The Young Architect's Resource Directory 2021
A common message I hear from young architects is that they are keen to do more self-led education, networking, and increase their industry awareness, but they just don’t know where to start!
I can sympathise with this as we live in a content-saturated world. But if you sift through there noise, there are simply so many wonderful resources to engage with as a student or graduate of architecture.
Below is our 2021 resource directory, based on my own recommendations and those suggested by other My First Architecture Job followers.
MAGAZINES AND ONLINE NEWS
Print magazines are worth holding in high regard as they generally work to a greater level of peer scrutiny and therefore hold more credibility. Most print magazines provide a lot of useful content for free on their website. I’ve also included a few long-established websites below that arrive in your inbox in a format similar to a magazine.
1. Architecture Australia - The journal of the Australian Institute of Architects (and free with membership), covering Australian architecture news and projects, written for architects. Great for: staying up to date with the Australian architecture industry.
2. Renew (Sanctuary and Renew Magazines) - Renew is a national, not-for-profit organisation that inspires, enables and advocates for people to live sustainably in their homes and communities. They publish Sanctuary Magazine and Renew Magazine. Great for: staying in touch with sustainable design and technologies in Australia.
3. Lunchbox Architect - Delivers a daily project and bite-sized story to your inbox. Great for: residential project inspiration.
4. The Cool Hunter - Offers a frequently updated feed of inspiring design projects from across the globe, across several formats and social media platforms. Great for: innovative, international design inspiration.
5. Architecture AU - Australian Architecture news of the day, exclusive commentary from leading writers, practitioners, academics and critics, and an ever-expanding archive of realised work. (Content is drawn from Architecture Australia, Artichoke and Houses magazines.) Great for: regular updates on the Australian architecture industry.
6. Dezeen - Tags itself as “the world's most influential architecture, interiors and design magazine.” Great for: keeping up with cutting-edge international projects.
INSTITUTIONS AND GROUPS
Networking, events, and communities provided by industry institutions and groups are essential resources for your growth as an architect.
7. The Australian Institute of Architects - The Australian Institute of Architects is the peak body for the architectural profession in Australia, representing 11,000 members. The student-specific arm is called SONA (Student Organised Network for Architecture). The graduate arm is called EmAGN (Emerging Architects and Graduates Network.) Great for: attending events, accessing resources, and getting involved in your local industry.
8. Parlour - women, equity, architecture - A research-based advocacy organisation working to improve gender equity in architecture and the built environment professions. Great for: accessing advice, events and the Parlour Guides to Equitable Practice.
9. Association of Consulting Architects - The ACA leads the discussion on business and employment matters in Australian architecture - they provide timely advice, information and resources; promote debate and advocate for better business practices and legislative frameworks. Great for: when you’re thinking about starting your own practice.
10. ArchiTEAM - A membership association for Australian architects working in small, medium and emerging practices. Great for: when you’re thinking about starting your own practice.
11. The National Association of Women in Construction - With the goal of championing and empowering women in construction, NAWIC provides a forum for its members to meet and exchange information, ideas and solutions. Great for: networking with other women in your local construction industry.
12. Building Designer’s Association of Australia - A national association representing Building Designers throughout Australia. Great for: resources, networking and training with a wider breadth of design practitioners.
ONLINE SOCIAL/MEMBERSHIP PLATFORMS
An emerging form of networking and education that has particularly blossomed since COVID-19.
13. The Architect Project - Our own intimate paid membership platform helping students and graduates bridge the gap between study and practice, and hit their career goals sooner, with more confidence and impact. Great for: developing your knowledge and career beyond what you are currently exposed to at work or University.
14. The Architecture Social - A free online community of professionals, students, and academics within the architecture and design industry who are motivated to make an impact together. Great for: networking internationally, based on interests rather than geography.
ONLINE RESOURCES
These four resource sites aren’t specifically architecture-related but offer direct access to specific skills and knowledge.
15. YourHome.gov - A resource by the Australian Government on building and renovating homes with a focus on energy efficiency and affordability. Great for: self-education about straightforward sustainable housing knowledge in Australia.
16. SkillShare - Thousands of affordable or free online courses including things like Photoshop skills, sketching, business knowledge, etc. Great for: looking for courses on specific skills you wish to improve.
