This is a place of knowledge sharing, experimentation, of execution of ideas, exploration and discovery, and of course design.

Definition

Architecture: An expensive approach to suffering.

We all know all too well how this resonates, from those across different schools, ages and disciplines.

The sad truth is that today we are subject to time and money. Architecture seems to revolve around these two. As contractors, builders, lawyers, marketing teams, planners, government incentives, all seem to embed architecture as a business model. “How do we optimise this construction?” “How quick can we build this?” “How much is this going to cost?” While this shouldn’t be the case, we should strive for relevancy, meaning and creativity; this is sadly how the world is working now. But little do we realise, this is destroying our students progress, architectural designs and relationships. Just look at the countless developments happening in the Western Sydney area where grey bound boxes have lined themselves up in rows as they assume the identity of a ‘house’ but in time deteriorate faster than anything seen before. But they justify this, ‘because of time and money’ they say.

Architecture is a craft, a discipline and a practice but little do we get the opportunity to intently develop this fully. We have this pre-concieved notion that we’ll be able to understand architecture within the span of 3-5 years but it seems more reasonable to think of instead 15-30 years. Our study, our habits, our ambitions have been too focused on this 3-5 benchmark, instead we should be aiming for curating our skills and our understanding to meet the decade and beyond mark. We can see how this assumption has effected students, often experiencing high stress, anxiousness and just unnecessary suffering. There should be no guilt to taking ones time, to developing ideas and designs further than the typical A1/2 poster. Perhaps we should be advocating for more practical projects. Essentially; to rush is to miss the point of learning. But this too holds us bound by time and money.

Further, even though we become bombarded by waves of looming deadlines and when added together with other units, part time jobs, family obligations we ask ourselves and others too, “when will we have the time”. When will we have the time to actually learn and apply these few skills. So we say “in due time, maybe one day.” This is a heavy line that we’re all too familiar with. And as mentorships, guidance and long-term relationships seem so locked in the past, students often feel alone. This publication will invoke these missing guidance to some degree, sharing key advice, knowledge and issues that we should all be aware of. Simultaneously, this combats to some extent the extensive gatekeeping of insight that happens in our field.

So one day, in due time, students can take action, and become the best that they can be and guide those who will come after.

And create a legacy of not unfulfilled motivations but of action, of creation, of works and shared knowledge and encouraging spheres.

For in time, we will become the ones that we once sought.

So go forward, leave the doubts and overthinking and self-deprication in these lines alone, do what you want and what you envision your next project to be. Just go forward.

And when the narrative changes from “in due time, we will …” to “in this time, we are …” we will have moved forward.

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In Due Time,

Amanda Eessa

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