© Ariana Zilliacus

Architects are often noted for having bad work-life balance, a lot of stress and little free time. How can you take time off while still improving your skills as an architect? Can that time off even give you an extra edge? Compared to other fields, architecture stands out as a field in which you need to “know a little bit about everything.” Thus, in order to live up to our name we must also do a little bit of everything, and as they say, a little goes a long way. So with that in mind, here are 11 activities which, while not obviously architectural, just might make you a better architect.

1. Playing Video Games

Video game developers have free rein when imagining and designing cityscapes and other spaces that frame the virtual universe. Such spatial experiences may never be realized in our physical world, but can still provide an entirely new perspective on the possible relationships between our bodies and our surroundings. They can go a long way in challenging your spatial problem solving, especially when Virtual Reality really takes off and becomes an ordinary tool in every architecture firm.

2. Reading Fiction

Fiction is possibly the easiest way for humans to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. As architects, this is a great tool for empathizing with different viewpoints in society, as well as understanding subjective spatial experiences and the emotions tied to them. A great example is “The English Patient” by Michael Ondaatje, a novel with characters from a range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds with memories strongly tied to spaces. Architects are sometimes accused of having little understanding of people, an issue which fiction could help to solve.

3. Watching TED Talks

An architect founded TED, however that isn’t why it’s on the list. As architects, we need to know how to defend our projects and ideas, making knowledge of rhetoric an essential part of the profession. TED speakers know how to construct an engaging argument within a relatively short amount of time, making them both entertaining and educational to watch. The wide variety of topics on offer will also undoubtedly help to build that wide knowledge base which is crucial to architectural practice. To get started, check out The 20 Most Inspirational Non-Architecture TED Talks for Architects.

© Ariana Zilliacus

4. Physical Activity

Consistent physical activity has been proven to reduce stress, something that most architects have an excess amount of. Not only will it improve your workflow, it will also serve as a productive break when you need some time away from the drawing board (or computer screen), as studies have shown that walking actually improves creativity.[1] It’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance in an industry that often demands long hours, especially when many of those hours are spent craned over a laptop with bad posture in an uncomfortable chair. A healthy body will make that time more pleasant and you will feel less fatigued by the end of it.

5. Taking Stuff Apart

When we experience stress, frustration and disappointment, many of us feel a primal urge to destroy the objects of resentment that surround us: that good-for-nothing laptop that’s slowing down your work process, or that annoying flickering lightbulb that’s giving you a headache. Most of us will, quite reasonably, resist this urge; you would not be a very popular coworker if you threw your laptop across the room every time it froze up. However, there is a certain satisfaction to be gained from taking things apart once they’re already broken or will no longer be used. More important is the understanding of how objects are put together and function. Although smartphones and toasters don’t exist on the same scale as buildings, there is something to be learned from the details of assembly. In the future, when that 3D Printer or those VR Goggles aren’t cooperating, you’ll be the company’s most valuable asset.

6. Painting and Photography

In the process of painting or capturing and editing a photograph, there are three fundamental elements to keep in mind: color, light and composition. Unsurprisingly, these elements are just as crucial when it comes to architecture. Being experienced with these components within another context can give you an edge and an alternative way to approach the design process. In addition to this, you will be far more acquainted with the details of your surroundings. By taking the time to paint or compose a particular photograph, one observes features with more care than if one were just to look at them.

© Ariana Zilliacus

7. Hosting Dinner Parties

When hosting dinner parties, creating a pleasant atmosphere and experience for your guests is of utmost importance. This doesn’t only require good social skills, but also a knowledge of cosy lighting, comfortable seating areas, and deliciously smelling food. In other words: sensory experiences that make people feel at ease. Architecture affects all our senses—perhaps with the exception of taste—yet architects often seem to get caught up in the visual elements of a building. Understanding how tactile architecture, for example, can affect people’s comfort in, and enjoyment of, a building is a huge advantage for an architect. Because if we aren’t creating spaces that people feel good in, what is the point of our profession?

8. Living in Nature

Living in nature, temporarily or otherwise, is one of the most certain ways of falling in love with and fully appreciating our natural world. The large-scale impact that comes with being an architect means that we play an enormous role in conserving and sustaining our environment—a huge and unavoidable responsibility given the current situation of our planet. A vital aspect of sustainability lies within context and understanding the specific location on which a building is being designed. Experiencing the environment first-hand develops a deeper respect for how different climates are capable of assisting our architecture.

