The studio is traditionally a home away from home for architecture students. As the week’s progress through the course and more time is spent working, more household goods appear. As the equilibrium moves from living at home, working at studio, to living at studio, going home merely for supplies, you find that these items are essential. Currently we have a portable fridge and kettle to cater for all our caffeine addictions, be it coffee or red bull. Having learnt the lesson the hard way that a microwave provides not only hot food, but unpleasant lingering smells we opted out of purchasing one this year. As the late nights are getting later however, a toaster may be on the cards...
Yet there are only 3 of us in today, albeit it is a Sunday (how sad are we?!) but more often than not people are choosing to work from home which makes you ask the question: are studios really needed? Can they now actually be classed as wasted space?
Interestingly, when I was studying at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), no studio space was provided. They simply did not have the room. Instead they had a small studio space located on a mezzanine floor above the entrance foyer which was open to all students. First years were however given the priority. This created a great working environment as this one studio had people from all years working in the same space. First years were aware of what the final year students were doing and vice versa, and as such you could provide more helpful suggestions to your peers as you were seeing things afresh.
At UTAS, the computer labs acted as studios also. They were made just as homely as our studio spaces, open 24 hours, and again used by all years. Everyone seemed to claim their space and it felt very relaxed – so much so that some people even took to having quick naps beneath their desks! Through this environment it was clear that the students at UTAS were far better at computer skills than ourselves, whereas we were better at hand drawing.
Using UTAS as an example it can be argued that by not having a studio space, there was actually more interaction and knowledge across the years as we were all working side by side. And with the internet are studios just a concept which is now extinct?
The internet has enabled students to work from home; work can be posted and submitted online leaving no real need, other than for lectures, to come to the school. Work can be emailed back and forth to students and tutors alike for their opinion without you ever leaving home. And many of the key resources can be found online, rather than in books.
Where there are studios however, there can be the tendency to become a recluse. Being so preoccupied with what you are focussing on, and everyone surrounding you working on the same site or town, you can end up having no idea what the other years are doing. And everyone is in the same boat so even if you were to waltz into another studio, it is unlikely that you will come out more knowledgeable. Going into another studio can therefore be like one dog going onto another dog’s territory – A brave experience!
This is just maybe in the early years however, with students not having the courage to enter into the older students’ domain... By the time you get to final year however, we relish the break of going to see how everyone else is getting on – a bit of procrastination goes a long way! This is especially true with the final two years as the honours’ year students look to the masters’ year for guidance and support knowing that they managed it!
When studios are provided, it is important to still have additional social spaces within a school of architecture to enable interaction across the year groups. These spaces are best when kept neutral in order to provide the necessary breaks away from designing and to encourage you to engage in ‘non-archi’ talk (if at all possible…). Canteen, sofas and a pool table seem to do the trick!
Within your own studio environment there is great interaction. Your peers are able to pick up faults and query things that you may have been unable to notice having worked on nothing else! They can also provide advice and knowledge where needed – the knowledge of 3 people is far greater than one.
This is especially relevant for your final year when the ‘competition’ found in previous years has diminished due to the fact that everyone is working on completely different projects. There is no fear of giving away an inspiring design in case someone else ‘borrows’ it, but in its place, a genuine support network and want to help one another. This puts everyone at an advantage where in the event of a friend getting hassled during a review, you can step in and help them out.
But the most important aspect of the studio is the banter. It is simply priceless. It is amazing how many hairstyles can be created from one small tub of wax, and how soup and its many varieties can be the topic of conversation for many days whilst still grasping your attention! And nothing quite beats a chair race along the corridors, impromptu dancing without the aid of alcohol or watching the ‘Extras’ on the large projector while you work. But please, don’t tell the janitors!
The key to the studio therefore is not the physical environment but the social network; the fast exchange of ideas, the jokes, the laughs and the advice. These are all what keeps you going.
To conclude then, you may replace the studio but you can never replace the banter!
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An interesting thesis Claire and one that I think all Scottish Schools should be grappling with. With resources scarce and time from high profile practitioners even scarcer, the social network model does indeed become an interesting way of disseminating ideas, discussion and one would like to think greater collaboration between practice and education. The 'digital' studio is exactly that a space for discussion, engagement and greater contact. The use of digital design tools will further enhance this process with students testing hypothesis, posting results, receiving comments and then revising proposals. The internet has alreayd transformed practice with everything from practice support, through to project management, specification and production information all radically changed from even ten years ago. The question is will the schools keep apace of contemporary practice and invest in these vehicles and will students really engage with it and probably most importantly will educationalists be able to lead it. Interesting times indeed but it will take all three parties to buy into it to make it work.