Arkitectur3 & Art

High efficiency and performance can result in higher property values and potentially lower lenders’ credit risk. Lower operating costs associated with more efficient systems can lead to higher building net income. The value of a l00,000-square-foot office building increases by over $1 million through implementation of green building measures. These measures, associated with energy, water, waste, and labor, result in annual operating savings of $101,400. The increased building value is calculated by using a fairly conservative building market capitalization rate—a formula used by building appraisers, brokers, and lenders to calculate a building’s value—of 10 percent on the savings. A building’s value is derived by dividing its net operating income, or savings, by the market capitalization rate. In addition to increasing a building’s net operating income or value, green building measures may allow building owners to charge higher rents or achieve higher rates of building occupancy

Local Economic Development Opportunities Promotion And Implementation Of Green Buildings Green building practices within a community can generate new economic development opportunities. These opportunities can take a variety of forms, including new business development to meet the demand for green products and services; resource efficiency improvement programs that enable existing businesses to lower operating costs; development of environmentally oriented business districts; and job training related to new green businesses and products. In Austin, Texas, the long-term existence of the city’s Green Builder Program has contributed to the growth of green building trades, including, companies to meet the demand for rainwater-harvesting systems and services. The city had also begun working with a non-profit organization to offer at-risk youths an opportunity to learn job skills while they build affordable green homes. On a national level, the EPA cites the potential creation of ov

Today more than ever, it is imperative that we begin to be conscious about our water use. Reducing water usage also reduces energy use and the costs associated with building operation; transporting, treating or desalinating water are very energy intensive tasks that are necessary when water is not used carefully. The most sustainable way to manage water usage in a building is to reduce the amount of water used.  This can be done using more efficient washing machines, dishwashers, shower and water fixtures and toilets. More efficient shower fixtures mix air with water to produce a similar feel and effect as regular showers while using significantly less water. Along with low flow sinks and showers, water saving toilets can effectively reduce water consumption. There are a wide variety of options when it comes to toilets depending on one’s needs and willingness to break with one’s cultural influences. Toilets ( Non-renewable w ater ) Toilets similar to the classic flush, they still do of

The purpose of a building is not only to provide shelter for its occupants, but also to provide an environment conducive to high performance of all intended occupant activities. Recent studies have shown that buildings with good overall environmental quality, including effective ventilation, natural or proper levels of lighting, indoor air quality, and good acoustics, can increase worker productivity by six to 16 percent. An organization’s most significant financial commitment is usually to its employees. Many employers spend at least as much on salary related expenditures as they do on constructing an entire company building. In many organizations, salaries and associated benefits consume the majority of the annual operating budget. Based on, sample calculations, a typical employer could spend $233 per square foot annually for an employee.  Building construction costs generally fall below this level, often by 50 percent. In addition, annual employee salary related expenditures, usi

 Of the 20,000 landfills located within the United States, more than 15,000 have reached capacity and closed. Many more are following this pattern each year. Construction-related waste constitutes more than 25 percent of landfill content and equals total municipal garbage waste generated in the United States. As a result of this volume of waste, an increasing number of landfills will not permit, or are charging extra for, the dumping of construction-related waste. In response, recycling of such debris is increasing at the job site. Materials such as gypsum, glass, carpet, aluminum, steel, brick, and disassembled building components can be reused, or, if that is not feasible, recycled. In addition to construction-waste recycling, the building industry is beginning to achieve significant waste reductions through more building reuse and adaptation, as opposed to demolition. In past decades, the trend has been to raze a building at the end of its first life (assumed to be the “useful” l

The past decades’ conventional office design, construction, and operational practices have decreased the quality of the indoor office environment, resulting in new health concerns and associated economic costs and liability. The introduction of a multitude of new contaminant pollution sources into the workplace, combined with tighter building construction, has intensified air-quality problems. Poor indoor air quality can result from such factors as faulty air conditioning systems, occupants related pollutants, construction materials that emit high levels of volatile organic compounds, and poor maintenance practices. The U.S ranks indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health. Unhealthy indoor air is found in up to 30 percent of new and renovated buildings. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and Building Related Illness (BRI) have become more common in the workplace, increasing building owner and employer costs due to sickness, absenteeism, and increased li

