The World of Architecture – So Much Awesomeness

When I was in high school I was 100% set on taking drafting classes etc… I was sure my future held being architect as my destiny.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t even fit the classes into my schedule.  I went to a small high school and there were three tracks – general, business or college.  Things like drafting did not fit into the schedule of the college curriculum.  Looking back I find that so incredibly odd but it derailed my goal of being an architect at an early age.

That does not mean my love for architecture ever lessened – in fact as I get older I have a stronger appreciation for all of it.  Take churches for instance – do some research and see just how much effort, planning and man hours went into the design and building of cathedrals.  It is mind boggling really.  Architecture can definitely help people to lead better lives and Brian Setencich definitely understands that.

My current career as an school business administrator has had me involved in many different aspects of what we call school construction but it really starts with concepts, community, architects then construction.  So much happens, years worth, before we ever get to actually put a shovel in the ground.  I have been involved in three major projects in my 20 years as a business administrator.  The first was an elementary school and that design is very castle like – in fact it sits on a large hill so people even refer to it as a castle.  The next project was a high school and so much went into that design – obviously it needed to be functional, it needed to be built in a way that would allow for expansion at some later time if necessary and it needed to utilize the property that already existed.  Lastly, we renovated a building as new – a middle school.  The design aspects needed to be functional but also allow for the existing structure to be incorporated, the addition of an auditorium wing and the design needed to allow for construction in phases with swing spaces.  The last one was by far the greatest challenge so far but with amazing results.

As my love for architecture continues I find myself drawn to structures entirely different from these large projects that I have been a part of.  Now, I LOVE tiny homes and tiny spaces.  The architecture isn’t just about the exterior of the structures but so much is involved with the interior and just how to best utilize such a small amount of space while not sacrificing your quality of life.  And just what is too tiny?  When my husband and I first got married we had a tiny home.  That wasn’t a thing back then – it was just a ridiculously small home that looked like a box.  It was 800 square feet.  We never really put thought into how to improve that space with special furniture and everything but knowing what we know now we definitely could have made that space much more livable. We have an autistic teen who may never be completely independent but it would be great if he could put a tiny home on our property and have some personal space and independence but always have us in case he needs us.  In fact – I just said to my kids and husband today that maybe we should purchase hundreds of acres so we could have horses; and on that property put a small village for all four generations of tiny homes.  Wouldn’t that be so awesome!  Everyone was definitely in favor of it. We have even paid close attention to the hobbit houses.