Dimitris Hall's Reviews > 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School

Useful tips, even if you're not an architect. "Draw lines with bold beginnings and ends", "windows appear dark during the day", "beauty has more to do with the harmonious connection between parts of a composition rather than with the parts themselves", "a good building reveals different aspects of itself when viewed from different distances", "less is more // less is boring", "in winter, people have a width of 61cm. In summer, it's 56cm".

I find Thing 101 especially encouraging for I feel it describes the same holistic stance towards life I'm taking, again even if I'm not an architect:

"Architects are late bloomers.

Most architects do not hit their professional stride until around age 50! There is perhaps no other profession that requires one to integrate such a broad range of knowledge into something so specifi c and concrete. An architect must be knowledgeable in history, art, sociology, physics, psychology, materiality, symbology, political process, and innumerable other fields, and must create a building that meets regulatory codes, keeps out the weather, withstands earthquakes, has functioning elevators and mechanical systems, and meets the complex functional and emotional needs of its users. Learning to integrate so many concerns into a cohesive product takes a long time, with lots of trial and error along the way. If you’re going to be in the field of architecture, be in it for the long haul. It’s worth it."

Found in Giorgis's bookshelves, Patras.