It's not just you. Every architecture student is initially confused by architecture school - an education so different that it doesn't compare to anything else. A student’s joy at being chosen in stiff competition with many other applicants can turn to doubt when he or she struggles to understand the logic of the specific teaching method. Testimony from several schools of design and architecture in different countries indicates that many students feel disoriented and uncertain.

This book will help you understand and be aware of:

• Specific working methods at architecture schools and in the critique process, so you'll feel oriented and confident.
• How to cope with uncertainty in the design process.
• How to develop the ability to synthesize the complexity of architecture in terms of function, durability, and beauty.

This book is about how architects learn to cope with uncertainty and strive to master complexity. Special attention is given to criticism, which is an essential part of the design process. The author, a recipient of several educational awards, has written this book for architecture students and teachers, to describe how each student can adopt the architect's working method.

Key concepts are defined throughout and references at the end of each chapter will point you to further reading so you can delve into topics you find particularly interesting.

Jadwiga Krupinska is professor emerita at the School of Architecture of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden.