Stitch Academy beginnings - reflections on work experience

INSIGHT: JOSH MOONEY

Josh Mooney, an undergraduate student from Westminster, reflects on the 2 weeks spent with us, testing our new Stitch Academy curriculum. Interesting that he doesn’t even mention it was all remote!

My two weeks of work experience at Stitch Architects has reignited the spark I felt when I first started architecture school. The spark of feeling like I am finally talking to people who are just as interested in buildings as me.

Fellow students might also feel the same way that when talking to outsiders, people do not really understand or perhaps just do not care. But architects are a bridge between all parties involved in designing a building, and as visual thinkers, it is key that we can articulate thoughts to the design team, developer, and client.

It was a fantastic experience to observe the working realities of practice.

The way a meeting needs to be led to find substance and ensure everyone is working on track towards a common goal : This team effort is rarely looked at in university studio. We are absorbed into the making of a sole project. We get protective over ideas and compete to make the best model or drawing. This solo effort means that simple details such as file naming, which are desperately needed for the organisation of practice, get overlooked. Since employing Stitch’s system myself, I have already seen time improvements and am yet to lose track of work.

These small practicalities are why work experience matters. It starts a foundation of practical knowledge that can be built upon.

Small details of knowledge such as why bathroom doors need to be opened outwards (for health safety in short), are not learned in part 1 of architecture school but are vital for preserving life.

However, it is key to remember, for future work experience candidates, that there is a value in nativity to some practicalities, as it will not bog down your creativity. This is one reason why architecture school teaches you to design not work, it offers a taste of crazy - if you can justify putting a rollercoaster in your building, why not? It is not going to be built we do not worry so much about procurement.

The regulations that practice has to follow ultimately draws a line between crazy innovation and function.

Finding this line is perhaps where the most sophisticated architecture lies as it provides the best possible experience for the user while still adhering to cost and planning restrictions.

Stitch has reminded me there is still a lot to learn.

Overall, it has been an extremely valuable experience for me. The challenge and insight into the working of a medium-sized, yet effective team has made me confident that there are great practices out there. Prior to work experience, I was aware of the nightmare stories of free labour and gruelling deadlines, however, those at Stitch are friendly and supportive.

I have enjoyed my time at Stitch and could not have asked for more.