I have been reading textbooks on architecture/home design. I am wondering if there are any CA users that are self-educated in home design that design professionally or as a side job? Anybody?
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I have been reading textbooks on architecture/home design. I am wondering if there are any CA users that are self-educated in home design that design professionally or as a side job? Anybody?
I do twenty to thirty custom homes per year. My University training was in Music Performance, I never lost my affinity for Music but found a professional home using Chief Inc software to help visualize Architecture for others. Most of the homes I design are directly with the owners of Home Designer Software but many if not all of them also use Chief Architect Premier or Home Designer software, at least initially. So I help others get their desires into a format that can easily be shared with other building and financial professionals, that is my niche.
DJP
Interesting Question/Topic
I started out as an electrical engineer, shot deer, chamois, thar and pigs on foot and from helicopters for a living for 7 years. Did electrical marine work in between. Was an area electrical inspector for a short period. Worked for an Nth American Co as a development engineer for 8 years, got sick of travelling, so gave that up. I was alway interested in the construction industry so started out in a small way, built up my brand and expanded into high end residential as well as commercial. During this period I worked with some very interesting and predominate architects, a lot of the work was quite complexed and complicated and so I become more heavily involved with the design side, in the end I was providing the architects with full construction drawings as in a some cases they didn't have the on site knowledge to make things work, in the end I was providing a design and build service. In the early stages of this process it was draughting machines and pencils, got sick of the smudgy paper then moved into CAD which I taught myself, started with a basic program, tried others, had CA since V10 now have VX5 which I think is very good, easy to use, suits most of my needs except for a few fiddle arounds. Been using CAD programs for 18-20 years, still learning, still not an expert. I have be accredited by the NZ DHB and are now a qualified licensed designer, as are architects.
I had the construction company for 26 years and are now semi retired, now doing design work mainly for residential new builds and alterations providing the complete package, concepts, full design, building consents and project management.
I still enjoy doing the design work as it keeps you in touch with the industry and people, takes the boredom out of sitting on the back of the boat dangling a fishing rod, walking through the bush looking for a deer or walking up a river fly fishing for a trout, Yer right!
In the past 5-7 years the construction industry has gone through some major changes in NZ, now every one that is involved with the construction industry, professional or qualified trades people have to be licensed, many are finding it to tough and are moving on, the good ones are staying.
The construction industry has become more than just hammer and nails, its a profession now, if you keep up with the speed of the ever increasing changes you can make an enjoyable and rewarding profession out of it.
I have really enjoyed my time in the construction industry, designing and building is another form of creative art, starting with a few materials which are basically formed from clay, stones, trees, metals etc, it gives one the ability to create, form, interact, stand back and look at where you have come from and where you are going.
PS. I haven't had a job selling bread yet, maybe in the next life, I'm sure the job could be moulded into something
I don't think anyone here is really self taught, They learned it from somebody over the years. What I found out is some things you learn are wrong, and that's how we learn.
That's correct, to qualify it, I have learnt a lot from this forum I hope that's where I haven't gone wrong
I'm sure this will add to my unpopularity here, but I see a whole lot of unnecessarily bad design on this forum. It is a good place to learn how to use the program, but very little of that teaches you how to DESIGN. It's like expecting the instruction manual for a chop saw to teach you how to create a beautifully executed miter in some crown molding.
Not true. Fundamental design skills can be, and are, taught successfully. That doesn't make you the new Frank Lloyd Wright or Frank Gehry but it can make you at least a competent designer. We're not talking about abstract expressionism here, we're talking about tangible things like floor plan flow and function, scale, balance, composition, proportion, proper access to natural light, responding to local environments, sustainability, etc. Quality residential design is not just in the "eye of the beholder". It can be quantified.
If you believe that good design can not be taught you need to visit an architectural school and see the first year work vs. the 5th year work. The benefits of design and art school are tremendous. Especially a studio environment where you can experience the creative process of many people instead of only one (you).
Can you be self taught and competent? Maybe. Can you be self taught and great? Doubtful. Can you be self taught and mediocre? With effort.
This is not to say that design school is a guarantee of being very good but it certainly betters your chances of getting beyond competent.