The green building measures discussed in this manual can lead not only to lower building operating expenses through reduced utility and waste disposal costs, but also to lower on-going building maintenance costs, ranging from salaries to supplies. For example, in many buildings, maintenance staff collect recycled materials on each floor or even at every employee’s desk and carry the materials down to the basement for hand sorting. Recycling chutes A viable green alternative, allow direct discarding of materials from any floor in the building to the basement. The chute system, which ideally is installed during initial construction or renovation, can sort materials automatically, saving labor costs by eliminating the need to collect, transport, and sort recyclables. Other savings come in the form of lower waste hauling fees; reduced workers’ compensation insurance premiums due to lower claims for accidents from sharp glass and cans; reduced elevator maintenance; less frequent cleanin

Construction Application of green building concepts can yield for savings during the construction process. Measures that are relatively easy to implement can result in savings to the contractor in the following areas: Lower energy costs, by monitoring usage, installing energy-efficient lamps and fixtures, and using occupancy sensors to control lighting fixtures; Lower water costs, by monitoring consumption and reusing storm water and/or construction wastewater where possible; Lower site-clearing costs, by minimizing site disruption and movement of earth and installation of artificial systems; Lower landfill dumping fees and associated hauling charges, through reuse and recycling of construction and demolition debris; Lower materials costs, with more careful purchase and reuse of resources and materials; Possible earnings from sales of reusable items removed during building demolition; Fewer employee health problems resulting from poor indoor air quality. This listing suggest

Light is a very important aspect of human life; our bodies use it to create vitamin D. Studies have shown that laboratory mice living under a restricted spectrum of light become ill and develop antisocial behaviors. Lighting affects us on a psychological and physiological level. Thus it is very important to have good lighting in built spaces. As humans have evolved in daylight conditions, it follows that the human body is best adapted for the varied lighting conditions that are present in natural lighting. Therefore, Lighting a space with natural lighting is considered the best option. Of course caveats exist to placing as many windows in your building as possible. First of all, every window put into a building creates a hole in the building envelope, lowering the overall insulation value of the building. Also, lighting in space should be diffuse, glare from daylight or the sun, reflected or direct, can cause headaches and annoy people in a space. Lighting levels that are too low c

Heating and cooling buildings contributes to more energy usage than any other aspect of a buildings use. A building which is well insulated will reduce the energy costs of heating and cooling.  There are many methods to keep a buildings environment comfortable while minimizing energy input including: Roof ponds Thermal mass walls Solar chimneys Solar rooms Green roofs. Passive Heating & Cooling All methods of passive heating and cooling rely directly on the sun for energy input.  Due to this reliance on the sun one of the most important aspects of a building is its solar orientation.  A building that is shaped like a rectangle (with side lengths having the ratio of 1.6 to 1, the golden ratio, being ideal) and elongated in the east-west direction is the optimum shape in all climates. Roof Ponds Roof ponds are a particularly effective method of keeping a buildings temperature constant.  To create a roof pond, water is stored in bags inside the actual roof structure. 

Achieving sustainability requires us to live within the limits of the earth’s capacity to provide the materials for our activities and to absorb the waste and pollution that our activities generate. The built environment presents us with a major challenge. The construction, fit-out, operation and ultimate demolition of buildings is a huge factor in human impact on the environment both directly (through material and energy consumption and the consequent pollution and waste) and indirectly (through the pressures on often inefficient infrastructure). The built environment also has a crucial impact on the physical and economic health and well-being of individuals, communities and organisations. A good building is a delight and will enhance a community or organisation, enhance our ability to learn or increase our productivity. A poor building will do the opposite. Where buildings and built environments contribute to ill-health and alienation, undermine community and create exce

