Learning how to design buildings is an integral part of learning about architecture, but it’s not like studying other subjects that can be picked up at any time. You need to understand basic concepts of proportion, rhythm, and balance to start designing, and you have to hone your skills by doing it repeatedly.

There are many ways to learn how to design houses, from taking formal classes with universities or architectural schools, to attending events and lectures hosted by professional associations, to reading books and watching documentaries and YouTube videos about building design.

But none of these things alone will really teach you anything meaningful. You must do practical work in order to apply what you’ve learned. This could mean creating designs for real homes, or finding materials and putting together prototypes of new house ideas. It could also be experimenting with different styles and genres — something most people never do!

In this article, we’ll talk about some easy ways to get started practicing architecture. These tips don’t require too much money beyond whatever you already have, and they’re all pretty fun to try out.

Understand the basics

The first thing you must do as an aspiring architect is understand what architecture actually is. This may sound like a silly thing to state, but it’s true! Most people get involved in architectural design without really understanding what it is.

Architecture is the art of designing buildings or structures, so why not make sure your self-designation has “architect” attached to it? That way you are clearly defining yourself as someone who designs things!

Many other professions can be considered architects too, such as landscape architects that create outdoor spaces, interior designers that revamp rooms, and urban planners that redesign cities and environments.

Make a plan

A few years ago, I read an article that made me rethink how I practice my craft. The author discussed practicing architecture by making model homes or studying past buildings, but he was very firm in saying that is not the way to truly learn it.

He said we must make our own plans, develop them, put them into action, test them, and then repeat. He called this process “practice.”

I thought about his words for weeks after reading them. What does it mean to practice architecture?

It means creating your own designs, developing strategies to achieve your goals with them, and testing different ways to implement those strategies.

This can mean designing your own house or a portfolio of houses, developing your drawing skills, exploring new materials and techniques, and investing in software to help you create yours.

It also means doing things like choosing whether to work from home or the office, deciding where to meet for lunch, finding places to have drinks with colleagues, etc.

Practicing architecture takes effort and time, which are both limited resources, so be aware of that and make sure you give yourself enough breaks when needed.

Create a team

Being an architect is not a solo position, so it makes sense that you will need to have a team of people working with you. This can be your colleagues at work, or even friends who are also architects.

As much as being an architect means designing buildings, it also takes into account all other areas of architecture, like urban planning, interior design, landscape design, and more.

These other specializations can easily take up most of your time, so having someone else in the organization to share responsibilities can save you lots of energy for other projects!

Your teammates should be able to provide you input and feedback on how you handle your job, which can help you stay motivated and focused. They may also be able to offer tips and tricks about what they do for their jobs, which can give you new ideas.

Having a team that works together effectively is one of the biggest keys to success as an architect. You would want to make sure that everyone has similar goals and understands each other’s roles clearly.

Commit to it

A little bit of design theory is good, but you will never use it unless you really commit to studying it. If you’re more into arts and crafts than architecture, then investing in some basic drawing software is fine, but be wary of how much detail and emphasis this can put onto your drafting skills.

If you want to become an architect, you have to invest in something that teaches you about architectural concepts and styles. An online portfolio or two are great ways to show off your talent, but they won’t do you any good if you don’t actively work on improving your craft.

The most difficult thing about becoming an architect is not picking up the tools and materials for designing, it's actually staying in the workshop long enough to apply what you've learned.

Learn to be a creative thinker

Being an architect means thinking about how to make buildings, not just which materials to use or what shapes are aesthetically pleasing. As we know, architects also play a huge role in political and social changes by making influential structures and designs.

Being able to design something imaginative is one of the most important skills to learn as an aspiring architect. Creating concepts for new businesses, homes, or public spaces is integral to shaping the architecture field.

Creativity can come from anywhere – studying art, science, humanities, etc. It is exploring ideas through different lenses and applying them to new situations that helps develop it.

Architects who display creativity bring unique styles to their work that people appreciate. They have fun designing so they keep working on projects longer than others.

Practice drawing

A good place to start practicing architecture is by taking your time to draw, whether it’s doing quick sketches or trying your hand at building scale models. Both of these practices are great ways to get familiar with all the components of an architectural style!

Sketching is a very effective way to learn about proportions and how buildings fit into their surroundings. By looking at lots of different styles, you will begin to recognize some fundamental shapes and structures that make up most buildings.

Practicing building scale models also helps in giving you insight as to what sizes things typically are in buildings. This reminds you that architects have done research on average size settings and why they choose them this way.

Both of these can easily be done using free-hand sketching or computer software such as Adobe Photoshop or Sketchup.

Learn to be precise

Being able to identify good architecture is like being able to recognize beautiful colors or shapes. It takes practice, but once you learn how to do it, you will know what you look at very quickly.

The same goes for great architects!

It can seem like there are never really clear descriptions of what makes an architect “great”, but there are. If you want to be one, then you must develop your ability to discern which qualities make up that style and whether they match with yours.

Some people may feel that learning about architectural styles is more related to art than to design, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Knowing how different buildings were designed gives us insight into why certain features worked well and also helps us understand where our own strengths as designers come from.

Learn to be consistent

Consistency is one of the most important things to know as an architect. This means not only sticking to a particular style, platform, or approach to designing buildings, but also using similar tools and techniques throughout your career.

As you start practicing architecture, there are several ways to learn how to design buildings. Some people may suggest learning computer-aided drafting (CAD) software first, then teaching yourself to use that effectively before moving onto other software such as Autodesk Architect or SketchUp.

But this isn’t necessarily the best way to begin.

By starting with something more basic than CAD, you will gain some much needed fundamentals in architectural drawing. You can pick whichever style or theory you want to practice within, and once you have learned that, you can move onto more advanced concepts like proportion, balance, and composition.

There are many great resources available online and through educational institutions for those who would like to pursue becoming architects.