Based on the range of design work that I have seen posted on this forum, there are absolutely some people more qualified than others to judge what is good and what is bad. Residential design is primarily not subjective. The sculptural aspect of certain designs may be subjective but space planning, flow and proportion are not. Things like line and form are more towards subjective but trained designers will often be on the same page in regards to these things.
There will always be extreme outlying exceptions to the self taught rule. Craig Ellwood is a modernist example of this. He was an engineer and builder with a great sense of aesthetic and became the designer.
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Originally Posted by sutcac
I would not call Mr Gehry a skilled designer, but obviously many do. I totally agree that good design can be taught, but the teacher may be a university, job experience, or fine observation.
Used to, but very little these days due to the economy that hasn't fully recovered. Most of the builders around here are getting by with remodeling projects, plus re-sales dominate the market.
I started with CA5 back in 1999 & used their VHS cassettes (16 of them & I still have them), plus the manual to learn. Subsequently upgraded to CA6, CA9.5 and CA10 which is my latest version. It's been a good ride, but with the market as it is & my age I don't expect to be working with CA much longer, if at all for local builders.
Quote: ("I believe the word here is talent" - "you have the talent or you don't")
Architecture, design, art or what ever you want to call it
Who taught the great painters and artist over time?, I believe they may have been "self taught", most of them couldn't afford to own a donkey, horse and cart, go to day care, school, college or dare I say it "art school"
Hey, my major in college started out "ART" but I changed it to Architecture. I didn't want to starve to death my whole life.Quote:
or dare I say it "art school"
Toughen up three meals a day of porridge doesn't cost much
To whom are you referring? Rembrandt? Michelango? Virtually all of the great painters and sculptors spent a significant period of time as apprentices to other painters and sculptors. Pick someone you think is "great" and do a search for their background on wikipedia. You will find that virtually NO ONE was "self taught." Well, maybe Grandma Moses was self-taught, but I would not put her work in the same category as Rembrandt or Michelangelo.Quote:
Originally Posted by michaeljames
The definition of "self-taught" apparently only means "didn't get a degree in architecture." Let's take Michael Scott, for example. From his wiki entry:
"Scott became an apprentice for the sum of £375 per annum to the Dublin architectural firm Jones and Kelly.[1] He remained there from 1923 until 1926, where he studied under Alfred E. Jones. In the evenings after work, he also attended the Metropolitan School of Art and the Abbey School of Acting, taking minor parts in Abbey productions. On completing his pupilage he became an assistant to Charles James Dunlop and then had a brief spell as an assistant architect in the Office of Public Works."
I picked up design while starting my career in commercial construction in 1994. I, by chance, began working with the Chief Architect program at that time (which was operating under a different name/ownership at that then). I've honed my skills over the past 19 years by learning as much as I can through friends who are architects, field experience and trial and error. I think you will find that you get out of it what you put into it. 99% of my clients are by referrals. It is a side business in which I typically design 5 or so new homes a year, 5 or so renovations/additions and many virtual renderings to people who need clarity to what their project may end up looking like once complete; the latter being the most popular. Good luck to you. It can be a great deal of fun and quite rewarding.
I think most of us learn as we go and the question should be ,Can you survive in this business, with a lot of things going against you. If you can, then your good enough. It's not about good or bad design, self taught or learned. It's about having a viable business that allows you to make enough money to survive. Talent is subjected to scrutiny from all, some will think you are very talented and some will think you stink. Whatever floats your boat. Of course common sense in design should be more important than trying to promote yourself as worlds greatest Designer or Architect. It's all been done before. Can you survive, after all, we do it for money don't we.
Nothing like selective quoting. A little further down on the Tadao Ando wiki page-
"He attended night classes to learn drawing and took correspondence courses on interior design." How is this not "formal"? Learning to draw is learning to see is learning to design. In architecture school you take these basic skills classes before you even design a single structure. This is where things like composition, balance, and proportion spring from.
My take on this subject is that one should always intend to be a professional. Training in one's chosen field, whether an apprenticeship or formal classroom study or self-study is reasonable and expected.
I also believe that a piece of paper (diploma or license) does not ensure any real level of competence or talent, at best it shows that the bearer can answer questions on a test which is of course better than nothing or so it is hoped.
