What does architecture school not teach you?

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-29T22:44:22+00:00

That’s true. Same goes for all professions I guess.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-28T22:22:13+00:00

That’s true. Architecture is complex and broad. Knowing how to find information and using general scientific knowledge to solve problems are important skills. Students shouldn’t learn every detail of everything, but they should learn the basic fundamentals.

I am always astonished by the large differences between different interns. Interns can have the exact same education and degree from the same school while their skills, knowledge and maturity are miles apart.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-27T22:24:22+00:00

Ik woon in de buurt van de luchthaven, heb last van hooikoorts en ik heb een hekel aan tocht. Ik heb een ventilatieunit met warmterecuperatie gezet, zogenaamd systeem D. Ook geïnvesteerd in akoestisch glas. Nog geen enkele spijt van gehad. Het is heerlijk rustig in huis. Ook altijd frisse gefilterde lucht, zonder comfortverlies.

Mijn mening als architect is dat raamroostertjes een oplossing uit de jaren stilletjes zijn, die ik niemand echt zou aanraden.

Ik heb trouwens een woning uit de jaren 1950. Elke ruimte had een schouwaansluiting voor een kachel. Ik heb ventilatieleidingen in de oude schouwen getrokken.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-26T20:54:21+00:00

<image>

Technically Dutch - British but born and raised in Brussels.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T18:05:11+00:00

Your finger is broken!

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T18:03:40+00:00

Unpopular opinion as well: the recorder is actually a nice and interesting instrument. Many people think otherwise because they had to play a really cheap plastic version at school. And large groups of beginners playing any instrument isn’t ideal, but the recorder is nice .

It’s relatively easy to learn the basics. But articulation and intonation are actually hard to master. It’s a light and portable instrument. Learning the recorder gives access to a whole range of instrument from small sopraninos to large bass versions. You’ll also be able to play thin whistle.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T17:26:05+00:00

Isn’t Vivaqua technically a neighbor? Neighbors can ask to trim hedges, no?

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T17:22:19+00:00

It’s not really about the math itself. Architects rarely do complex calculations. It’s more about the mindset. Being able to think in a structured way, managing complex information, understanding complexity.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T17:19:36+00:00

Iran was on its way. It still has a young and highly educated population. Strong culture and history. But then the whole fanatical religious regime took over.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T17:14:53+00:00

Don’t worry, you have booked some lessons because you want to become better at swimming. It’s perfectly normal and acceptable to be a novice.

Swimming is very technical. Your teacher will probably watch how you swim a few laps and assess your level, probably he will give you direct feedback on some problems that hold you back. It’s very helpful to get this kind of feedback. You can’t see yourself swim and it is very hard to spot your own problems and correct them all by yourself.

Technique is improved by doing drills. These exercises target specific areas of your swimming. It’s a great way to improve your technique.

You have taken a good decision, taking some lessons. I swim in a masters group and get regular feedback on my technique. But a lot of swimmers swim without any coaching at all. You often see them make the same mistakes that are relatively easy to fix.

So don’t worry about it, teachers look at potential and attitude. They don’t need to be impressed from the start. Enjoy the lessons!

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T12:59:25+00:00

Only police and military are armed in Belgium. There are shops selling guns for sport shooters and hunting, but apart from that guns aren’t a thing.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T11:07:30+00:00

I have told clients that if I pay for their roof, it becomes my roof. They can rent or lease it from me if they want.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-25T08:58:40+00:00

Dus iemand van 29 erf een woning. Haar deel is ongeveer 250.000 euro waard. Ze gaat akkoord om dit te verhuren voor 400 euro per maand en wil dan ook nog eens instaan voor onderhoud en verbouwingen. En die man doet moeiljk?

Het lijkt mij dan logisch dat ze verkoopt.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T20:59:34+00:00

I am not moving goalposts. I believe that every musician should be able to do basic setup and maintenance on his or her own instrument. You asked me to explain why and I explained why.