Engineering construction, is characterized by designs prepared by engineers rather than architects, the provision of facilities usually related to the public infrastructure and thus owned by public-sector entities and funded through bonds, rates or taxes and a high degree of mechanization and the use of much heavy equipment and plant in the construction process.These projects usually emphasize functionality rather than aesthetics and involve substantial quantities of such field materials as timber, steel, piping, soil, concrete and asphalt. More so than other types of construction, engineered construction is often designed by an owner’s in-house staff, such as a provincial highway department or a federal public agency; the Army Corps of Engineers. A general contractor is usually engaged to install the work, with subcontractors as needed to contribute specialty services. With these kinds of projects, the exact quantities of some materials can seldom be ascertained in advance; thus

General buildings includes residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings. Residential construction produces buildings for human habitation, including single-family dwellings, condominiums, multifamily townhouses, flats and apartments and high-rise apartment buildings. Depending on the project’s complexity, such work is usually designed by architects or builders themselves, with construction performed by contractors who hire specialty subcontractors as needed; Commercial construction Commercial construction includes retail and wholesale stores, markets and shops, shopping centers, office buildings, warehouses and small manufacturing facilities. Examples of institutional construction are medical clinics and hospitals, schools and universities, recreational centers and athletic stadiums, governmental buildings and houses of worship and other religious buildings. Architectural firms Architectural firms usually take the lead in the design of commercial and instituti

The construction industry can be broken down into two very broad categories, General building construction. (Read more) Engineered construction.. (Read more) Most construction contractors concentrate on one of these categories, or even on a specialty within one of them. A third category of contractor is the specialty trade contractor, who usually works as a subcontractor for a general, or prime, contractor responsible for the construction of the entire project. General building construction In this segment we find projects that include residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings. Residential construction produces buildings for human habitation, including single-family dwellings, condominiums, multifamily townhouses, flats and apartments and high-rise apartment buildings. Depending on the project’s complexity, such work is usually designed by architects. Engineered construction This segment of construction is characterized by designs prepared by engine

The management of construction is an enterprise that involves many people with diverse interests, talents and backgrounds. The owner The design professional Contractor Comprise the primary triad of parties, but others, like; Subcontractors Material suppliers Bankers Insurance Bonding companies Attorneys public agency officials These are some vital elements of the project team whose interrelated roles must be coordinated to assure a successful project. Throughout the project life cycle, from the time the owner first contemplates launching a construction project to that celebrated time, many months or years later, when the completed project is ready for use, the tasks carried out by the various parties vary in type and intensity. The primary focus here is on the construction contractor, who carries the lead responsibility for the on-site installation work and all of the associated planning and follow up. It is important, at the same time, to understand how othe

Behavioral settings are purely physical characteristics of spaces, the objects they contain and the envelopes that define them, there is something far more important to us than that. But in general our relationship is not directly with spaces or buildings that matters most to us, but our relationships with other people. What others think and expect of us is one of the most central of the influences that govern the way we lead our lives. It is our reputation and our association with others that we feel most strongly about. So it is the way space facilitates and inhibits these relationships with which we will be mostly concerned. Places have synomorphy when there is congruence between people’s actions and the physical and social setting . There are several great forces at work here, and perhaps the most important are those of P rivacy Community It is how space enables these two appropriately that forms many of the basic components of the language we shall explore. Thes

Application of green building concepts can yield for savings during the construction process. Measures that are relatively easy to implement can result in savings to the contractor in the following areas: Lower energy costs, by monitoring usage, installing energy-efficient lamps and fixtures, and using occupancy sensors to control lighting fixtures. Lower water costs, by monitoring consumption and reusing storm water and/or construction wastewater where possible. Lower site-clearing costs, by minimizing site disruption and movement of earth and installation of artificial systems. Lower landfill dumping fees and associated hauling charges, through reuse and recycling of construction and demolition debris. Lower materials costs, with more careful purchase and reuse of resources and materials. Possible earnings from sales of reusable items removed during building demolition; and. Fewer employee health problems resulting from poor indoor air quality.  This listing suggests som

