Frank Lloyd Wright once said that “Every great architect is- necessarily- a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age”. As is with all things in life, relevance to the era at hand is crucial. In any given field of study or even career, it is important to understand the age you are in and how to be significant to the same. As in architecture, inspiration is a key component to designing and creating a unique structure.

The art in architecture

As far as I am concerned, architecture is art. It is the unique result of a unique temperament as Oscar Wilde once said. Every individual architect is unique and this uniqueness is seen in the designs he makes and in the eventual buildings that are erected from his design. In as much as engineering is a key element in the raising of any monument, it is vital to acknowledge the artist behind the design.

Some monuments to look out for include:

The Great Mosque of Sana’a which Prophet Mohammad personally commanded construction of,
The Citadel al-Silah that was a defensive fortress as well as
The Al- Bakiriyya Mosque in Sana’a that was built as a symbol of love to a deceased friend.
The amazing designs of these buildings make them a site to behold.

Beyond the streets of Yemen, architects have continued to amaze tourists all over the world with monuments like;

The Eiffel tower in Paris,

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt as well as
The Parthenon in Ancient Greece, just to name a few.

Inspiration

It was these great artists that ignited the immense passion in me in the world of, not only art, but architecture. I already had the passion within to pursue this course; all I needed was the skills to bring forth an outstanding monument myself. The search for universities or colleges that offered architecture in Sana’a (the capital of Yemen), bore fruits when I found a university with pocket friendly tuition, and that was located in Sana’a.

Upon admission to the school, I set out to pursue my dream. The classes offered were mainly drawing and art classes, as well as design classes. The course mainly revolved around architecture. However as I progressed, it seemed that I needed to be more and more in the know of the latest advancements in the world of Information Technology, IT. This was evident in the need to understand the various programs created to come up with architectural designs. The need to use programs that helped me create 2D as well as 3D designs that I envisioned, emphasized to me the huge role that technology played. It seemed to intertwine with my studies. Thus, in order to pass my degree, I learned earlier in my campus education, that I had to be keen on my IT and technology classes.

Seeking help

I enlisted the help of other students who had majored in IT and other computer classes. This involves switching some of my studying strategies so as to incorporate IT into my studies. Eventually, I realized I had to start learning outside the box and thus infuse IT into my studies. So whenever I got the chance outside my regular architecture class, I would delve into learning new ways of using IT to improve the designs I came up with.

Now in the final year of my Architecture degree course, I can fully attest to the crucial need of IT and technology for a complete practical education experience. I’m looking forward to my graduation as well as a chance to play a crucial role in the architecture and urban design in not only Yemen, but in the world.