Well we've all come to the end of the semester, or at least almost there. I must say that this semester has been a rough ride, full of ups and (an absurd number of) downs. An eventful semester with simply not enough time for everything to go as planned. It wasn't an easy semester, i have to admit, despite myself only taking five subjects. We had a rather slow start then everything simply accelerated to hell (quite literally, in fact), however I manage to take the time to enjoy ever so slightly the theories class of this semester (I know my blog updates don't actually show the enjoyment but trust me, this IS by far the most relaxing class this semester). Amidst all the chaos in design classes, rejected ideas and the endless re-dos of not only design but coupled with construction as well where I could go on forever with the complaints but I have learnt quite a few things this semester, particularly in theories where some actually did catch my attention, or rather, offered something of a wake up call and got me re-thinking the way i think about architecture.
To begin with, we all learnt about the various thinking of other people with or without architectural background, about what they have to say regarding architecture as well as the way they see or appreciate it. Needless to say, everyone has their own opinion on things as architecture is a combination of arts and sciences in an abstract way where only the architect him/herself truly understands.This simply means the work is open to interpretation, and some of the interpretations seen throughout this subject has its own validity. To be perfectly honest, this subject didn't exactly get a running start. After being bombarded by blog assignments after blog assignments, I slowly got the idea of the subject. Hence, I was exposed to architectural interpretations from all sorts of people, famous or otherwise. In the beginning it was rather frustrating especially the earlier ones such as Heidegger's thinking on architecture. His form of thinking is obviously much more complicated than our own, looking at architecture related to man and divine beings. I have learnt that architecture is not something as simple as admiring a building's form or space, nor is it only about how the building relates to the user in terms of feeling and the sort. I feel that architecture has been underestimated for quite a while now, with myself as guilty of this as anyone else. Architecture touches on every aspect of life, having the largest field of profession, we are expected to know a little of everything - cultures, races, religion. This all seems like a tall order for a person but to become a successful architect, i feel that there are many more things i have to learn, despite having learnt so much already.
Now we've come to the best and the worst moments. There are hardly any moments i would call the 'best' ones, however i suppose that is quite normal considering architecture is quite a demanding course. As for the worst moments, the usual stay up all night doing (insert subject name here) assignments still apply, although now it has gotten a bit more challenging seeing as 8a.m. classes are thrown into the mix. Nevertheless i do enjoy the little challenges these have given me, since it not only builds character, but it also prepares us for what we are to face when we move on after graduation.
As for my philosophy, well, i haven't taken the time to come up with one yet, although i find myself sticking to the idea that architecture should be expressed in the purest form, where elements should not be hidden, but shown as a part of a whole. This is the idea of bringing forth a form of architecture where it is prone to interpretation, but does not cause the idea to stray, creating something simple to understand yet serves its purpose well, as well as fulfill the aesthetics department in the best way possible. Though this is something short of a philosophy, it serves as a seed that would probably grow into one some day, then perhaps i would be one step closer to understanding the vast field called architecture.
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