黑洞社区

鈥淗ave you ever been out with an architect?鈥� Louise asks Ash.

鈥淯mm 鈥� out with an architect, Biblically? No.鈥�

It turns out Rory has, in the past. The conversation turns to pillow talk.

鈥淲hat did we talk about in bed?鈥� says Rory, 鈥淕od I love CAD 鈥� oh 鈥� yeah 鈥︹��

The evening started rather more sensibly, as I met Chris, Ash and Louise at the Electric Showrooms, one of the neon-lit bars that attract east London鈥檚 arty, studenty community. After a hard day鈥檚 group seminar on a 3D rendering animation, the trio came to meet me here because, as they explain, their student bar is rubbish. According to Ash that鈥檚 one of the few things wrong with the course.

We run through what they did for their year in practice. Chris worked with Alan Camp Architects for a year and spent another year working with a colleague who started his own practice. 鈥淚t was good going from a big firm to a small firm.鈥�

Ash worked at a few places, including a small practice doing mostly residential things.

Wasn鈥檛 that quite boring, just doing houses? 鈥淚t鈥檚 pure architecture. It鈥檚 nuts and bolts,鈥� says Ash, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 find many surprises round the back of people鈥檚 houses. It鈥檚 OK though.鈥�

Rory arrives, slightly perplexed after a meeting with his supervisor. He鈥檚 been asked to provide a design for an urban farm in the style of a children鈥檚 book. He soon becomes more confused while looking at a copy of the 黑洞社区 Buys a Pint column. It was the Valentine鈥檚 Day speed dating special. That鈥檚 not typical, I point out. 鈥淵ou mean, we鈥檙e not speed dating?鈥� No.

After a plate of chips and more drinks Chris and Rory bob outside for a fag and when they come back the rest of the table do the same.

Do all architecture students smoke? 鈥淚t helps to break up the really long hours,鈥� says Louise. 鈥淎lthough I am supposed to have given up.鈥�

Back inside, Ash argues that the number of years and amount of debt involved in studying architecture tends to put people off, especially given that starting salaries aren鈥檛 that competitive. 鈥淵ou meet someone in the pub and say what you do and they say 鈥榳ow鈥� you must make loads of money and you鈥檙e kind of thinking, well actually, no.鈥�

Louise reflects that being a planner requires a lot less training and better pay. 鈥淪ometimes,鈥� she says, 鈥淚 wonder why I鈥檓 doing this. It can be quite stressful.鈥�

Why are you, then? 鈥淚 enjoy the work and it鈥檚 a great sense of achievement. I couldn鈥檛 ever imagine doing anything else.鈥