Approximately 50 percent of the energy use in buildings is devoted to producing an artificial indoor climate through heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting. A typical building’s energy bill constitutes approximately 25 percent of the building’s total operating costs. Estimates indicate that climate-sensitive design using available technologies could cut heating and cooling energy consumption by 60 percent and lighting energy requirements by at least 50 percent in U.S. buildings. Returns on investment for energy-efficiency measures can be higher than rates of return on conventional and even high yielding investments. Participants in the Green Lights program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have enjoyed annual rates of return of over 30 percent for lighting retrofits. When participants complete all program related improvements, Green Lights could save over 65 million kilowatts of electricity, reducing the nation’s electric bill by $16 billion annually.

Governments own and maintain a wide range of buildings and facilities, including administrative and office buildings, park facilities, health clinics and hospitals, fire and police stations, convention centers, wastewater treatment plants, and airports. At their disposal are a variety of administrative, regulatory, and financing tools that can help local governments develop and operate these building resources in a sustainable manner. Local governments can create policies for municipal procurement, contract specifications, building performance, and building codes regulating community standards; enact resolutions, training and education programs, and ordinances that focus attention on sustainable development; create community boards and commissions to study local sustainable issues; and provide economic incentives for sustainable development. Many local governments have the experience and capability to create model programs and buildings, which set examples for resource-efficient

Sustainable buildings are those that can be an asset for many years to come. Buildings have potential lives spanning hundreds of years. What is being built now could affect the next ten generations. Not to build for maximum energy, water, materials and waste efficiency is to place an unacceptable burden on future generations. Sustainable technologies are available, sustainable design strategies have been implemented, and studies have proved that these approaches can contribute positively to reducing the ecological footprint of a society. There aren’t any practical or ethical reasons for not designing and building sustainable buildings. Buildings that are loved become part of the community’s own culture, have long lives and are economically sustainable. The concept of economic sustainability is well understood among architects, successful buildings make money, sell quickly, command more rent, have long lives or help induce the regeneration of an area. Also, making a positiv

Sustainability is not an academic pursuit or even a professional activity it is a way of life affecting everything an individual does. Knowing what kind of a relationship we want to have with the global and local environment is the first consideration. Then we should address how to achieve this relationship. To move from theory into practice it is necessary to understand the impacts associated with our work- and life-related activities. Buildings, their construction, use and disposal, have a significant impact on the natural environment and social fabric of our society. Sustainable architecture can help put into practice and even encourage a sustainable way of life. But how can buildings be designed and built to contribute positively to the sustainability agenda, to achieve economically strong, socially inclusive, stable communities while minimizing the impact on the environment? There are perhaps two main aims for sustainable architectural design. First, sustainable

"Of course good architecture does not actually waste space" ( Philip Johnson ). We often need space to tell us how to behave. In fact it creates settings, which organize our lives, activities and relationships. In good architecture space does this for us without our noticing, hence the possibility of joking that such space is wasted. Great architects seem to be fluent in this language many probably without consciously studying it. It is as basic a tool of the trade for an architect as body language may be to an actor. The great Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger has shown an extraordinarily high awareness of the language of space, not only in his buildings but also through his writing. He explained this by likening an architect to the famous detective who always solves the puzzle of which character committed the crime. In such novels the detective has no more information than the rest of us he sees what we see and hears what we hear but he has learnt to read th

A simplistic view of the role is that architects create architectures, and their responsibilities encompass all that is involved in doing so. This would include articulating the architectural vision, conceptualizing and experimenting with alternative architectural approaches, creating models and component and interface specification documents, and validating the architecture against requirements and assumptions.  However, any experienced architect knows that the role involves not just these technical activities, but others that are more political and strategic in nature on the one hand, and more like those of a consultant, on the other. These activities drive the competencies that the architect needs to be successful. Ancient, traditional cultures and languages used the same word for both builder and architect. Construction was an integrated craft. The master mason or carpenter knew how to design structures, estimate costs, assemble labor and materials, and manage the cons