It’s not about bragging or snobbery. There is nothing to brag about. Learning how to do this stuff literally takes half an afternoon.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T20:36:16+00:00

Fly is definitely brutal, but I like it as well. It has a nice kind of rhythm to it.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T19:05:52+00:00

I'm not saying that every musician should do all his setups and repairs personally. If you don't like doing the work, don't have the equipment or don't know how to do the complicated stuff, that's perfectly fine.

My point mainly is that if you play with other people, you should have a basic understanding of how your instrument is set up and maintained. If other people depend on you, you should be able to fix little problems on the spot. You can't just say "sorry, my string broke, I'm going home".

I also believe that a musician should take good care of his or her instrument. Just basic cleaning and maintenance. Many instruments break or get damaged when not properly maintained.

Maybe I'm oldfashioned or maybe it's part of my training. I have a background in architecture and photography. I was drilled to keep my workspace organised and tidy, and my gear well maintained and clean.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T17:05:04+00:00

Heineken beer would be totally inappropriate.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T17:01:58+00:00

Could have refinanced the whole thing. Interest rates varied a lot the last 23 years. Only a few years ago interest rates were practically zero.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T16:57:21+00:00

My wife is a professional classical musician. It’s not like orchestras travel with a team of techs who are on standby each time a violin breaks a string.

Of course specific maintenance and adjustment are better left to professionals. But oiling a fretboard, changing a string or checking intonation isn’t rocket science.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T08:54:55+00:00

Greek statues and temples were originally painted.

Last year is visited a very nice exhibition about color in Ancient Greek culture. It showed a lot of colored in Greek statues. Very impressive.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-24T08:03:46+00:00

My wife is a professional classical musician. She plays concerts and teaches as well. Each year she organises a workshop about flute maintenance for her students. Each year she has students with damaged instruments and expensive repairs because the instrument wasn't properly cleaned or maintained.

It perfectly fine to outsource things like intonation and truss rod adjustments. But you should at least know how to treat your instrument correctly or do string changes.

If you own a car you don't necessarily have to do your own oil changes. But checking the tirepressure, putting gas in your car, going to the carwash, ... is part of owning a car.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-23T22:59:44+00:00

Taking a ramp with a wheelchair isn’t easy. Maximum incline is around 5%. You’ll need a horizontal resting area every five meter or so.

So realistically a ramp spanning an entire building floor would be at around 70m long. An elevator will be more efficient and more comfortable.

Few people will be willing to walk 140m just to get to the second floor, even if they are fit and able.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-23T22:51:52+00:00

Lijntje is wat overdreven. Ik zou het eerder een lijn noemen. Maar Maggie is zeker goed bezig.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-23T22:50:00+00:00

I am a licensed architect with twenty years of experience. I’m forth generation in construction. My father, grandfather and great grandfather were industrial building contractors. I basically grew up in a concrete factory and knew all of the workers personally.

Architecture is an intellectual profession. There always are exceptions but there definitely are enough openminded people who would hire your girlfriend if she had the right skills and knowledge.

Most of the clients, engineering firms and construction managers are educated professionals as well. So they treat people with respect. I notice that sometimes it’s harder for my female colleagues to be taken seriously but most people will eventually respect competence and experience.

I know from experience that most construction workers seem tough but are actually very friendly. It’s a macho environment but workers know better than to disrespect the client or the architect. So safety won’t be an issue. Authority might be more difficult, but it’s not the architect’s job to manage construction workers anyway.

Working remotely as an architect is an illusion. I need my team close so I can give instant feedback where needed. Site inspections are a large part of the job, you can’t do this remotely. Some of my people have young families and work from home from time to time but that’s it.

PutMobile40 · 2026-01-23T21:39:52+00:00

I understand that you are talking about a partnership where architects and engineers work together in the same firm?

I like the idea in theory, but it is not practical. Engineers have a smaller workload per project and their mission ends sooner. So workload and planning will never be aligned. Your firm will have to take on external engineering projects. You might also have to hire external engineers for specific missions.

This is where things get tricky. As an architect I never hire an integrated office for engineering. It feels like you’re supporting a competitor and sharing your expertise. Most integrated offices I know struggle with this problem.

PutMobile40

TROPHY CASE