Ask any of my friends on what I am good at; they may say a lot of things 😏. But one thing they may all unilaterally agree upon is that I have an artistic bent of mind and can draw very well and with precision. Engineering Drawing in classes 11 and 12 was hence a natural choice for me. After giving my class 12 board exams, I attempted the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA), a national level examination to secure admission into undergraduate courses in Architecture. I was then fortunate to get admitted into MEASI Academy of Architecture, where I did my B.Arch, a 5-year long rigorous course.

Internships are an integral part of a B.Arch program. I did two internships - my first internship, a 6 month long one at a design firm in Chennai and the second, an overseas internship at Dubai at a top-10 design firm. I strongly recommend everyone who pursues a B.Arch program to try as many internships as possible as the design philosophy changes from company-to-company and architect-to-architect. Doing an internship overseas, apart from giving you tremendous exposure, is also a real icing on the cake on your CV, when you look for jobs after graduation.

After graduation, I started my own small architectural design company. As with most creative professions, no two days are the same here. A prospective client may first invite me to survey the place. Site analysis helps to ascertain what kind of geometry the place has; what's the level difference; what's the direction of wind and direction sunlight; are there any existing buildings surrounding the place- whether it blocks light/ breeze, etc.; if there's an old tree - how to design around it instead of cutting the tree, etc. The client then shares their dreams and vision of design, with which I will prepare a design brief. In the next stage, with my inputs I prepare a schematic of the design for the client's approval. Once it is approved, the design will be rendered in 3D to give the models life. After which, the designs will be reviewed by structural engineers and civil engineers for feasibility checks. In some cases, the design may have to be altered to ensure the feasibility of construction.

According to me ability to visualize is the most important skill an architect must possess.

Almost forgot to answer the question on the difference between an architect and civil engineer… civil engineers build a house - architects make them a home 🤔. Both are just as important! Civil engineers deal with structural elements of the design, ensuring the structures can endure the test of time and extremities — architects on the other hand focus on aesthetics and appearance aspects of the design.