Introduce architectural engineering and emphasize that the way architects are portrayed on TV is not the way they are in real life. Architecture is not only practiced in an office, and field experience is essential. He explains that architecture and architectural engineering have different roles and that collaboration and communication between the two disciplines is crucial to the successful completion of a building.
In this blog, we’d like to introduce you to architectural engineering, but before we dive into the subject, it’s worth pointing out the gap between how architects are portrayed on TV and in movies and the real world. The popular media often portrays architects as white-collar professionals who sit in fancy offices and complete all their designs with pen and paper. However, this is an idealized image that is far from reality.
In reality, architects are constantly traveling to sites and taking measurements to sketch out their designs. Even before a building is completed, architects are still out in the sun in overalls and hard hats, carrying drawings and checking to see if construction is progressing as designed. This shows that being an architect is not just a desk job, and that experience and judgment in the field is essential.
It’s also been said that “no one person knows everything about architecture.” This means that a building is not built by a single architect. This means that a building is not created by a single architect, but rather by a collaboration of experts from different fields. In a TV show, you might see a single person creating a huge building from a single sketch, but that doesn’t happen in real life. Architecture is a very complex and multidisciplinary process that involves a lot of specialized knowledge and experience.
Now, let’s take a closer look at architectural engineering. The Faculty of Architecture is divided into two main departments: Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Although they both deal with the same subject, architecture, there are significant differences in their approach, curriculum, and career paths after graduation. To make it easier to understand, we can use the analogy of the process of making clothes. In architecture, the designer is responsible for designing the clothes, while in architecture, the seamstress is responsible for actually making the clothes according to the design.
In other words, architecture majors are primarily responsible for the design of buildings, and they learn how to creatively design and express how a building will look and function in drawings. On the other hand, architectural engineering students analyze the design drawings and study the actual construction methods, considering the safety, economy, and environmental factors of the building, so that these drawings can be realized. Therefore, architecture is mainly focused on design (architectural design), and students who complete the program will receive a Bachelor of Architecture (BA) degree. Architectural engineering, on the other hand, has a more engineering-oriented curriculum (construction, structure, and environment), leading to a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree. Due to this difference, the duration of the program is also different: five years for architecture and four years for architectural engineering. This is to align with international standards and has been in place since 2002.
Furthermore, the field of architectural engineering is divided into several more specialized subfields after completing undergraduate studies. These are structural, construction, and environmental. In structural, you’ll perform engineering calculations and structural design to ensure that the architect’s drawings are actually turned into a safe building. Construction studies the techniques and methods needed to actually build the building, while also considering economic aspects such as process management and cost savings. The environmental field studies various factors such as light, ventilation, drainage, and lighting to design buildings that are both environmentally friendly and comfortable for residents. As green growth has recently become an important topic in Korea, the importance of the environmental field has become more prominent.
Although architecture and architectural engineering play different roles, it is only when they are organically harmonized that a great building is created that combines the three elements of architecture: structure, functionality, and artistry. Architects envision buildings through creative design, and architectural engineers realize the design in a feasible form. In addition to a deep understanding of their respective fields of expertise, it is crucial for these two disciplines to collaborate and communicate with each other. This mutual understanding and interaction plays a key role in making buildings more than just structures, but works of art with social and cultural value.
At the end of the day, architecture is not just a collection of technologies, but a process of creating vessels for human life. Architectural engineering is responsible for creating safe and efficient spaces through this process, and it is an important discipline that contributes to making our living environment richer and more comfortable.
