Archemist Podcast

Starting off Season 3’s Archemist Podcast Is This What You Wanted? We have invited our former tutor Yvonne Meng (Director, Co-founder, Circle Studio Architects) as our very first guest. In this conversation, we navigate through the discourse of the journey prior to architecture education, pinnacle moments that led to the establishment of Circle Studio Architects and of course, the unforgettable Pa...

“I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.” ― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar Some ex...

“I want people to know that food … (has) also got something to with what you can do for others in terms of sharing… in terms of eradicating poverty, and making sure that some soul doesn’t go to bed hungry…” - A. Ravi. August, 2020 Can you taste it? Whenever you walk around supermarkets, travel ads or even just the bus shelters, we have seen countless food companies associating food with architectu...

“Looking back that I wish that I was being more opened about the idea of architecture and went in with a clearer mind rather than having those background knowledge of all these buildings and what not. But I’m sure today things have most likely changed… the idea between building design and architecture, they’re bridging the gap between the two subjects now.” - A. Lei. August, 2020 There are so many...

With an introduction by Dini Lee Often in our architectural studies we come across enthralling drawings that balance on the edge of art and architecture. These two fields frequently borrow, exchange and adopt ideas from each other. But what makes something architecture and not art? Can it be both? From their similar experiences studying art in high school and architecture at university, Kim and Di...

The marketing of architecture can be portrayed to be very luxe and intimidating, which can risk deterring many from investigating further into architectural practice. Not to mention, with the exponential use of Instagram and Pinterest - the oversaturation of aesthetics that are almost similar can become overwhelming to distinguish the in-depth details of the architecture. Despite the dependency of...

“ Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” - Mike Tyson. There is the underlying pressure that once we have graduated with a degree in our hand we will be onto a new job, new adventure and learning more about the industry we’ve studied for. But what happens when within the years of studying you realised it wasn’t what you wanted? How do you navigate the level of uncertainty in fron...

“It’s important to research the building, it’s important to learn about the architecture and participate the discussion around it… but definitely important to visit yourself and form your own ideas (about the architecture) as well…” - E. Zhang, 2020 At some point in our architecture studies, many of us have dreamt of going overseas and experiencing a cultural shift in work and lifestyle. Yet, what...

“Ideally, we do want to draw people into the landscape… I think it’s a bit easier in public spaces or more urbanised areas…having those pockets (within mass buildings), it’s quite easy to escape from the hustle and bustle” - E. Hoang (2020) Often, when architects and designers are approached to design architecture, one of the general requirements we would hear include ‘blend into the landscape’ or...

“Who do you think comes first: the setting or the… characters in the narrative?” “It’s like the chicken and the egg. There’s nothing that comes first… A really good movie considers the setting, the characters parallel to each other.” - A. Fernandez. 2020 Just a heads up that we do talk about movies so there may be some spoilers! (We do avoid spoilers but just in case!) Architecture in film heavily...

“I guess that (project) was the most abstract idea (now), and… in the future this abstract idea - being subjective again may not be abstract and may be the norm.” - S. Ho, 20 April. 2020 Often in architecture school, we’re often asked to create a concept drawn from something abstract. Otherwise, we are given a comment from our tutors saying that our work is quite abstract… But what is abstract? Ho...

Let’s be honest, 2020 did not greet us with open arms. Instead, it threw us many challenges, change of lifestyle and questions about our own purpose and prospects. Like many other design industries, Architecture has been dramatically affected by the economic effects of COVID-19. As our industry is rather connection and resource-based – often we need to turn heads sustain ourselves during times of...

We got lost talking about Kanye West with Isabella Alvarado. “I really do believe that the world can be saved through design, and everything needs to actually be “architected” - K. West speaking at Harvard University, 2013 West, being highly successful in the industry, is either liked or disliked by the public. Even though he has broken many boundaries by his ‘visions’, it begs the question: are w...

Architecture Grads on Valentines Day with Nicole White Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! (Well, belated Valentine’s Day!). My lovely friend Nicole and I look through a range of romantic / Valentine’s Day themed content related to architecture. From a list of reasons why people should date architects to observing architects in romantic comedies - the two of us marvel at how architecture has been port...

To our first year of Architecture School with Dini Lee What would you say to your past self? Your future self? In this episode, about to start her second year, I have invited Dini to reflect on her first year of architecture school. With a difference of seven years, a lot can change within the education system. Do you think what you have learnt in comparison to what students are currently learning...

How did we cope with criticism? With Amanda Luu The word criticism carries a certain stigma that many of us are still trying to reconcile, especially when the term is often used in our profession. Having studied architecture for five years now, Amanda and I observe how our attitudes and perception towards architecture and constructive feedback has changed over the years. Not to mention, criticism...

Lego as building blocks of our architectural imagination with Vince Nicandro Lego has always played a part in our childhood and even now! In this episode, Vince and I examine how Lego has built up our interest in architecture and marvel at the field of creativity found in the beloved building block. Note Season 1 of the Archemist Podcast was published on archemistinthemaking.com in 2019-2020. It i...

Understanding The Sims with Daniela Kresnadi and Jun Yi Chong Branching off from our written collaboration about The Sims, Jun Yi, Dani and I explore how the Sims have affected our perception of architecture. While one has studied architecture and the other being an architecture enthusiast, the three of us explore a variety of architecture concepts embedded in colour, dental clinic setups and the...

Getting philosophical with Isabella Alvarado Sharing similar interests and celebrating the completion of our architectural studies, Bella and I reflect on our six years of studies in a philosophical light. Naturally, the conversation took us on a detour on our favourite words, literature, working in practice, toilets (yes toilets) and the dreaded topic of group work. Note Season 1 of the Archemist...

Redefining success with Isabella Peppard Clark Branching off from ArchiTeam's 'Redefining Success', Isi and I continue on the discussion on the definition of success. Looking at what it means to be valued, exploring society's perception of success and the unrelenting pressures that we place on ourselves, together we open questions for ourselves and those who are determined to break throu...