(Tom Markus 1993): I take the stand that buildings are not primarily art, technical or investment objects, but social objects. Places are often very complex in terms of the opportunities they afford us for analysis. Two people visiting the same place at different times in their lives may be able to extract quite different character from it. Of course buildings can be seen in many different ways. For instance be viewed as works of art, as technical achievements, as the wallpaper of urban space and as behavioral, cultural, psychological, social and partly cultural phenomena. One of the intriguing and endlessly fascinating things about the study of architecture is that one may come at it from so many different angles. Some authors, and regrettably very many architects, will try to have you believe that their perspective is somehow right and superior to all others. This is not new; Putin claimed his ‘Gothic’ architecture to be the only truly Christian one (Putin, 1841). Gr

Space, and that which encloses it, are much more central to all of us in our everyday lives than purely technical, aesthetic or even semiotic interpretation would suggest. Space is both that which brings us together and simultaneously that which separates us from each other. It is thus crucial to the way our relationships work. Space is the essential stuff of a very fundamental and universal form of communication. The human language of space, whilst it has its cultural variations, can be observed all over the world wherever and whenever people come together. In particular in this book we are interested in the space created in and around architecture. Architecture organizes and structures space for us, and its interiors and the objects enclosing and inhabiting its rooms can facilitate or inhibit our activities by the way they use this language. Because this language is not heard or seen directly, and certainly not written down, it gets little attention in a formal sense. Ho

Wherever you find people gathered together collectively inhabiting some part of our world you will also find rules governing their use of space. Some of these rules may be purely a matter of local social convention, but many are a reflection of both the deep-seated needs of our psyche and of the characteristics of human beings. In our modern world most of the spaces we use have been designed for us professionally by architects, urban designers, interior designers and their ilk. It was of course not always so, nor is it so now in all societies. Before professionalism, the design and creation of space was a more social and vernacular process seamlessly integrated with all other aspects of a culture. In our sort of world, space has also become a matter of economics, of technology and of art. Many design theoreticians and critics write about architectural space as if it were some entirely abstract substance. They discuss such ideas as form, proportion, rhythm and color as if t

Language of space is a global one, since many of its roots can be found in fundamental characteristics of the human race. Whilst Urdu, English and Spanish, etc are spoken by many millions of people in many countries, the language of space is truly international. It’s well known fact that communicating by telephone is way different then communicating ‘face to face’. It tells us how people are arranged in space. They are not ‘back to back’, because they actually want to see each other’s faces! This is very basic stuff. Unfortunately, it is so fundamental that we often forget about it when designing spaces. Not all behavior in space involves conversation, but much of our behavior in space involves communication in some way or other. If truth is served properly, throughout our lives we probably communicate far more through space than we do with formal language. When we walk into a room, others are reading this spatial language long before we speak. What we wear, how we smell, t

Architects are becoming increasingly interested in digital media. Digital media make extensive use of digital technologies to address questions regarding the relationship between actual and virtual environments, and actively pursue alternative forms of architectural and urban space. Media deal with electronically based methods and techniques of design and construction, thus questioning traditional formal, material, and programmatic aspects of architecture. Generally speaking, media have two aspects: virtual reality and digital fabrication. Virtual reality utilizes various animation softwares, such as Maya, softimage, 3D Studio Max/Viz, and Form Z, in order to speculate about new kinds of space. On the other hand, some of these programs can also be used to build models through laser cutters and ultimately to fabricate structures.   If you are interested in media, it is obvious that you will need to show in your portfolio evidence of interest in and understanding of, CAD

