Professional Reflection

I have always struggled with defining my particular area of interest within architecture, however, throughout my education I began to notice and critically analyse some aspects of the built environment I lived in. As mentioned before, this has directed my interests into the notion of tabula-rasa and a decreased involvement with existing urban fabric as I began to realise that many admirable architects design impressive and brilliant projects located on primarily empty sites. My ambition was to channel my critical position to the described approach as well as to push the boundaries of the traditional housing model. I believe that the project allowed me to challenge current attitudes towards modernist council housing heritage, which was specific to my final project, and also other existing structures in general by portraying them as a component that enriches a new design.

Developing my thesis design as well as having worked on commercial and residential projects during my Part 1 experience I have realised that the latter brings me more satisfaction and enjoyment. I believe that the personal aspect of designing one’s home allows me to establish a much closer relationship with the client. Thus, for my Part 2 experience, I will be pursuing architectural practices with an extensive portfolio of both high and low density residential projects.

The second component of my design thesis, the exploration of farming systems within an urban context, is another aspect I would like to explore in my future career. In current times, I strongly believe that architects ought to be particularly sensitive to the environmental as well as urban nature aspects in their projects. I would like to challenge this direction at my future office by incorporating some kind of food growing systems allowing nature to step outside its decorative role and become a functional and inseparable element of everyday life.

The end goal for my architectural education is to qualify as an architect. Currently, I do not wish to establish my own practice as I enjoy the more creative rather than the management side of working, however, this might change in the future. On a more personal note, an old ambition of mine was to purchase and renovate an existing property which would allow me to materialise my architectural position in a form of my own home.