Prof. Duddy ARCH1101.OLC5 | Prof. Rosen ENG1101.LC07

Annotated Bibliography #2

Kilkelly, Michael. “21 Ways Architects Can Work Smarter, Not Harder.” ArchDaily, ArchDaily, 19 Apr. 2019, www.archdaily.com/608518/21-ways-architects-can-work-smarter-not-harder. 

As the title states, this article states 21 ways architects can work smarter, not harder and it states those ways by highlighting 5 key points, “Plan your work”, “Focus your time”, “Manage your information, “Know your tools”, and “Automate repetitive tasks”. The article states that time is getting more limited by the day while buildings are getting more complex resulting in architects to have less time to work on projects therefore that they need tips and suggestions on how they can properly make use of all the time they have rather than just rushing the work and having it come out unpolished. You don’t want to be in a building that has missing parts or the wrong material and then everything goes wrong.

I agree with the entire text, there isn’t one tip here that I couldn’t relate to more and try to use in the future. Such as under “Focus your time”, it states that, “Try working fewer hours, not more. This forces you to focus on the most important tasks. Plus, research shows that working more than forty hours is downright unproductive.” From personal experience, working for long hours is the worst thing an architect can do because you start to get frustrated and get distracted by all sorts of things and the work never gets finished. One thing I would include in this article is that having a personal work space is important because it allows you to further your focus with no distractions or loud noises that can take you off from your flow. This article tells me that time is truly one of the most underlooked aspects of being an architect because some things require a lot of time and focus. As stated in the text, “time is one resource that cannot be created or stored. It’s our most precious commodity. Guard your time and use it effectively- you cannot make any more”. Time is very limited as an architect and you would be able to make the most of it by working in a space where you are concentrated and work the best.

The tone of this article is informative because it is informing you all the tips and tricks on how to work smarter and not harder as an architect. The intended audience for this article is architects who struggle and new beginning architects who don’t know what it is like to be one. The genre of this source is an informative article and it makes sense for the intended audience because architects who will read this will learn and reflect on all these tips and will keep it in mind in the future. This article is credible as well because being published on the most visited architecture website says it alone. In addition, most of these tips I can relate to and I’m not even an actual architect yet. I like how the author’s writing style is very organized and states key points and tips relating to that point. It makes 21 points look like only 5 points and it really helps with not looking cluttered.

1 Comment

  1. Jody R. Rosen

    Is the idea about the importance of having a personal work space yours or the author’s? The article sounds like it doesn’t have as much to do with spaces for reflection as Project #2 probably requires, but the aspect about a personal work space might be its connection to the topic you’re researching. Your question could be about how architects find spaces for reflection. But this seems like not a main focus of the article, and I’m not sure that a work space can qualify as a space for reflection–though you could convince me. What stands out to you about all of your research about being an architect as it relates to the topic of spaces for reflection? How does your research fit within this topic? That answer will help you frame your research in your introduction and conclusion.

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