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How Studying Architecture Changed the Way I Think About Design.
Over the past two years, I’ve had the privilege and the opportunity to dive deeply into the world of architecture—an area that captured my imagination long before I formally began studying it. What started as a fascination has evolved into a way of seeing and thinking, a lens through which I now understand design, space, and the human experience.
Through these formative years, I’ve not only studied the art and science of architecture but also grown as a critical thinker and a more intentional designer. Along the way, I’ve filled the pages of my pocket sketchbook—a constant companion—with fragments of conversations, lessons from professors and peers, personal reflections, and moments of inspiration.
What follows is a collection of those notes: raw, insightful, and meaningful. They are snapshots of a two-year journey shaped by reading, observation, design critiques, and the immersive experience of architectural education.
The Essence of Architecture
Architecture has a story to tell.
Design journeys, not structures.
Architecture is not just about moving from space to space—it’s about creating an engaging experience along the way.
We (architects) never go back—always forward.
You are responding with architectural elements to broader factors related to the project.
Create good-quality space regardless of its function.
Think of a building as a collection of various elements coming together to create an experience.
Design Thinking & Process
Sketching holds value in its ability to capture and recall an idea, a place, a moment, or a feeling.
Explain without words—use annotations for things you can’t draw.
Solve design problems creatively, using imagination.
Use a creative approach without a preconceived notion of a solution.
You can “communicate” with distant places through imitation or adoption.
Tectonics is the way you put things together to create meaning and a pleasing experience.
Sections are an emotional response.
Spatial Relationships & Form
By shaping the exterior of a structure, you’re also shaping the interior—the lines on the inside.
Design from the inside out.
Create new horizons by modifying the relationships between spaces and how we experience them.
Framing an opening can change the cone of vision.
Depth of view: there’s more to a person than just appearance, and the same applies to spatial views.
Think about how elements complete each other. Just like cooking, too many ingredients can overwhelm the dish. Balance and relationships matter in buildings, too.
Light, Shadow, and Color
Natural light is the most abundant and inexpensive building material you'll ever work with.
Shadows make the light come alive.
You need good light to enjoy textures.
Use color as a pathfinder or to indicate something important.
In architecture, color is used to emphasize the character of a building, to accentuate its form and materials.
Material, Texture, and Environment
Think about pleasant materials to use in a home.
Furniture must be attuned to its environment.
You communicate the qualities of space through materials, textures, colors, shapes, and tectonics. These elements shape the atmosphere—and atmosphere, in turn, creates experience
Human Experience & Emotion
Show and explain the experience through small, memorable things that evoke a specific feeling.
Skill is a tool that reveals something about you.
Rhythm is about movement—it includes patterns, rests, and repetition.
Minimalism in architecture is about stripping things down to their essential quality and achieving simplicity. Peaceful, simple spaces allow us to focus on what matters.
We are guests in this world.
Closing or opening windows lets in not only the view—but also sounds, smells, and breeze. You are deciding what enters the building.
Community is a crucial consideration during the design phase.
Nature feeds creativity.
Harmony is achieved through proper relationships and ratios.
These are fragments—snippets from books I’ve read, things I’ve heard, lines from lectures and videos, and thoughts that sometimes found me in the middle of the night, demanding to be written down. Over time, they’ve become part of how I see and think about architecture. I hope you find something here that resonates with you too.
If a thought stands out to you—whether from your own studies or from this collection—I’d love to hear it. Let’s keep the conversation going.