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The Undergraduate Diaries – this week: architecture and a light bulb moment
5 November 2009
Stephen Massiah is in his first term studying architecture at St Edmund’s College. He took his A-levels at Bedford School, an independent school, and then did a degree in law. After working for a number of years for a corporate law firm in the City, he decided to have a career change and take a completely new direction.
At school I was an all-rounder and enjoyed a wide range of subjects. However, I decided to pursue a vocational subject and after A-levels I went to UCL to study law. Looking back, I think I regarded law as something that would be intellectually demanding and well-paid, offering a clear career structure. But the study and practise of law are very different, and despite my reservations I eventually took some time off and went travelling.
I guess my light bulb moment took place during my travels to Rome and Florence, cities that are steeped in art and architecture. My subsequent travels further heightened my desire to pursue a creative and more artistically driven discipline - a discipline that can have a profound and direct effect on how we feel and act.
Ignoring some of the advice given to me by friends who are architects (Don't do it, Stephen!) I decided to take my life in a very different direction and train to become an architect. I wanted to study at one of the top architecture schools and early on Cambridge was top of my list. I was attracted to the Cambridge course for its emphasis on the history and theory of architecture, and the importance it places on environmental issues and sustainability.
There's no fixed set of qualifications for a degree in architecture - though many students have studied a combination of
art and science A-levels. My A-levels were in history, English and religious studies - so I decided to complete an art
foundation course followed by an access to science course at my local FE college, Bedford College. It was a fantastic two
years which allowed me to make new friends, develop my design and drawing skills and adjust to life as a student again.
The art foundation course in particular was highly rewarding, as it provided an invaluable opportunity to experience the
studio environment. It was tough at times being a student after working as a professional - but I threw myself into it and
learned a huge amount.
I looked carefully at the mature student colleges at Cambridge and applied to St Edmund's where I was interviewed last December. What I remember most about the interview (besides the obvious nerves) was the friendly and rigorous conversation centred on my interest in architecture and art. When I achieved the grades I needed and my place was confirmed I felt a mixture of elation and anxiety.
The first few weeks of term have passed in a blur - the course is incredibly full-on and demanding. There are only 40 people studying architecture in each year and we work in a large open studio space. From the first day we've been working on group projects that involve developing our drawing and modelling skills. At one point we were scouring the local retail centres for cardboard carpet tubes in order to construct chairs (see picture!).
My personal interest in the discipline lies in Scandinavian architecture and the design and provision of schools and hospitals. I'm particularly interested in the therapeutic value of the built environment - an area where research has been carried out by Dr Alan Dilani on recuperation levels in health care design. Imagine waking up in a hospital, the first thing you see is a wall. A simple thing like the colour of the wall, and how the light falls on it, can contribute to your wellbeing.
In the summer I visited Chandigarh in India, where my grandparents lived. It was designed partly by Le Corbusier in the 1950s. Flying in, you leave the chaos of New Delhi and you step into a more ordered and calmer place.
But back to Cambridge, another amazing and inspiring place. The other students on my course are really approachable and there's a definite collective spirit among the year group. My college is full of interesting and welcoming people - and my room in college is large and comfortable. Cambridge is incredibly sociable with loads of things going on - from debates to every sport you could imagine.
Although I've missed out on some of the college social events I've managed to enjoy my initial weeks at Cambridge. A particular highlight was a banquet and celebratory event marking the end of our first project in the Fellows Garden at King's College.
Next week we'll hear how Dinesh Hansla is finding his engineering course. At the end of term, Stephen will tell us
more about his course, his fellow students and his favourite buildings.
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