Open Space, Open Mind - An Architect's Dream

Join us as Ahkeylist Simmons, 6th grader at Kellman Elementary School, and Ms. Brighid talk to Ilanit Maghen, a professional architect based in Los Angeles.

This is the LA Philharmonic that Ilanit is designing currently.

A: What made you become an architect?

I: I chose architecture when I was at the end of high school. I thought I wanted to do accounting but realized I didn’t like that route. I wanted to go into design. I was always a creative person. I looked through a college catalog and saw all the different career offerings. I saw architecture and started exploring it. Then I went to a career day at a school near my house, met some architects there and one of them offered me an internship! A few weeks later I started working at an architect's office - just to get a sense of what it was like even before I took any classes. I worked there for a year. He was a great teacher and mentor and I learned so much. Then I applied to college under the architecture program and I got in. I was there studying for five years and then graduated and got my license. I’m really happy I did it.

A: What was the first building you designed?

I: The first building was a house in Los Angeles for a family. There was a husband and wife and three kids. They had this old house and they wanted to tear it down and start new.

I was working at a small office and the project was given to me to design which was really fun. I worked really closely with the clients, the clients became one of my really good friends. So my first project was really, really fun.

A: Is it hard to build your blueprints for your designs?

I: It’s not that hard. Nowadays there are programs that help you do that. So I work in a program that builds everything in 3D. So the program saves you a lot of different steps. Technology has been really, really great.

What’s challenging as an architect is that you wear many, many hats. You have to understand the structure - you work with a structural engineer. They calculate all the supplies you will need. But you need to understand how all that works with your design (nails, steel, wood etc). So you have to learn a little bit about mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, plumbing, because you are the funnel where all the information comes through and you have to make sure everything works in the building. That’s the challenging part but it’s also great and so much knowledge can come of that. On this current project I’ve had to learn about audio and lights in theatre spaces and even orchestras!

A: Has a customer switched the plans after you already had everything already planned out?

I: Oh yeah. They’ve switched things when things were already built. I think for people who are not designers or architects it’s hard to envision the completed project in their minds sometimes. So they see it on paper and they think it’s right - the dimension and the sizes work - but once they’re in the space they realize it’s not what they envisioned. They may ask for a wall or a window to move or for the ceiling to be taller. Those things happen often. But as an architect you’re a good problem solver. There will always be parts that need to be worked out. Part of our role is to be good solution oriented people.

A: Is it stressful being an architect?

I: I think it depends on the person. Some people don’t find it stressful and don’t find it difficult to manage the projects and find the right team. It really does depend on your team. I found my current project a little stressful because it’s big and it’s a lot of responsibility. But the more responsibility, the more rewarding the project is. So I’m willing to have that little bit of stress to have that fulfillment. I wouldn’t even call it stress. I’d call it responsibility. I feel very fortunate to be working on this project and to one day go to the space and see children practicing music. So you know, it depends on how you view it.

A: Is there a lot of math involved?

I: I love that you asked that! No. That is such a myth. There is not a lot of math other than the basic addition and subtraction. There’s no formulas, there’s really no geometry. The technology that has developed helps you with that a lot. Don’t let that deter you. If you’re not strong in math, you will be fine. You just need a creative brain and good organizational skills.

B: What are some of the architecture classes?

I: We started with art history and history of architecture. We had studio every year, three times a week. We would meet with our professor and we were given projects and we built models and we created drawings for the projects. We also had drawing classes. I went to a college that had general education so I also had all the general education classes as well. Structural classes, business classes, it was ages ago but those were the main ones. The studio classes were the fun one. I also highly highly recommend if you go to college for architecture to go to a school that does study abroad if you can. I studied in Italy for one semester and it was such a beautiful experience to go to the buildings that you’ve studied and go see the Colloseum and the Tower of Pisa and all these beautiful art pieces in real life and have a professor take you and show you all the inner workings and inner chambers of these buildings. It’s really really special. I learned so much. So I highly highly recommend it.

A: I’ve planned and thought about leaving (the United States) but I think that’s something better to do: spend a few years in this country and then go out the country for one year because that way you’ll know things better (when you go).

