Architecture and Math

lifeofanarchitect.com/architecture-and-math/

Bob Borson

1/19/2015

If you ever thought about being an architect but thought you couldnt handle the math, you arent alone. At parties
across the land, as soon as someone finds out there is an architect in the crowd, there is a story being told about
how they wanted to be an architect but since they couldnt draw or werent very good at math, they decided to do
something else.
Its too bad that more than most people think this but just like a handful of other stereotypes about architects that
arent true, I am here to tell you that you do not have to be great at math to be an architect. You cant be completely
incompetent either, but if you can through school, its all downhill at least until you have to the architectural
licensing exam, but thats a different post for a different day. I did a quick search for the phrase good at math in my
Google mail and I received back 114 emails (and that just dating back to January of 2014).

Do I have to be good at math if I want to be an Architect?

~ just about every high school kid thinking about becoming an architect

This is one of the more popular questions I get asked and today I am going to try to answer that question once and
for all.

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The image above is a page out of my college structures composition notebook yes, I still have it (along with all my
other college notebooks, too what end I have no idea). I look back on the notes on these pages and a part of me
wonders how I ever made it through but thats part of the message. I DID get through it and so would everyone
else who wanted to be an architect. If you really think being an architect is the right thing for you, the math shouldnt
stand in your way.

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I came out of high school with only Algebra 2 under my belt and when I stay down in my physics class and my
structures class and everyone and I do mean everyone sitting around me had already completed Trigonometry
and Calculus, thats when I realized I was in a bad spot and had some serious catching up to do. Whenever I get
emails from people who are concerned that their math abilities are lacking, I cant help but laugh when I think about
how ill prepared I was for what I needed to get done.
Now that I am 20+ years removed from structures classes, I can safely say that 99% of all the math I do day in and
day out involves the same sort of stuff my daughter is mastering in the 5th grade. Addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division, thats about it. It isnt the complexity of the math thats the challenge, its coming up with the problem in
the first place.

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Most of the math that I work with is associated with dimensions. Whenever I put together a detail for a project, one
of over-riding controls is the size of the parts that come together. Do I have enough space for all the parts I need?
Do things line up? The the components equally spaced apart when required? (think window-wall).
In the detail above, we are looking at the corner of the bridge walkway where the glass floor and the glass wall come
together. The arrangement and sizing of the structural steel was worked and re-worked until we got it to this point.
There is enough of an offset with the steel beam so that the glass at the floor has a place to set. We also sized the
vertical columns that connect the structure at the floor to the truss structure at the ceiling with 2x3 tube steel so that
the width of the members could be enclosed within the metal of the window system. When this bridge is finished, you
wont see any of the columns in the glass wall.
Did I use some math skills to solve this problem? Absolutely, but none of this is magic and absolutely none of it
requires trigonometry, calculus or physics. My father used to tell me (and now I am telling you) that you go to college
to learn how to learn. This is an important state of mind because learning things that are hard and challenging force
you to push yourself and develop skill sets that might be of peripheral value to you.

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While its possible that there are other architectural jobs out there that require an inane ability to process high level
math problems, Ive never discovered them. Rather than just stating here that you dont need math skills simply
because I dont need them, I thought I would ask a handful of architects I know from around the country who all do
different types of work (commercial, institutional, and residential), and see what they think about the role of math in
the field of architecture.
Marica McKeel, Architect
Basic math is helpful sure, but I dont think good at math is one of the more important qualities for an architect. We
all draw in the computer now so I find half the time Im using a distance command to find out the height of an 8
ceiling + 2 structure because my mind is more fixed on design than math at that point anyway.
Lee Calisti, Architect
Ones math ability should never be the factor that keeps them out of architecture. However, one needs to be adept at
math, namely algebra, geometry and trigonometry, to deal with the array of dimensions, quantities, area, volume and
other geometric relationships. This plays into spatial thinking and patterns. The higher, more complex areas of math
such as calculus hinder many students, but it is the logic pattern of math such as this that is a critical tool in the mind
of an architect. Ive never used calculus in my job, but developing logical patterns to solve problems is a daily event..
Evan Troxel, Architect
The architecture school I went to required Trigonometry to get my degree. I took it in high school and loved it; it was
pretty easy for me as I always did very well in all of my math classes. Then I took Calculus during my senior year
and bombed (because the teacher sucked, I swear). I had never gotten a C+ in any class, especially math, but I did
in Calc. For some reason I had to take Trig again for college credit so I took it at the local community college at night
one semester (because it was cheaper) and then transferred the units. Easy peasy. In other words, no you dont
have to be GOOD at math because the requirements to get your degree are fairly low.
That said, it is better if you are decent at math. Here are some examples people usually dont think of as math, but
are things architects use all the time: We are constantly adding and subtracting measurements, thicknesses,
volumes and areas. We are responsible for budgets. We work with spreadsheets that tally sizes of spaces and
everything has to all add up. We do TONS of geometry, and we love it. Geometry is math, right? Yes it is. Drawing +
Math = Awesome. Thats one reason were architects and not artists.

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Jes Stafford, Architect

Architects should be math ninjas. The aspiring architect should rush headlong into math as if charging into a field of
battle. Math is an education in problem solving and of knowing what is asked. There are few stronger parallels to all
the the variables in the Builder-Architect-Client dynamic. All math puns intended.
Also, strengths and weaknesses in various math disciplines can indicate or help diagnose learning disabilities,
cognitive disorders. The earlier these problems are identified and addressed, the easier life can be for someone who
might otherwise quietly suffer.
Nicholas Renard, Architect
Math Question (always show your work):
Not really. If you understand general geometry and physics you are good; having addition, subtraction, multiplication
and sometimes division skills are encouraged. Aspiring architects should challenge themselves with as much math
as they can handle (plus the class one further than they can handle). Math teaches and develops analytical problem
solving skills, at our core architects are problem solvers. We use what we experience from history, art, physics, life,
architecture and yes math to influence our solutions to our problems projects.
Jeremiah Russell, Architect
Would-be architects should understand the principles and concepts of math mostly geometry, trigonometry and
basic physics. It is not necessary to be a math genius (we all have calculators) nor is it necessary to master or
memorize complex load calculations and diagrams, etc. Thats what reference materials are for. Ultimately do not be
swayed if you are not strong in math. Its a body of knowledge that can be learned and should not be a source of
stress.
Andrew Hawkins, Architect
Math is important to my daily tasks as an Architect. It mostly involves simple calculations, but for me, it is necessary
to be able to do them quickly in my head. And they are mostly simple equations, but it definitely helps if you can do
them in your head and on the fly. (and this makes you look very capable). The basics building blocks are
dimensions and conversions involving feet, inches, meters, and centimeters; all of these back and forth to one
another. It is all very simple math, but it is, in my opinion, essential to being an Architect. As an owner, there are
more complex mathematical issues, but those are not so much off the cuff and have spreadsheets and formulas to
guide them.
Neal A. Pann, Architect
For day-to-day work in the office, an architect only needs a comprehension in basic math skills and some
trigonometry. Honestly nothing more than good high school level math skills
So despite the fact that I am now planning on receiving hate mail from math professors everywhere, all the
comments received from my architectural compatriots around the country seem to basically say the same thing.
Math is a good skill to have but nothing that should get in the way of you becoming an architect. Its okay that you
struggle with math, just persevere and do what needs to be done and you can look back over your shoulder at math

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for the rest of your long and illustrious career as an architect.

Cheers,

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