<h2><strong>The Next Question is When?</strong></h2>
<p>A student can start doing an internship as early as the first year. Though their skill set would not be compatible with many job requirements, they can still learn through their experiences. Most students apply for internships about 6 to 8 weeks before starting their vacation (the time when they can work).<br>Doing internships in junior and senior college gives a student more advantage in the later stages of their career, whether they are looking for another training or even when they are applying for a job. However, it is more common for students to engage in activities (internships, projects, or even competitions) throughout their college to gain better experiences in diverse fields.</p>
<h2><strong>Where do you Look? Finding the Right Firms</strong></h2>
<p>When you seek an opportunity to gain experience, they should be, according to your taste, in the field that either you already want to build a career in or want to explore. If you aspire to hold specialization in any area, doing an internship is the best way to do so.<br>The next question is, where do you look for internships?<br>There are numerous different ways an architecture student can find an internship. The most effective and common ones are listed below:</p>
<p>You must check out <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2977-6-best-ways-apply-job-internship-architecture" target="_blank">6 Best Ways to Apply for Job &amp; Internship in Architecture</a></p>
<h2><strong>1. Find Out What you are Good at</strong></h2>
<p>The first and foremost thing to look at is what you like and what you are good at. This helps you narrow down the field of your preference and thus the firms you should be looking at. Next, you can make a list of the firms and their works that interest you and start applying if there is a vacancy (most firms do not explicitly say that there is a vacancy for an intern, it’s always good to ask).</p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/geometry-5167943_1280.jpg" alt="Architectural Internship" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<p><a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/geometry-math-mathematics-science-5167943/" target="_blank">Image source-Pixabay</a></p>
<h2><strong>2. Using Internet Platforms and Networking</strong></h2>
<p>With the rise in internet usage and networking worldwide, it has become more accessible and easier to connect with firms and look for opportunities you never knew existed. You can look at social media platforms, the pages of firms on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to see the kind of work and projects they associate with and get in touch with them if you find something interesting.<br>Another more traditional way of networking is through your peers and seniors (or juniors). The people already in the field can give you a much better idea of what is in the area and how you can get it.</p>
<p>Do read this to know more about <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2937-brilliant-ways-get-recruited-trainee-architect-reputed-firm" target="_blank">Brilliant Ways to Get Recruited As A Trainee Architect In A Reputed Firm</a></p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/social-media-292988_1280.jpg" alt="Architectural Internship" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<h2><strong>3. Start Early</strong></h2>
<p>Starting early is always advantageous. You can begin by <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2734-brilliant-tips-make-professional-architecture-portfolio" target="_blank">compiling a neat and expressive portfolio</a> (most firms are not looking for a perfect portfolio, but rather for committed and eager students).<br>Getting in touch with the forms weeks before your vacation and time for internship gives you the opportunities your peers might miss just by being after that you!</p>
<h2><strong>Is There an Alternative?</strong></h2>
<p>If you don’t want to do an internship but still want to gain experience in architecture. There are some more ways you can do so. Taking a project in your department or some other university under the guidance of a professor is always the best way to delve deeper into and broaden your knowledge base. A project is a perfect way to get a very wholesome idea of a field you are new to and want to know comprehensively.</p>
<p>Another way to achieve some experience is doing an internship in the allied branches. Architecture as a field is, vast and one can always explore different areas associated with it. If you are not keen on doing an internship in architectural design, you can look into interior design, project management, MEP systems, and even research and journalism! The gates are open for you.</p>
<img src="https://planndesign.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/startup-594090_1280.jpg" alt="Architectural Internship" style="height: undefined;width: undefined">
<h2><strong>What to do if you don’t Get an Internship</strong></h2>
<p>Even if you don’t end up with an internship for your summer or winter break, there are still many things you can do!<br>Many online learning platforms provide courses related to the field of architecture and allied branches. Enrolling yourself in one of the certified courses can add to your skillset and portfolio. These courses show that you are a dedicated student. The most common types of courses are:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Sketching and perspective drawing</strong></li>
<li><strong>Rendering and photoshop</strong></li>
<li><strong>AutoCAD and BIM software mastery courses</strong></li>
<li><strong>Photography</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Not only this, one can use the time to look at their shortcomings and improve on them. As a student, you must always try to improve yourself and become take steps towards becoming a better professional.<br>You can try to find out why you did not get an internship this season and improve upon those areas through courses, projects, and personal projects. Some areas include:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Presentation:</strong> The presentation of your work can have a significant impact on your selection. You can take a graphic design course or a rendering class to acquire/improve that skill.</li>
<li><strong>Soft skills:</strong> soft skills are equally important. Your communication skills and writing affect your image in front of the recruiter more than you know. The way of approaching the firms can also be a reason for not getting an internship. Talking to someone in the firm you have been targeting or someone in the field about this can help a lot. Furthermore, if you are keen on improving your soft skills, many resources are available on the internet.</li>
</ul>
<p>You must check out <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2717-7-ways-improve-your-portfolio" target="_blank">7 ways to Improve your Portfolio!</a></p>
<p>However, Starting your career as a Freelance architect is also a good option. Read here to know more about <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2713-how-become-freelancer-architect" target="_blank">How to become a Freelancer Architect</a></p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Choosing the right internship can be overwhelming, especially in a field like architecture, where so many different specializations and opportunities are available.</p>
<p>If you haven’t done any internship until now, you don’t have to worry; chances are your curriculum already has covered it. Though there is always somewhere you can start, why not now!<br>There are many different types of firms and fields of work a student can choose from, and internships help them gain a perspective knowledge of the nitty-gritty of these fields. There are also many different ways you can get training. You can choose what works for you and find the right firm!</p>
<p>We hope this article was helpful and helped you gain some ideas that you can use during your internships (or even when you are looking for a new job!). What do you think about this article? We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences about your internships. Please share your struggles and winnings with us through the comments section below!</p>
<p>Also, read <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2745-challenges-first-job-intern-architect" target="_blank">Challenges Of First Job For An Intern Architect</a></p>
<p>and <a href="https://www.planndesign.com/articles/2794-importance-professional-experience-architect" target="_blank">Importance Of Professional Experience For An Architect!!</a></p>


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Are you an architecture student who is looking for an internship? OR Don’t know where to start and when to start? This article will help you put things in perspective and maybe aid you in finding the right internship. Read along to get a better understanding of the ‘real world’!

What If an Architecture Student doesn't Get an Internship?

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How the Covid-19 Affecting Architecture Education

What If an Architecture Student doesn't Get an Internship?