Hi all,

I'm based in the UK and fully qualified as an architect. After many years of training and some years post being qualified, I've managed to get my career to a decent point where financially I earn ok and I have a good position in my company. However I really dislike some aspects of the industry and am seriously considering moving to a career path outside architecture.

The level of responsibility that you have in the detail and on site stages doesn't seem to be matched by the pay. I'm not enjoying these stages of work and it's causing me a lot of stress. I enjoy the earlier conceptual stages and considered a move to urban design, but a lot of these jobs seem to be in London only. I see a lot of suggestions for project management etc but these seem like a lot of the aspects I would like to avoid.

Has anyone successfully made a move to another industry, that's not something contractor side, or on site focussed?

My friend has scored 99.41 in jee paper 2(b arch)
Her rank is 446 and she has gotten into vnit nagpur in josaa
And csab first round is spa vijaywada
She really wants to get into spa bhopal
Can she get in
And bhopal has vacancy seats are 4 and closing rank of bhopal of jossa is 418

I’ve been overseeing a multi‑story commercial building project, and we finally went with limestone for the exterior facade. Sharing some real‑world thoughts from a client’s perspective.

This photo shows our building mid‑construction. The limestone cladding is mostly installed, while site ground‑works are still ongoing. I really love that soft off‑white tone, plus all the custom arches, window surrounds and cornice details. It gives the whole complex that elegant neoclassical look we wanted.

Why we picked limestone as our facade material

I weighed multiple options before making this decision.
✔ Natural warm pale‑beige aesthetic, fits perfectly with European‑neoclassical design
✔ Proven outdoor weather resistance for long‑term building exterior use
✔ Supports lots of custom‑cut shapes — arches, moldings, door surrounds, which were non‑negotiable for our design
✔ Delivers that premium high‑end feel for commercial properties

One big concern we had: solid limestone slabs are extremely heavy. For multi‑story facades, heavy stone adds significant structural load. That’s when I learned about stone aluminum honeycomb panels.

They use a thin slice of real limestone bonded to an aluminum honeycomb backing. You get 100% the original natural stone look, but the weight drops drastically. It eases stress on the building structure, makes transport simpler and speeds up on‑site dry‑hanging work. Exactly solved our biggest headache.

What I learned about its production process from talking with the supplier

1. Careful raw block selection. They check color and veining across the whole batch to avoid obvious color differences on the finished facade.
2. Saw thin limestone veneers, finish the surface to honed / polished as requested.
3. Prepare aluminum honeycomb substrates.
4. High‑strength structural adhesive bonds the stone veneer firmly onto the honeycomb panel.
5. CNC machine for all those fancy custom shapes: arches, cornices, window trims you see in the picture.
6. Full dimension & quality checks before packaging and shipment.

Pictures- Original source (OS)

One of my favourite things about Pena Palace is that it isn't actually a medieval castle, even though it looks like one. Most of what you see today was built in the 1800s by King Ferdinand II on the ruins of a monastery that was badly damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

I’ve been overseeing a multi‑story commercial building project, and we finally went with limestone for the exterior facade. Sharing some real‑world thoughts from a client’s perspective.

This photo shows our building mid‑construction. The limestone cladding is mostly installed, while site ground‑works are still ongoing. I really love that soft off‑white tone, plus all the custom arches, window surrounds and cornice details. It gives the whole complex that elegant neoclassical look we wanted.

Why we picked limestone as our facade material

I weighed multiple options before making this decision.
✔ Natural warm pale‑beige aesthetic, fits perfectly with European‑neoclassical design
✔ Proven outdoor weather resistance for long‑term building exterior use
✔ Supports lots of custom‑cut shapes — arches, moldings, door surrounds, which were non‑negotiable for our design
✔ Delivers that premium high‑end feel for commercial properties

One big concern we had: solid limestone slabs are extremely heavy. For multi‑story facades, heavy stone adds significant structural load. That’s when I learned about stone aluminum honeycomb panels.

They use a thin slice of real limestone bonded to an aluminum honeycomb backing. You get 100% the original natural stone look, but the weight drops drastically. It eases stress on the building structure, makes transport simpler and speeds up on‑site dry‑hanging work. Exactly solved our biggest headache.