17. My Efficient Electric Home Facebook Group - A discussion-based source of information about improving the energy performance of Australian homes, moderated by highly respected Australian experts. Great for: diving a little deeper into energy-efficient residential construction and advice, or seeking answers to specific questions (just remember that information is sourced from the general public as well as leading industry experts.)
18 Renew.org - Providing expert, independent advice on sustainable solutions for homes. Great for: peer-reviewed and evidence-based sustainability resources and tools, including ‘Sunulator’ and ‘Tankulator’ tools.
ONLINE TOOLS
There are some very specific tools and resources available online, produced by authoritative bodies.
19. National Construction Code - The minimum necessary requirements for safety and health; amenity and accessibility, and sustainability in the design, construction, performance and livability of new buildings (and new building work in existing buildings) throughout Australia. Great for: assessing minimum construction standards for your project or learning about standard methodology across Australia
20. Livable Housing Design Guidelines - Guidelines for designing homes that are easier to access, navigate and live in, as well more cost-effective to adapt when life’s circumstances change. Great for: easy reading to learn about some of the issues that affect accessibility in housing.
21. Acumen - While Acumen is only available to AIA members it’s a significant resource worth a mention in its own right. Acumen is a robust resource of notes on the Practice of Architecture. Great for: understanding industry processes and services.
22. Tankulator and Sunulator - Rainwater harvesting and storage calculator and a solar feasibility calculator. Great for: quickly accessing evidence and guidance on sun angles and water storage.
23. Gaisma - Sun angle diagrams for any location around the world. Great for: understanding the changing solar path on your project.
24. Grammarly - Free spelling and grammar checking across all of your programs (including web browsers!). I love them so much that I became an affiliate so please use this link if you want to say thanks for this list of resources! (We’ll receive a tiny kickback at no cost to you.) Hint: Use the premium trial when you’re submitting your next essay! Great for: easily making sure your spelling and grammar are representing you to your full professional potential.
REFERENCE BOOKS
A list of recommended books would be a lengthy piece in itself, however, these are some key technical reference books that I personally own and recommend. (The following are affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase the book, we receive a small commission.)
25. Build Your Own Home by George Wilkie - An easy to understand and comprehensively illustrated introduction to the construction of houses in Australia. Great for: understanding common residential construction details in Australia.
26. Architect + Entrepreneur by Eric Reinholdt - Inspiring ideas and business processes for entrepreneurial architects and examples of alternative forms of income. Great for: understanding the broad entrepreneurial potential your career holds.
27. Metric Handbook Planning and Design Data by Taylor and Francis Ltd. - An extensive reference for planning and design data covering all the major building types. Great for: layout and sizing advice on all typologies of building and function.
28. Encyclopaedia of Detail in Contemporary Residential Architecture by Laurence King - 700 beautifully presented and catalogued details from 100 prominent contemporary houses. Great for: browsing architectural details, directly referenced with photos of the finished project.
29. Why Architects Matter: Evidencing and Communicating the Value of Architects by Flora Samuel - How the profession architecture can be clear about what it knows and better communicate its value to the public. Great for: improving your archi-speak and talking to the public about your value.
30. The Little Book of Colour by Karen Haller - Understand the psychology of colour and learn how to use it in your projects and everyday life. Great for: instruction on the use of colour in projects.
31. Rawlinsons Construction Cost Guide - A comprehensive cost guide to construction in Australia, including regional indices for all states. Great for: better understanding construction costs.
32. 101 Things I Didn’t Learn in Architecture School: And wish I’d known before my first job by Sarah Lebner - This book helps students and graduates of architecture kick-start their career and shave months off their professional development. Great for: a handbook style reference on the architecture industry in Australia and Australian construction techniques and standards.
AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTS
These local architects publish an enjoyable array of valuable content related to their various businesses.
33. Panfilo Blog by Mihaly Slocome - A rich and easy-to-read blog on the culture, practice and business of architecture. Great for: searching easy to read articles full of advice and data.
34. Assemble Papers by Assemble - An online publication exploring small footprint living across art, design, architecture, urbanism, the environment & finance. Great for: engaging discussion about housing and alternate housing models in Australia.
