Developing a sound, academically credible architecture essay requires you to take an in-depth, invested look into the industry. Whether you’re an architecture student or an expert, you know that architecture is about more than just designing landscapes and buildings. It’s any human-made structure that stands publicly and proudly, which gives it a range of subtopics. This is where architecture students may begin developing the narrative for their academic paper.
Start The Essay by Choosing a Topic
While writing any architecture essay, it’s imperative to hone in on the relevance this topic has to everyday people as well as the experts in the field. Thus, the topic chosen has to bear meaning to both the author and its intended audience, whether it is your college professor or an architecture magazine. Scour the internet, books, journals, magazines, and any other scholars’ work to find a topic that is interesting and relevant, such as urban design or commercial design. One way to make sure the topic resonates with the audience is by thinking of questions that would come to mind while reading an essay or article about it. Once these questions have been asked, your ability to answer them as well as argue their validity is what helps narrow down the topic to make it as concrete as possible.
Pick a Suitable Writing Tone
Arguably, the style of writing and passive voice used throughout an architecture essay will likely dictate whether it succeeds or fails. There are several options to choose from when having to embellish one’s text, but the active form works well for these.
Keep in mind that approaching this task in an adequate manner in terms of writing style choices will allow one to make a solid well-researched case. As an architect, the data presented has to be precise especially if we are talking about measurements and dimensions of a building. It also draws the reader in since it can be a controversial scholarly paper that invokes thought amongst your peers. With that in mind, one might choose to turn their topic title into a question in order to appeal to the audience.
Explain the Topic’s Relevancy Thoroughly
Researching any topic is crucial to your academic success, not just for architecture courses but also for the General ED classes that come paired with it, as it will become the foundation behind your argument and writing style. If you’ve chosen to write persuasively, then it is important to maintain that style throughout while also having the information to back it up.
A simple Google search will not suffice here. You need to dig as deep as possible to find the best research material for your architecture essay as it is vital the sources are as relevant and reliable as possible. This applies to conceptual work, various design methods, what materials would suit the building best and make it durable, and the list goes on and on. Here are some of the most popular sources that are worth taking into consideration:
- Academic journals
- School index
- eBooks from trusted professionals
- Contact a professional in that niche
- Trusted architecture websites
Brainstorm and Take Notes
Brainstorming ideas is one of the best ways to come up with a new building design or perhaps a new way to use certain materials to make the workplace a more productive environment. But as we all know inspiration doesn’t keep a schedule and can strike at any time. Meaning that one should always keep notes and organize the list of references used especially when trying to prove a point in an essay. Thus, before you even start writing the paper itself write down all the initial brainstormed ideas and narrow the concept down through academic research.
Create an Outline
Now that you have brainstormed the ideas and have a good sense of what path the essay will take it is time to create an outline. This skeleton will become the foundation on which students build their first draft. Think of all the relevant sections that should be included such as Parameters for measurements, Ideal materials, Timeline, Workforce requirements, etc. Each of these ideas should serve a purpose in strengthening the idea behind the paper. For example, if we had a Workforce requirements section then it would focus on explaining why the builders and architects that will be recruited for the respective project need to have a certain amount of years and experience in the field.
With all that being said make sure you have at least two sections dedicated to counterarguments, although more could be better depending on the given requirements by the lecturer. These should be closer to the end of your paper for a more uniform, professional essay.
Write a Strong Introduction
Readers will determine whether they will continue with your essay after reading the introduction. This means that the introduction needs to be sharp, witty, and captivating. Always paraphrase the topic question here because readers want to know the focus of what they are reading before diving too deep for no reason.
Engage Your Audience with Short, Concise Body Paragraphs
Write your points out thoroughly in small paragraphs that are no more than two to three lines. Smaller paragraphs keep the audience hooked. Longer paragraphs often distract from your point since too much information is being given out at a time.
Be sure the subtopics are seamless from beginning to end and answer the topic questions thoroughly. Leave no room for your audience to poke holes in the presented argument. The UA Department of Art and Design has prominent analysis essay examples you can use as examples.
This should be the wrap-up point of the party where all the significant ideas make their final guest appearance before we close the argument. Make sure to include the relevant counter-arguments and highlight why your particular side of things seems to be more convincing due to the evidence that backs it up.
Don’t wait until the last minute to write an architecture essay if you want it to be impactful. Careful research and planning can help develop a narrative for your assignment and allow sufficient time to expand on these thoughts. Find the time to research a topic that’s thought-provoking and highlights your expertise in the architecture industry.