Andrew Caldwell
Victoria University of Wellington
To start things off we’d like to introduce Andrew Caldwell whose recent venture into the world of blue hair was on the list of things to achieve in 2016, along with completing his Masters of Architecture at Victoria University of Wellington. We sat down with Andrew in his studio… read on to hear how the world of thesis is treating him so far.
Student Architecture Network New Zealand: In 20 words, what is your thesis about?
Andrew Caldwell: It’s about architecture being an active catalyst in expressing the diverse identity and pride of today’s queer community. Probably.
SANNZ: Who is your supervisor and why did you choose to work with him/her?
AC: Jan Smitheram, and I chose to work with her because I really like the way she gets us to think and work experimentally — don’t stop, just do. She also has a massive knowledge of architectural theory including feminist and queer theory in architecture.
SANNZ: When you started your Masters just over a year ago at the start of fourth year, did you think your thesis would take this direction?
AC: Haha, not at all. I didn’t even know queer space was a thing, and I never thought that my sexuality would come into my thesis work.
SANNZ: What are your plans for next year?
AC: Out into the workforce as an architectural graduate, hopefully in Wellington.
SANNZ: Do you feel that architecture school has prepared you for the realities of working in the industry?
AC: In a lot of ways, no. We focus heavily on our design, theory, and thinking in architecture school, which isn’t bad, it just doesn’t seem like there’d be much time for those things in the industry, especially when we start out. There’s also a massive difference between working on our own projects in school with almost no restraints but nothing built, and working as part of a team in the real world, with so many constraints but actually getting things built.
SANNZ: Do you work while studying? How do you find the balance?
AC: I tutor a second year design course which is on average 7 hours a week, which works great for me, especially when work is just down the corridor. Apart from that I haven’t worked while at archi school, I didn’t feel I would do as well as I wanted to with the pressure of work while studying.
SANNZ: What coffee has fuelled your degree and where do you usually buy it from?
AC: I’m one of those people who just never took to the taste of coffee, the most likely long term fuel of my degree would be Subway cookies :D
SANNZ: Where are you from? What’s your opinion of the architecture or built environment there?
AC: I’m from Nelson; it’s pretty much an open air retirement village. It’s lovely but not much going on. Not much going on in the architecture there either but there’s some nice heritage buildings and a few modern upgrades of historic cultural buildings coming up which is pretty exciting. Nelson is also the centre of engineered timber in NZ and they’re doing some pretty cool things with that.
SANNZ: How do you ‘switch’ your brain off after a long day at uni?
AC: I walk to and from Uni, that’s a great way to clear my head. Also cooking dinner is nice to switch off with.
SANNZ: What work hours do you keep? How do you feel about potentially moving into a 40-hour work week?
AC: I typically work on my thesis 9-5ish plus a bit on the weekends so it won’t be a stretch to move into a 40-hour week, I’d actually enjoy the evenings and weekends free from nagging thesis thoughts. This year is much nicer on the workload and deadlines than any of my other year at archi school though.
SANNZ: Who is your biggest support person at the moment?
AC: *People: my boyfriend Alec and my best friend Hannah.