35. Red + Black Architect Blog - A collection of writing, interviews and reviews about the built environment in Victoria, Australia. Great for: professional thought-pieces with a Melbourne focus.
36. Health Habitat - An Australian company with the goal of improving the health of disadvantaged people, particularly children, by improving their housing and the condition of the living environment. They share some great resources on ways to achieve this. Great for: learning about housing for disadvantaged communities.
37. My First Architecture Job - Helping architecture students and graduates bridge study and practice, and kick-start the first five years of their career. Great for: your connection to all things relevant to architecture students and graduates entering practice in Australia.
38. Light House Architecture and Science Journal - Director and building scientist Jenny Edwards publishes research and advice on energy-efficient construction in cool climate areas of Australia. Great for: understanding the science and evidence of energy-efficient housing and other intertwined issues such as condensation and healthy indoor environments.
39. Successful Archi Student - Podcasts, videos, and articles on surviving, and excelling, in architecture school and your early career. Great for: tips to help you through University.
40. :Scale Blog - A UK based blog publishing a broad range of resources for architecture students. Their Instagram feed is useful to follow. Great for: guides on things like buying the right laptop or using a certain program.
41. ArchiEnglish - Tara Cull, landscape architect and ESL coach has combined her skills to create a blog specifically dedicated to helping ESL architects find their voice. Great for: ESL designers looking to level up your communication.
42. First In Architecture - UK based, but sharing a wealth of resources for architecture students. Great for: software and drafting advice for students of architecture.
YOUTUBE CHANNELS
Many of the resources listed in other sections also have a YouTube presence, but these ones feature quality video content made for the platform.
43. Archimarathon - Conversations between Kevin Hui and Andrew Maynard as they try to make the topic of architecture more accessible to everyone. Great for: candid insight and opinion from one of Australia’s most popular firms with young architects.
44. Never Too Small - Short videos on beautifully designed small spaces. Great for: clever space-saving ideas.
45. 30x40 Design Workshop - Eric Reinholdt shares beautifully curated videos and blog posts about the practice of architecture and insight into his own processes and skills. Great for: a beautifully produced behind the scenes look at a small successful architecture practice.
46. NOWNESS - A movement for creative excellence in storytelling celebrating the extraordinary of every day. Find inspiration and influence across art, design, fashion, beauty, music, food, and travel. Great for: cultural design inspiration.
47. Upstairs - A platform teaching and exploring the art of architectural representation. Great for: improving your architecture graphics and presentation skills.
48. Show It Better - Another great platform with lessons on architecture presentation techniques. Great for: detailed lessons on architecture presentation skills.
49. B1M - See how incredible structures around the world are built and learn about various construction methods and materials. Great for: insight on large scale construction techniques around the world.
50. Robert Mann - A YouTube channel for learning all things ArchiCad. Great for: improving your ArchiCAD skills.
51. SketchUp - The official SketchUp YouTube channel is the place for mastering this program. Great for: improving your SketchUp skills.
52. Balkan Architect - Is the channel for learning all things Revit and AutoCAD. Great for: improving your Revit and AutoCAD skills.
OTHER ARCHITECTURE BLOGS
The following blogs are a combination of personal favourites and hugely popular resources.
53. Interactive Architecture Lab - An intriguing blog on the behaviour and interaction of things, environments and their inhabitants by a multi-disciplinary research group and the Masters Programme at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Great for: engaging with academic research activities and industry collaboration from another University.
54. Inhabitat - A broad online green design and lifestyle site that provides coverage of environmental news and the latest in sustainable design. Great for: staying up to date with international sustainability news and advancements.
55. Architecture Lab - Brings together architects and designers from around the world searching for the latest in architecture projects, products, events, competitions, and interviews. Great for: general connection to the international architecture industry.
56. Archinect - Collects new ideas and connects designers from around the world. They publish under the categories of news, employment and academia. Great for: general connection to the international architecture industry.
57. Young Architect - An American based resource providing a blog, courses and podcast focusing on registration (U.S.A), career development and school tips. Great for: American readers will find this useful from a registration point of view, but other readers might prefer to focus on the podcast interviews with emerging practitioners.
58. The Local Project - The latest in architecture and interiors from both leading and emerging studios and designers. Great for: engaging with stories that celebrate extraordinary design.