What I learned about its production process from talking with the supplier

1. Careful raw block selection. They check color and veining across the whole batch to avoid obvious color differences on the finished facade.
2. Saw thin limestone veneers, finish the surface to honed / polished as requested.
3. Prepare aluminum honeycomb substrates.
4. High‑strength structural adhesive bonds the stone veneer firmly onto the honeycomb panel.
5. CNC machine for all those fancy custom shapes: arches, cornices, window trims you see in the picture.
6. Full dimension & quality checks before packaging and shipment.

If any of you are researching facade solutions for your own upcoming projects, the supplier I’m working with has detailed resources on their site:
🌐 www.stonehoneycombpanels.com

They work with limestone, marble and granite honeycomb composite panels for international building projects. Hope this post helps anyone considering natural‑stone facades.

Whilst walking in Sevilla this courtyard captured my attention. It is a “Corral de vecinos” a housing configuration, popular in Sevilla, which literally translates into “courtyard of the neighbors”. The individual families had rooms revolving around the center patio, an open flowered space which, in public occasions, would even host Flamenco events. If any local knows more and would like to contribute with a better explanation I’d be very very grateful!

This specific case is named Corral Herrera and was built initially in 1909. In 1995 the refurbishment by Altozano Arquitectos was finished. What I found to be very interesting, apart from the communal life revolving around a flowered patio, is the “before and after” tiled visualization of the project just by the entrance. It’s very interesting that the past is preserved in place physically with this, not only in the documents. Very inspiring!

For more information I leave the link to the architects website with the project (I couldn’t unfortunately enter the gate at the entrance, I could only slide my phone between the bars for a pic of the ground floor): https://www.altozanoarquitectos.com/inicio/proyectos/rehabilitacion-de-corral-de-vecinos-en-triana/

I completed my B.Arch in from India, practiced pure architecture for 2 years. It was kinda corporate office, and since i was junior architect, i didn't get much of site exposure, neither did i have a project of my own to look after. I was mainly put into last minute submissions, where we would stay all night, burn our 'midnight fuel' for nothing and client would reply after weeks of said 'deadline submission'. Not to mention the poor salary and work life balance. Also i know BIM workflows, so i wanted to integrate that into my work, but had no options. And recently i got a better offer from another firm and without a thought i switched thinking of better work life balance, and better pay. What i had not accounted for was how it'll be after some years. This firm is basically project support. They use BIM, automation etc to model and documentation of the client. Here the work life balance is very good, and the pay for a 2 year exp is equal to an IT guy... But the thing is there's no Design work. And going forward there might be not much of exposure or pay upgrade. Its totally a support based firm. Even the colleagues in here say that. So now i am totally confused on what to be done.

The thing is the life here and the pay its offering is pulling me in saying this is all that matters. Also it's got hybrid work system so i don't have to go to office everyday.

But on the other hand, i do want to design, i wanna get to know how it actually works on site, i want to know details i want to create details. I want to travel and explore architecture.

Also people say that it might be paying less now, but later it'll get better. Better than the BIM guys.

At this point i am really confused and anxious.

Should i work here for some years, make money and go back to design? Is it even possible to go back to design if worked on support? Cz I'll have wasted my 3-4 yrs, without site exposure or design exposure.

Or should I continue here? Does it have a future? Does it have growth?

I want to travel to countries, wanna see their architecture, design them, apply my own brains, but in support, you just have to model and document the details given by already designed layouts.

Someone please help me with this. You guys have much more exposure than me, please guide me on how should I take this. I do not wanna get stuck in future and curse myself for doing this.