9. Travelling on a Budget

In our modern world, being a tourist has become such a popular pastime that the purest forms of cultural exposure are being compromised. Travelling on a budget, however, can give you that extra push to get to know locals and their cultures while looking for a place to stay or learning about the history of a place. By travelling you build a personal relationship with a range of contexts, gaining a deeper understanding for the individual qualities of different locations. Read more about the genius loci of architecture and the fight against global solutions in this interview with Ricardo Bofill.

10. Social Volunteering

As is made clear with the word “social,” this activity encourages interacting and forming relationships with people, an important part of architectural practice. Architects design spaces for people to enjoy and feel happy and safe in, but in order to fully understand what this can mean for individuals it is necessary to understand people’s needs and preferences. Social volunteering is a great way to make a positive impact in your community, while gaining a broader understanding of different spatial needs within society.

© Ariana Zilliacus

11. Playing a Musical Instrument

Learning how to play an instrument requires the development of one’s understanding of rhythm, repetition and slight variations that sound pleasant and appeal to almost all human beings. How can these properties be translated into space? That’s a question you might be able to answer after a few months of playing the trumpet.

Now, go have a well-deserved break, and come back a better architect than ever.

References:

1. Wong, May. “Stanford Study Finds Walking Improves Creativity.” College website. Stanford University. N.p., 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 1 Sept. 2016.

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When you think of original designs, you know that you’re talking about something unique and special. An innovative design that can change our perception and visual culture: that is exactly what the German designer Elisa Strozyk does with Wooden Textiles, a product line that mixes wood with fabric. 

The designer shows us that innovation remains a fundamental part of design. She imbues wood with living properties and turns it to a flexible fabric with unpredictable movements, changing its color and texture. It’s an astonishing use of this traditional material to create new forms and experiences. 

Wooden textiles seeks to convey a new tactile experience. We’re used to experiencing wood as a hard material. We know the feeling of walking on a hardwood floor, touching a table or just feeling the bark of a tree. But we don’t usually experience a wooden surface that can be manipulated or molded by our hands. 

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Elisa Strozyk explores ways to provide textile-like properties to wood, making it soft and flexible. The result is a material that is half wood – half fabric, a mix between stiffness and flexibility, challenging what is expected of this type of material. It smells and looks familiar, but it feels strange since it is able to move and come to life in unexpected ways. Strozyk explains: 

The world around us is increasingly intangible. We’re used to writing emails now instead of letters, online shopping, downloading music and pressing virtual buttons on touch screens. We live in a society of images, a visual culture full of color; advertisements, television and Internet. It doesn’t allow us to feel. Giving surfaces we want to feel the importance they deserve we can reconnect with the material world and increase the emotional value of an object.

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The process to transform wood into a flexible surface involves breaking it up into triangular pieces and manually attaching them to a textile base. Depending on their size and shape, each piece displays different behaviors in terms of flexibility and malleability. 

This geometric pattern can be used to create numerous objects, such as rugs, carpets, coverings, upholstery, clothing and even furniture. 

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Murals

Dyed – Wooden – Textiles

For this collection wood is stained with a special technique, emphasizing the natural growth patterns in the wood.

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Table Runners

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A collection that alludes to plaid fabrics like tablecloths and table runners, using fading color patterns. It is an exclusive collection for the Gestalten Pavilion store in Berlin.

Colored – Tablerunners

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Fading plaids – Tablerunners

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Lamp

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Miss – Marple

This ceiling lamp shows the use of wood in an unconventional way. The grid of triangles makes a flexible display that can be manually transformed into three-dimensional shapes. Although it generates light in the darkness, the outer surface becomes more evident with daylight, becoming a sculptural object.

Wooden Rugs

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The potential of this carpet lies in its flexibility. It can be rolled up and easily transported. The ability to move it implements a potential for change. It can be placed on the floor, sculpted in a dramatic way, or placed it on the wall.

Limited Red

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Grey Black Birch

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Mostly Red

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Ashdown

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Mortimer

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Sherwood

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Wentwood

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Furniture

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Septagon – Bar – Cabinet

With its sculptural three-dimensional surface and the exceptional heptagonal shape, this mounted “bar cabinet” resembles a “wooden crystal.” The inside of the case is covered with a layer of light sensitive padouk, whose bright red fades with each opening of the cabinet door.

The flexibility of Wooden Textiles has attracted interest from other designers in the textile world, which has allowed for various collaborations, where dresses and other garments made of wood were created, and which can be seen at the end of this video: 

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