PODCASTS
It seems we live in the age of podcasts and I’m a big fan of them for their ability to educate and inform while we’re travelling, exercising, or sketching. The following are mostly personal favourites that I strongly recommend, with a few very popular additions that I’m yet to fully enjoy.
59. Hearing Architecture - About architects, what they do, and why it’s important. By the Australian Institute of Architects. Great for: hearing from a wide variety of highly respected Australian architects on topics of your choice.
60. Supercast - A podcast collaboration by Assemble Papers and RMIT Design Hub, Supercast explores a sensory, embodied experience of the built and unbuilt environment. Great for: engaging with the built environment from a sensory point of view.
61. Talking Architecture and Design - Interviews with Australian architects. By Architecture and Design. Great for: digesting the type of broad Australian architecture news and conversation that we expect from Architecture and Design, in the form of interviews with Australian architects and industry professionals.
62. New Architect’s Podcast - Interviews with emerging Australian architects. By New Architects Melbourne. Great for: hearing specifically from emerging architects and younger startups.
63.. In Detail - Recently launched and though the production quality leaving a little to be desired, the content is gold and focuses on ‘behind the scenes’ candid discussion about running an architecture practice in Australia. Great for: rare and frank insight on three Australian firms and how they run their practice - essential listening for young architects thinking about starting their own business.
64. The Architecture Firm Marketing Podcast - Conversations with Directors of new and noteworthy architecture practices. Great for: learning marketing skills in relation to architecture practice.
65. Undercover Architect - Intended as a design and construction resource for the general public, the content provides a great introduction to the industry for young architects. Great for: a non-intimidating way to learn about the Australian residential design and construction industry in easy to understand language.
66. Dig Beneath Design Podcast - Top design professionals share how they communicate their work. Great for: techniques and tips to make you a more influential and articulate designer.
67. 99% Invisible - Dynamic short podcasts each telling a design and architecture themed story. Great for: short inspiring design stories and inspiring insight on products you’ve probably never questioned.
68. Entre Architect - Inspiring your success in business, leadership and life as a small firm Entrepreneur Architect. (American based) Great for: accessing a huge library of well-produced interviews on many types of entrepreneurship in architecture.
69. The Business of Architecture - Weekly interviews with architects discussing architecture practice and business models. (American based) Great for: accessing a huge library of well-produced interviews on the business side of architecture practice.
70. About Buildings and Cities - A podcast about architecture, buildings and cities, from the distant past to the present day. Great for: while most podcasts focus on people and their stories, this podcast helps you focus more on the buildings and cities themselves.
71. Another Architecture Podcast - Interviews with designers of inspiring homes around the world. Great for hearing about the approaches of architects from countries across the globe.
72. Life of an Architect - This one is American but offers episodes on a broad range of topics related to what architects do and the value of architecture. Great for: episodes are aimed a bit more at the general public or architecture students and therefore offer more introductory advice.
ONLINE JOURNALS
These are high-quality resources that you can use for academic research, as well as general interest.
73. Arts and Architecture - A&A was a magazine focused on single-family dwellings in the Post-war period in the U.S.A. This website features selected projects from issues of the magazine from 1945 through 1967. Great for: accessing high-quality content on residential design during the critical post-war period in America.
74. JSTOR - Search for digitised back issues of academic journals, including many excellent architecture publications. (You can usually access these for free through your academic library institution.) Great for: searching for relevant research and articles for your university essays.
75. US Modernist - An educational archive for the documentation, preservation, and promotion of residential Modernist architecture. They are the largest open digital archive in America for 20th-century Modernist residential design. Great for: if you love modernist architecture then this is the site for you!
76. Archigram Archival Project - Makes the work of the seminal architectural group Archigram available online for public viewing and academic study, for free. View online copies of their seminal magazine, or browse the catalogue of Archigram projects. Great for: most students go through a phase of fascination with the 1960’s avant-garde group called Archigram, and this is the place to connect to everything about them.
The exponential rate at which information is being published on the internet is both exciting and terrifying - on one hand, there is more value to be found, on the other, the valuable bits are harder to find. This list is my top places for young architects to find value in 2021, and I’d love to hear from you any suggested additions to the list at sarah@myfirstarchitecturejob.com.
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