Architecture

I'm an architect and have sent you a Private Message.

As I understand it, there isn't much "intense math/physics" in architecture.

You are pretty much correct. I had four semesters of "structures." It was a "piece of cake."

Of course, these days I have a structural engineer who takes care of that part. That's fortunate ... as I never found "structures" all that exciting.

oh, if i was to take a second course, i'd take architecture. you must practice drafting floor plans as early as you can. visio is a pretty good drafting software. i think you'd have to be good with autocad as well. also, take care of your hands not to get fatigued because you'd need very steady hands when drafting on tracing paper. good luck.

I work with a dude who was a semester away from graduating with honors from a top notch school when he dropped out and started driving a truck. Now he works at a shitty restaurant. I don't know what that means.

Without question, the most valuable tool you can develop before college is freehand sketching with an emphasis on spatial awareness (vanishing point, axonometric view, angle of light and shadow, etc.) Here are some watercolor sketches from Steven Holl. Learn to do exactly what he's doing. Make a form and add or subtract forms to create new combinations that represent spatial possibilities. After some practice, the direction and length of lines you need to draw to make quality representations will become second nature. You'll be shocked at how bad you are at drawing complex 3d forms initially, even when they look extremely coherent and simplified as these do below. As you get better, move on to perspective sketches. This is probably the fundamental skill that is required in practice. Being able to take an idea in your head, getting an accurate depiction of it on paper as quickly as possible, and then using that as a guide to further develop the space (with the technical skills that you will be taught in school.) You'll need to relearn what the purpose of a sketch is. You'll likely be under the impression that photorealism is the basis on which sketching is judged but the better metric is the how well it conveys any sort of information in as easy to read way as possible. In that sense, the sketches above are very good, even if you're confused as to what makes them effective. I also wouldn't worry about computers right now. I would also do as much familiarization with modern architecture as possible. Simply learn who designed what and be able to recognize buildings and their architects. It will help when people that are teaching you make comments about buildings. A bank of background knowledge and mental imagery will go a long way when the material is introduced in a more intensive manner.

love the staircases in the 3rd to the last picture. i see there is a dining area so i guess it's for a house. does the final product look too museum like?

It's the Kiasma Art Museum in Helsinki, Finland.

for Drawing, perhaps get Sir Peter Cook's book - Drawings.

FWIW, my gf is an architect, and her admission into an arch. program put huge emphasis on the portfolio rather than grades, EC's, SAT, and so forth. And she had zero drawings, sketches, or anything of buildings, it was all art, life drawings, still life sketches, and various paintings

You'll hear this over and over, but make sure you understand the difference between a career and a hobby. In this economy, and the highly-competitive nature of architecture, it's going to be a long, tough road. e.g., I'm not enthralled by the legal field, but it gives me the freedom and capital to purse my architectural interests on the side.

I really hope the american education system wakes up from their 19th century liberal arts, latin school philosophy and realize they need to stop telling students to 'do what u love' ...in the next generation or so, kids aren't going to be able to lightheartedly say 'i'm not a math or science person', since specialized fields in engineering, computers, etc is all that's going to be left in america. ...With sites like legalzoom, (mildly educated) separated spouses are already realizing they don't need to pay a lawyer $200 an hour to fill in their name on some standardized divorce forms....