education of an architect

i miss my university days...

i miss my university days...

not the gruelling all-nighters spent in our university's architectural studio sipping vending machine coffee at 3 am while trying to figure out if i should fabricate a portion of my design at full scale in the ladies room with my welding tools or out of some exotic wood at 1/4" = 1'-0".

not even the nights when i was so exhilarated from being awake for the 3rd night straight without even going home to shower that, in an effort to entertain my studio mates and myself, i would jump on my drawing board and start dancing to i will survive and strutting to i'm too sexy which i would blare from my cassette tape player full-blast (eventually my studio mates had to take all my tapes and hide them).

i also don't miss building an entire floor above my desk in studio which was equipped with all the essentials to melt my freshly farmed bee's wax (a staple in many of my projects)..because i felt that i didn't have enough room to do my projects in. eventually we had to take it down because the university chair deemed it as a fire hazard.

no...in fact, what i miss most about my architectural schooling is my ability to believe that everything is possible and that design has unlimited possibilities. there was no right or wrong way to do, think, believe or build anything. i loved where my thoughts would take me. i had envisioned the most fantastical designs...so far out...so unheard of...and soooo everything i imagined architecture to be.

as i sit at my desk designing custom moldings for the worlds wealthiest people....i am looking through one of my many sketchbooks from those days and remembering why i am here today... this one is from my year-long study at the academy of fine arts in vienna, austria.

i miss those days...but i wouldn't trade them for the amazing days i have now.