From Sketches to Solutions: The Making of an Architect
When I was little, I never understood what an architect does, but I always knew that I wanted to make someone’s life better, specifically ours. I admire people who are good at inventing and innovating things. I enjoy making something out of nothing and love finding solutions to problems. It was only when I was about ten years old, sketching floor plans of my dream house, that my parents introduced me to the term “architecture” and asked if I wanted to become an architect or take up fine arts. I thought architecture was interesting—drawing and designing homes—but the information they gave me was lacking, so I wasn’t convinced—yet.
I grew up in a one-story provincial residence, perched above a three-meter high cliff near the shore. Our home was prone to rain, high tide, earthquakes, floods, and storms. We lived without electricity, under a tumble-down roof, with five siblings, a sickly mother, and a father who had quit his job for reasons unknown to me. The spaces in the house were cluttered and very limited, considering there were eight occupants. It was at that point I realized, “We deserve more than this. I want our lives to be better.”
By observing my mother, I learned the art of organizing and decorating spaces and how it directly affects one’s mood. I was amazed by how a messy table in the living room, filled with my father’s books and used cigars, could make me feel uncomfortable and angry. On the other hand, seeing the living room arranged by my mother on Saturdays made me happy; indoor plants made me calm, and windows were essential for airflow and natural light.
I also sensed that we probably needed another story, so I convinced my father, who then asked his friends for help to build it. I enjoyed observing the construction process—how cement was mixed with water and aggregates, the beauty of pouring concrete, and the splendor of massing. However, when it was finished, I was disappointed that it didn’t turn out the way my parents wanted. I realized we were in a financial crisis, which is why the materials used were of low quality, and the standards weren’t met because we couldn’t hire an architect.
Every riser in our staircase had a height of more than 200 millimeters, which was too high from the design standard, causing my little sister and cousin to fall and injure their legs. The foundation wasn’t strong either. After a few years, the ceiling on our ground floor developed cracks, and parts of it fell to the ground. Our floor eventually sloped down from the movements of the sea waves during typhoons. During stormy weather, raindrops would fall from our roof. It was a nightmare. Although I appreciated that we finally had separate bedrooms for girls and boys, I still felt that our house needed renovation. All these alarming concerns in our house were wake-up calls, signaling a high calling of something greater than myself.
In the last semester of high school, I was unexpectedly called out of class because my father was in the hospital with bone cancer. It was indeed a surprise because my older siblings were so good at hiding my father's situation from me and my little sister. Before he died, I promised to bring his dream house to life. This was his legacy to me. After high school, I took the architecture entrance exam at EVSU and passed. In fact, I was third in rank.
College made me fall in love with architecture even more, expanding my views through my instructors, peers, travels, and research. It fueled my desire to renovate our house one day. Architecture is a broad subject with different meanings, shaped by various architects who have changed our world. But more than anything, architecture, for me, is a tool to make our lives better.
A year passed, and I am now a sophomore architecture student. Super-typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) came, and we lost our roof. Our house was ruined. I knew I had to become an architect as soon as possible. But thank God my family was all safe. But it is still a long way to go to rebuild the house that built me.
I believe architecture is the solution—or one of the solutions—to help us live comfortably, safely, and soundly.
Why do I want to become an architect? The answer is simple: to make people’s lives better.
I have a passion for people, buildings, and the environment. It’s a topic that raises questions like: How are people different? How do they live differently? How are people affected by geography and climate? How do religion, economics, and personal beliefs change how people interact with their surroundings? Architecture is a never-ending topic of fascination.
How humans interact with buildings and spaces is what makes it so exciting. My hunger for this idea has encouraged me to explore as much as I can. I have learned that architecture is principally about design, and design is about making decisions. In my experience, architects I worked with actively enjoy the decision-making process in all areas of their lives. Moreover, their decisions are always for the people and the environment.
In conclusion, all these personal experiences, everything I learned in college, the wisdom from my mentors during my internship, and the variety of ideas and information from different people and places have proven that our lives can be better through design, planning, and rational ways of making a home and building a safe environment. —From Sketches to Solutions: The Making of an Architect My Entry for the UAP Cebu Essay Competition 2020 - Winner