The most important factor is love or affinity for the artistic pursuit of one's profession, for helping others with one's creativity and skill. That affinity will propel one to learn what they need to know and to learn from their and others mistakes.
The largest impediment to learning and useful wisdom is the consideration that "one knows all there is to know, already."
DJP
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Originally Posted by David J. Potter
David....As usual, well said. I give it an Amen!
I really like the building he did in Fort Worth.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reed111355
http://media1.hellodallas.com/media/...739_image1.jpg
There is, of course, a lot of information about architecture and construction that may be acquired through self-study and practice. But there are also components that I currently believe are just not possible to teach oneself. For starters, these include:
1) An appreciation -- a connoisseurship, if you will -- of the formal qualities of architecture, such as proportion, rhythm, scale, color, light, space, etc. and how these all interact with one another. This is, in effect, learning how "to see" and requires many exercises and someone who has already developed an appreciation to guide the novice in experiencing these qualities. I'm not saying that it has to be necessarily in school, but it requires a mentor. Even such a talent as Frank Lloyd Wright had such a mentor in Louis Sullivan. And architects who are serious about their craft often let others critique their own work. This is similar to how artists get together and discuss one another's work. This is simply not something that you can do yourself.
2) An attitude that the first couple of solutions probably aren't all that good. A mark of a novice (and a beginning architecture student) is that their work is precious. It takes years (and some serious ego-bruising) to learn that good design is really hard work and that pushing one's self to better design may mean staying up late, and looking at the 10th or 15th solution. Self-taught people just aren't capable of mercilessly bruising their own egos, and knowing when they are producing something that is pretty mediocre, at best.
3) Starting with a belief that good design is important. While a diploma or a license isn't a guarantee of competence, it is a mark of a certain level (years and $$$) of commitment and dedication to an ideal that is seldom found in self-taught people.
Self Taught? who came up with DNA? that is the only one who was truly self taught in the fullest sense of the word and put the ability to learn in mankind and other living creatures.
Those of mankind who excel in design and architecture, you have a great gift use it well.
Others of mankind are good at other things and not all are talented in the same way as others or otherwise the world would be boring.
Yes if we can reach 15 facets of diamond we still have a long way to go to get the full multi-faceted diamond.
FYI, a lot of artist's have this naturally. They learn it from nature and looking at things closely. Just saying there are several ways to achieve.Quote:
1) An appreciation -- a connoisseurship, if you will -- of the formal qualities of architecture, such as proportion, rhythm, scale, color, light, space, etc. and how these all interact with one another. This is, in effect, learning how "to see" and requires many exercises and someone who has already developed an appreciation to guide the novice in experiencing these qualities. I'm not saying that it has to be necessarily in school, but it requires a mentor. Even such a talent as Frank Lloyd Wright had such a mentor in Louis Sullivan. And architects who are serious about their craft often let others critique their own work. This is similar to how artists get together and discuss one another's work. This is simply not something that you can do yourself.
Yes the eyes take in information and our learning for visual arts begins.
The ear for musical arts.
The nose and tongue for food.
The sense of feeling and touch.
The body for movement sport and other mobile arts.
The baby is able to learn through these senses as it grows and learns how to talk walk etc.
The training of humanoid robots in some cases looks at how babies start to learn.
Who programs the robotic brains we do but who programmed us?
I remember reading something quite a while back that I don't think I really understood until recently.
I will try to quote it as best I can.
When you are walking down the road and you meet a man who is a swordsman, show him your sword, you will recieve praise and encouragement. But, if you are walking down the road and you meet a man who is not a poet, don't show him your poem.
It appears to me that both education and craftsmanship are both important elements for one to become truely skilled at what they do. The problem, as it appears to me, is finding qualified mentors.
In our day and age one might find mentors on YouTube, a book, or in a formal institutional setting. When walking down the road, you must choose for yourself.
We do!Quote:
Who programs the robotic brains we do but who programmed us?
Competence is based upon the intention to be competent backed up by personal diligence and no other criteria. No stack of diplomas or certificates insures competence or intelligence.
Certificates, diplomas and licenses do insure a minimum of knowledge as well as evidence of a general degree of professionalism. When I need a plumber, I call one, when I need an Engineer I call one, not a handy man.
All I am saying is that a piece of paper does not a competent person make by itself.
DJP