As luck would have it, I have returned to Durban - where I grew up and was supposed to attend architecture school. Fate would have me not only attend Nelson Mandela University but study Architectural technology instead of Architecture. Now I am back full circle at UKZN, where I had initially been unsuccessful in applying to study Bachelor of Achitectural Studies, to do my post-grad, no less.
My first semester studying BAS was an emotional and psychological rollercoster! Absolute pandemonium I tell you. For the very first time in my life I was genuinely scared. Absolutely terrified! What had I walked into? Was I wrong for leaving my job to further my studies? WHAT-HAD-I-DONE?! Just in the second week of the semester we had our first presenatation. Surely this presentation was of no consequence if all we had was two weeks to do it. My flying Josephine was I wrong! Everybody else in class rocked up with fully resolved drawings, detailing their concepts and theories, renders that captured the experiences of the spaces and how users were being considered and catered for.
What the heck were theories?! What were design drivers?! First of all, we were presenting, not just pinning up and waiting to recieve our marks. I felt out of depth, the first wave of feelings of inadequecy and imposter syndrome would hit me like a run-away dump truck. These feelings would keep me in bed many mornings where I would choose not to go to class than go out there and put on full display, my incompetence. But what was so different from architectural technology that made me feel way out of my depth in BAS?
I did not only notice a difference in the curriculum, there are differences in the institution AND the culture and people too. Having studied architectural technology, the course was curated to equip us with technical competence both in terms of resolving complex technical details and mastery of computer programs. The design module was not informed by a design process nor prior analysis beyond the standard site analysis. You just came up with whatever you thought looked cool and ran with it. Oh no! Not for BAS.
Now we have to design based on an analysis of a client brief; a vision; a concept; a user; a site that speaks to the user and typology; precedent studies that best embody theories that are most appropriate for the problem, user, and typology; and out of all of these one should extract design drivers. It is all very research based and methodical - and not just designing based on creative whims. Understanding this finally made me understand why NMU made technology students intending to cross over into BAS to join the BAS third years for design and design theory during the technology students' post graduate diploma for design before they could join them for Honors and eventually Masters. The differences also came through in the people and culture.
At NMU the people were, for the most part cliquey and individualistic. There was a lack of sense of community and comraderie. At UKZN I have found that students form friendships with classmates that go beyond school, help one another out when some are falling behind with school work (that would set you back a couple thousand Rands at NMU) and check up on you emotionally and mentally. It feels likle a community. People formed friendships across races and genders, a refreshing departure from the faction culture at NMU. I found myself with support from gents and ladies in my class. I could ask for help and they checked up on me the entire year. I am immensely grateful.
But no institution is perfect, what UKZN has in a great culture and people lacked in facilities and infrastructure. NMU had all the latest tools and all of them were found in-house. From new desktops to quality printers, to a materials shop, to weekly speakers who are at the cuttinng edge of innovation in the industry and other important stakeholders - they had it all. Even the admin at NMU had UKZN beat hands down! Curiously, the combination of Technology and BAS disciplines at NMU has seen them win 4 out of the last 5 Corobrik national competitions and 3 of the 4 came through the technology programme. Could this be the winning formula?
I still have a ways to find out because I still need to improve my design presentation skills, research skills, and design conceptualization to even stand a chance. For now, I can rely on my astute technical knowledge of how a building is put together to augment any brilliant designs that I can conjur up. This year has been a very daring experience. A year of growth and of courage. I did it shit scared (excuse my Xhosa), I did it clueless, I did it sober, I did it clumsily, I did not do it alone, and most importantly...I DID IT! The journey to becoming an architect continues...and it all began with an obscure sketchbook that was never meant to be there in the first place. From Durban to Port Elizabeth, and back to Durban again. Isende lendlela...aluta continua!
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