The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been heavy on India’s education system. The usual lectures and classes have been scrapped since mid-March. In 2020, millions of students in the country will be losing out on their school experience as education will be primarily imparted online. For architecture students, the social component of their curriculum has been removed. Now, students from top architecture universities in India do not have access to their educational resources and utilities. They are particularly facing difficulties in submitting their architectural school projects.
Due to social distancing, final year students from all architecture colleges in India are now compelled to showcase their architecture school projects online. In order for them to secure job opportunities during these difficult times, they have to share their work online. The coronavirus has specifically made the exhibition of architecture work more challenging.
Now, architecture students need to use the internet for displaying their work. Here are five best ways in which recent architecture graduates and professionals can strongly showcase their work online and procure jobs, even in the face of this global health and economic crisis.
- Develop an Online Portfolio
To start off, every architecture student needs a strong portfolio to get work. In this profession, you need to showcase the diversity in your skillsets. You can build a portfolio on online platforms by displaying your activities there. Online portfolios are easy to access and can be distributed imperatively. You can establish your portfolio in such a way that you gain online recognition from the very start. You can easily grow your reputation with an online portfolio and you do not need any in-person interaction. You can use free as well as paid options while building your online portfolio.
- Build Your Own Website
Next up, you can go through websites of leading architectural professionals. By using their templates, you need to create your own website. It is the most important platform for you to showcase your work and update your portfolio. Buy a domain name and build a great website for yourself. Give it personal touches and make it a signature representation of your architectural designs. Customize your website in ways that can help people access and your work smoothly. To showcase your designs and drawings comprehensively, you can use 3D graphics plugins and tools instead of traditional images. You can make your website more creative with advanced coding that brings out some unique elements of your work. And, most importantly, you need to stay active on the website by using tools such as WordPress to post blogs and articles on your work and the latest developments in the world of Indian architecture.
- Take Part in Creative Competitions
Try participating in some online architecture competitions. There are dozens of such competitions and they are easy to win. With some quick registrations, you can sign up for these competitions, showcase your work, and get yourself ranked among other participants. If you manage to win any of these creative competitions or even manage to secure a place among the top ranks, you can add this as an achievement to your portfolio. Now, besides your website and online portfolio, these competitions would also showcase your credibility on their third-party online platforms. Soon, you will get more opportunities to make new projects and showcase them for a chance to win some prize money and rewards. You also gain hands-on experience in the competitive landscape by using industry-leading tools and resources.
- Showcase Projects on Community Platforms
You can also be an active member of online architecture communities. These platforms are like exclusive clubs for architecture professionals. You can add your professional views and experiences to the online forums, suggest solutions to problems faced by other professionals, and eventually lift up your reputation as an independent and reliable architect.
- Experiment With Virtual Reality
Since you can show the designs of your work in person, an innovative way of showcasing your architecture school projects by using Virtual Reality (VR). The increasing demand for VR-based architectural exploration will help your designs stand out and gain popularity in the construction industry. VR applications such as Enscape and Unreal Engine’s Twinmotion can deliver impeccable real-time 3D immersions of your architecture designs. They can also produce 360º VR videos of your designs by developing high-quality panoramic images based on your CAD models.