The Portfolio should outline some of the main movements in architectural education and design practice. Once you are familiar with these movements, try to research them in more depth look for precedents, examples, and offices that practice them. Try to understand their aesthetic, imagery, and vocabulary, because if you are planning to join them it is very important to understand how they work and communicate. Look for the types of images such offices use, types of software they prefer, ideas they are referring to, etc. The situation is very similar with graduate schools. Some of them even have concentrations or specializations that closely follow some of these movements. When you look at the prospective schools for your postgraduate education, check if they have concentrations and if they do, try to tailor your portfolio towards one of their concentrations. This will demonstrate your understanding of contemporary practices, and it will also demonstrate your desire to expan

You will obviously need a portfolio when you are applying for teaching positions. But here you will need to show not only your own design work, but also your written work, including published essays or projects. Preparing a portfolio for getting a teaching job is a big job, as there are significant differences between expectations in different countries and at different levels of teaching. There are very specific things that a school will be looking to find in your portfolio depending on what type of position you are seeking, which will have a major impact on its organization, and on the way that you organize your CV. Teaching positions are hard to get, and therefore you will be facing stiff competition. Make sure that your portfolio reflects the requirements of the position that is advertised, but sending a portfolio to the head or director of the school can sometimes help you obtain a part-time or adjacent teaching position without a position being advertised. If you hav

An architectural education prepares you for professional life not only in architecture; it can also help you enter related fields such as graphic design, advertising, film, construction, real estate, and so on. If you are thinking of making such a change, your portfolio will need to show some evidence of skills and ideas related to your chosen field. If you are trying to get a position in a related discipline like graphic design, your portfolio may include, beside architectural projects, graphic compositions, and experiments with book formats and layouts, and even different portfolio types. Whichever area you choose to enter, it helps to show that you have studied it, or have some experience of working in it, demonstrated through the work shown in your portfolio.

Competition for teaching fellowships is tougher. Winning means that you have successfully competed with many other outstanding students of your generation. It can open doors to great jobs in practice and the academy. You need to remember that different fellowships have different portfolio requirements but are usually very specific about quantity and format of the work, so in general do not try to bend the rules. Instead, your editing and your message have to be carefully thought through so that the attention of your audience (the jury) is captured immediately. Once you have made it through the first round (where work is usually eliminated fairly quickly) your projects will need to stand closer scrutiny. The project pages will need to be well-composed, the project will need to be well-described and the design will need to be consistently outstanding.

Competition for scholarships and assistant ships is even more intense. These are more frequently available at graduate level, but generally rare. Whatever the case, your portfolio will have to be outstanding to get you into the pool for such funding. There will need to be a close fit between your work and the school, and your work will need to be of a very high standard indeed. Each page will need to capture attention immediately, highlight your ideas, and show their originality and relevance to the agenda of the school. For example, a strong undergraduate digital portfolio will help you to get graduate support.

Probably the most important time you will prepare a portfolio as a student will be when you will try to change schools. Most graduate programmes or diploma courses have more applicants than places, and in the best schools the competition is intense. Here your work will need to have something in common with the strengths of the school, and it will also need to stand out from the crowd. Make Your Major Interests Clear Make sure your major interests are clearly represented, and if you think you are short on work that shows what you can do, do additional work for the portfolio. Emphasizes strong computer graphic skills while demonstrating a variety of representational media; drawings, models, text, etc. It enables you to get a scholarship to attend a graduate programme with an outstanding tradition.

If you are an undergraduate student, the next kind of portfolio you will need to prepare will be the one that presents your work to potential employers. Here, your audience will be looking for your capacity to be useful in their architectural office so your message needs to emphasize your competence and compatibility with their work. Construction Experience If you have any kind of construction experience, such as helping your family build a house extension, or have worked for architects or contractors while at school, it is essential that you include copies of drawings or models or building elements that you made. For example , once you have had some office experience, you may wish to include a selection, or even a full set, of construction drawings. Interest Of Offices Offices are also interested in your design work at school, particularly if you have done design or other work in areas which the office has as a specialization. For example, if you have done housing design