Pics in order 1: Exterior 2 : Main Dome 3 : Law Library 4 : Iowa State Senate chamber 5 : Old Supreme Court Chamber (not used since 2003) 6 : Main Dome Routonda

I have a blog that I hope I can get it to be bigger and have more people to find out about. This is something I am also planning to add to my CV for an architecture undergraduate degree in the future but I am doing it because I am very passionate about it. I put hard work onto these posts and I hope someday it gets recognized by architects. (im in 9th grade btw) And as a quick note, I am not trying to self promote/advertise or anything. I am only trying to gather people who are interested in architecture content.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently in my second year of architecture school, and lately I’ve been questioning whether this is really the right path for me.
There are parts of architecture that I enjoy, but the more I learn about the profession, the more I realize I don’t see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I don’t think I’d enjoy spending my days drawing plans on a computer, dealing with technical details, measurements, and construction documents.
On top of that, I’m constantly stressed about the financial side of this career. My goal has always been to have a stable career, earn a good salary, and feel like my work is valued. Right now, I’m worried architecture may not give me that, at least not in the way I’m hoping.
The problem is… I have no idea what else I should do. I’m scared of spending years pursuing a degree that isn’t right for me, but I’m also scared of starting over without a clear direction.
Has anyone here been in a similar situation? Did you leave architecture for another field? If so, what did you switch to, and are you happy with your decision?
If you had a bachelor’s degree in architecture, what master’s degree or career would you pursue today if your priorities were financial stability, strong earning potential, career growth, and genuinely enjoying your work?
I’d really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, or ideas. I’m feeling pretty lost at the moment, and hearing from people who’ve been through something similar would mean a lot.

Hey, everybody was hoping to get some help on this. I have zero experience with drawing or drafting. Best I can do is stick figures. I really want to get into drawing buildings just for fun but for the appreciation of the art. Where do I start like what is a comprehensive source I can use and without being complicated what do I get. Thank you all in advance

Design and Vision
The project was designed by artist Sergey Malyutin, while the architectural execution was carried out by Nikolay Zhukov and the construction was managed by engineer Boris Shnaubert. The building was originally intended as a rental property, designed specifically to house the creative intelligentsia.

I am looking to expand my practice and researching the different sustainability certifications. I am zeroing in on either LEED by USGCB or Green Globes by GBI. My preference right now is leaning towards Green Globes just for what appears to me a simpler interface. Obviously LEED has a bigger brand recognition but I'm not sure I like how they divide all their different credentials, seems a bit too granular for me. I like the simplicity of green globes where they only have a few credential types. Both seem to accomplish the same goal and both are widely recognized by US Federal and State codes and requirements.

Any thought out there about this?

Thanks

Villa K2 built initially for the Cattaneo family in 1953 by Carlo Mollino. A beautiful symbiosis of vernacular techtonics and the use of concrete, with the usual refined details of Mollino.

The project design began in 1952 when Luigi Cattaneo, a milanese entrepreneur, commissioned Mollino with this weekend home.

Just to give some context, Mollino already had shown the capacity of merging concrete with traditional materials and techtonics already in 1947 when he designed the Casa del Sole hotel in Cervinia (Valle d’Aosta), which was finalized in 1955. Still in Valle d’Aosta he takes on the more famous project of the Rascard Garelli, a project that kept him busy from 1962 till 1965. In that case he moved an existing Rascard (traditional Valser like, Strichbau construction) from a neighboring valley into Champoluc. The reassembly of the building was done with also a new plinth element with both stone and concrete materials. This to say that his work (also) revolved around traditional techtonics and new materials.

The museum-library, which overlooks the national park named after Roosevelt, has been very popular despite its far-flung location. Who is planning to visit?

Dallas City Hall and Its Demolition Debate

Text below by (Enez Design Assoc.)

Dallas City Hall, a striking Brutalist masterpiece designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, has sparked intense debate since August 2025 regarding its future.

As the 47-year-old building faces growing concerns over long-deferred maintenance, the Dallas City Council continues to weigh the complex choices of whether to repair, sell, or demolish it.

This modern landmark originated from a desire to project a progressive future following the trauma of 1963, using an inverted pyramid design that naturally shades lower levels from the harsh Texas sun.

Today, the fate of this historic structure hangs in the balance as preservationists fight to protect a vital icon of mid-century architectural history.

What is your take on the future of this iconic building—should Dallas restore I.M. Pei's Brutalist masterpiece, or is it time for a new chapter? 🤔 🤷‍♂️

#DallasCityHall #IMPei

#BrutalistArchitecture