Architects are very creative, inspiring, intelligent, and at times curious; nobody can ever know what is inside their minds unless they are one of them.
Even though we cannot imagine the next amazing architectural designs they are planning on creating, we can still have a look at some of the basic facts that everybody knows can make a good architect.
What is inside the mind of an architect?
They have the art of skill
There are a lot of generalizations in terms of what makes a good architect such as mathematical intelligence and creative thinking. Given that, the mind of an architect is definitely logical, mathematical, intelligent, and creative – yet the sum of their work is the art of skill.
It really is an art form of jumping through all the logical, and sometimes boring, hurdles of building codes and ordinances in order to create something that seems to defy the laws of gravity and construction rules.
This is the simple, true meaning of the art of skill which is a requirement for any person who wishes to be a successful architect one day. Becoming an architect also requires a mind that not only thinks outside the box, but is also eccentric, not conforming to the rules and noticing the finer details while still visualizing the big picture.
They are type A
Type A personalities can have a bad rap, but they are the ones who make sure no details go unnoticed. Usually, nothing would go wrong under the watchful eye of a type A personality; but if something does happen, people with type A personalities would already have a backup plan for such situations.
Type A is competitive and ambitious and has a strong awareness of the urgency of time. An architect’s job requires these skills (or perhaps the chicken-or-egg theory: is the job the creation of the character, or is the character the right fit for the job?). Architects have many demands and time constraints.
Thus, an ambitious person with an innate urgency would make a great architect. It requires a machine-like mind; all gears are well greased, grind day and night, and work on every detail on the macro and micro level.
Leading character
A small study was made on a hundred architects and the surprising result is that 31% of the architects tested were ENTJ personality types.
Why is this so noticeable? Since only 1.8% of the population is among the general public with an ENTJ personality. It is a rare breed.
Features of this type that are related to good architects:
- Extraversion (action-oriented).
- Intuition (trusting abstract ideas and instinct).
- Thinking (decide based on objective reasoning).
- Judgment (want to settle things).
They are great connections
Many architects have a vision of the extroverted engineer hunched over their desk or computer, or even hidden inside their secret mind. We say that is only a small part of who they are.
Architects cannot be friendly or shy.
They must be excellent communicators to be able to express their thoughts and ideas.
Just think of the disaster that might occur if the architect cannot adequately communicate his/her plans to the engineers, builders or designers of the project.
In fact, architects have to be strong individuals who are able to get their ideas across, allowing others to draw the plans they have designed.
This requires an open mind for others. The intuitive mind and people read well.
A mind that has the ability to create a quick comeback when others disagree with their point of view.
Conclusion
As we have seen, the mind of an architect is indeed complex. What we found out from this article is that architects have the art of skill, are type A personalities, live bullets, and are great connections.
We do not mean to generalize; these are certainly not traits of every single architect out there. But because there is some science behind this, it seems that the mind of an architect is wired in a certain way – which is what makes it so great at what the architect does.