Although some schools of architecture require portfolios for admission into a degree course, or the undergraduate programme, it is more likely that preparing for a portfolio review will probably be the first time you will need to make a portfolio. Applying For  Undergraduate Programme O r Degree Course If you are applying to an undergraduate programme or degree course that requires a portfolio. The main difference will be that your portfolio will most likely have work from your art or drafting class, or visual and constructed work you have made in your free time. Schools That Ask For Portfolio Schools that ask for a portfolio for admission to the first or freshman year are usually pretty clear about the format, so make sure you ask exactly what they are looking for. The rules for passing the academic year vary from school to school and can appear more, or less, mysterious depending on the school. In Most Schools Of Architecture  In most schools of architecture, passing t

Audience as you can see, the message of your portfolio will change depending on the next intended phase of your career. The most important thing to remember is that your message, may remain the same during a particular phase of your career, the audience for your work may change dramatically. In many cases you yourself may want to use the portfolio to change your environment sometimes dramatically if you are thinking of changing countries or continents to get into graduate school, a postgraduate programme or an architectural office. Your portfolio will need to show not only the message what you already do well but how what you do well might fit into the world of the people who will be looking at your work. You need to understand your audience and its conventions before you prepare the portfolio. If you do that you will have the best chance possible to communicate appropriately. As the audiences for your portfolio will definitely have a significant impact on the format and con

For making a portfolio one must know exactly what you want to show and why. As an architectural student you will need a portfolio for different occasions. What you decide to edit out and what you decide to keep in the portfolio will depend on how you want to be seen and what the portfolio is for. What kind of a message are you trying to get across? By this we do not mean a verbal message, although you will almost certainly want to use words to emphasize your focus in your work. A portfolio message should clearly communicate what kind of architectural interests and skills you have. For example, the portfolio you will use to apply to graduate school may emphasize your creativity and ability to work through challenging ideas and unusual forms, whereas a portfolio you use to apply for a professional job in an office may need to include construction drawings, site photographs and schedules to emphasize your technical competence. Even more specifically, if you are applying to

The portfolio is definitely not an archive of every piece of work that you have ever done. At a basic practical level you will not have the time and money to reproduce all that work, you will not want to pay vast amounts of money to mail it, and certainly the people who will be looking at your portfolio will not have time to look at everything you have done. In a professional situation, especially if there is an economic recession and greater competition for work, very often if you do not capture in the first few pages of your portfolio the imaginations of the people who are looking at it, they may not even get all the way through your portfolio. That means you will need to edit the portfolio itself to include only the best, the most engaging and sometimes the most provocative, work. In addition, you will need to remember that there are also differences between portfolio expectations in different countries. In the USA the portfolio you will most likely use to apply for entry

Documentation is needed to keep your every piece of work you produce in the studio, in the office and in related visual, technical, or practical areas. Taking care of your work is the most important professional activity you will ever do. Although you may not see the connection now, later on you may need to show some of your exploratory sketches for a design project because a particular Diploma Course or graduate programme may want to see how you think through drawing. Or you may need construction photographs because a particular office may want to see that you already have some site experience, and that you know how to recognize good from bad construction. So, get into the habit of scanning or photographing hand-drawn work or models at regular points during the project.   A good time to do this is immediately after a review or jury it gives you time to reflect on the totality of the work, and if you do it well, it will make you proud of what you have done. Make sure you da

Your portfolio is your passport and your visiting card, through which you introduce yourself to the new worlds you wish to enter and by which your value is established and compared to others. Very importantly, it is also a document through which you make a contribution to how we understand architecture; it is your chance to clarify and share what you believe and aspire to, and to present new ideas, techniques, observations and experiences, mainly to others but sometimes just to yourself. A carefully wrought portfolio of work will be the single most important record and outcome of your architectural education. The major part of your education is always going to be the design of buildings as executed through drawings, models and other kinds of visual representation, and your portfolio records the ideas, the processes and the result of your work as a designer in the architecture studio as well as in other visually oriented classes. It can also contain other kinds of info