Technology in Architecture

By: Stephen Lauer

Post 1: Introduction

First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Stephen Lauer and I have attended SIU since my freshman year of college in 2011. I am from a small town in North Central Illinois and have always been interested in how many items come together to become a built object or space. At the beginning of college, I really had no clue as to how much work and time goes into the architecture profession. I thought that architecture was all about designing and building the built environment. In order to do everything that is required of this major and profession, a large array of technology is now required and is becoming the mainstream and is pushing the profession forward. Over the course of my posts on this blog, I will attempt to give pointers or simple tutorials on how to use certain programs.

That being said, over the course of my studies in architecture at SIU, I have learned that many different types of computer programs are required to do a variety of tasks. These tasks can range from drawing floor plans in AutoCAD to finalizing renderings in Photoshop. The program knowledge needed is quite advanced in order to produce quality work and to stand out in the profession. Firms are willing to hire graduates based on their knowledge of certain programs and even have potential employees take tests to show their knowledge and skills. If a job opportunity in our profession is based off of test scores in one or multiple programs, learning the programs while in school is extremely important. Universities cannot possibly teach us all the programs used in our field so, in turn, the pressure to learn these programs is placed on the student. Over the course of my education, I cannot count how many videos I have watched or how many articles I have read on how to use different programs to push my skills forward. I have followed close to a hundred different tutorials in order to learn how to complete a task in a program, ranging from simple tasks, such as how to put a door in a wall in Revit, to more challenging tasks, including how to design solar panels on a building that will follow the sun in Grasshopper and Rhinoceros.

I would like to end this first post by saying that we are in the age of technology and, if you do not know how to use a certain program or how to do something in it, do not give up. Instead, use technology to learn how to do it. Use Google to look up a tutorial or go to a forum about the program and ask how to do something. I have started these “help” posts because I have needed help and did receive it from someone who knows that program. There will always be people who are experts in their fields, so give them the opportunity to lend a hand to help us learn the programs and technology needed to be successful in architecture and whatever else we do.