I: Where would you go? Do you have a place in mind?

A: Probably Italy or Paris.

I: Those are my favorite places.

B: When my Dad went to architecture school they didn’t have computers but now the technology can easily make a 3D wall. It makes me wonder, by the time you go to college, what do you technology will be able to do then?

A: I don’t know because now there’s already a lot. Maybe in 6 years, paper will be an Ipad and you draw onto it. Or maybe (the drawings/blueprints) will be actually 3D and not on a screen or tablet or computer but like you can actually see it in front of you. Which would be good for architects because if you show the clients the plan and they can see it in 3D, then they can envision it better. That way you wouldn’t have to change that many things because they’ve already seen what it will look like in 3D.

B: I wonder if you’ll just be able to talk to the computer?

I: I think we’re going to have Virtual Reality glasses for that. So you’ll design the building on the computer and then the client can wear the glasses and feel like they are walking around the spaces. Then they can see what needs to be changed and you can do it in the computer. I really think that’s where we’re headed. I think it’s already happening.

A: I thought so because we already have the glasses so it’s just a matter of having the computer do that. The right game will let you design it and then you just need to pair with the glasses. I’ve worn the glasses before. I went bungee jumping and it was very interesting.

I: Wow!

One other thing I wanted to mention is that I was a student from a low-income family when I first started college so I got a lot of financial aid and grants to be able to go. So I just want to put that out there. I had so much support to get me to do what I’m doing and even to go to Italy and travel, I got grants and scholarships. I went to a private college and it was very expensive. My family could not afford it but I made it happen. People might assume college is too expensive but there’s so much aid out there.

A: Where did you go to college for the first three years?

I: I went to a community college because I moved to the US from Israel when I was 12. My English wasn’t that great for my time in high school so I did English as a second language classes throughout high school and then when I got out of high school I then had to do the prerequisites for college. So I didn’t get to go to college right away and I’m glad I didn’t because it gave me time to get to know what I really wanted to do. I thought I wanted to do accounting but then I realized it wasn’t creative and I didn’t like it. So the community college was really great but then that meant I went to college for eight years.

A: I can build hard things, I just need to think and plan it out in my head. Usually I build real big house but sometimes I will take an old design and just redo the inside. I’m really big on old graystone buildings. There’s just something about how the architecture is and how the inside is with all the original work. I live in one myself. When I look at the outside, I think, what made them do this or that? I’m asking all these questions. I want to find the blueprints. I mean, structurally, how did they do that? It doesn’t look like something you can do. So I go to my laptop and search it up and search it up. Then I find more interesting information that I didn’t know. It feels so good to find something you’ve been researching forever! And you finally get the answer to it and it’s so interesting. I didn’t know that but now I have the answer to my question.

I: I love your love for historical buildings. I love that too. I think it’s so important to preserve these buildings that have so much character and are a part of our culture and to understand them. I love that you dug and looked for information. That’s so great! And there are people who do just that, who are historical preservation people and they understand the history of why these buildings are the way they are, how they’re supposed to be and what makes them special. Architects consult with them and ask, what can we change and what can we keep? That’s a really cool thing to do too.

A: In historical homes, it’s the wood and the archways, the hallways sometimes have things you wouldn’t normally see now. Then you wonder what it was used for...but if you preserve old things in the house people will wonder what they were used for and it makes people interested...Search something when you’re working in these old houses so you’ll know what it is. A couple of years ago we renovated our house upstairs, a lot redone, and we had these old radiator heaters, so we got rid of those but now everyone wants radiators. So now we’re like, “oh why did we do that?” We had clawfoot tubs that were moved out, and I think the plan was to move them back in but someone assumed they were trash and they were gone so then we had to get the regular built in tub. But now, clawfoot tubs are a thing! So you never know what’s going to be old or then come back up. It goes in style then out of style. Style changes a lot over the years. And sometimes it comes back. Most of the time. So what do you have planned in the future?

I: Great question! Most of my career I did residential which is houses but during the last three years I started working on a commercial project - it’s a project for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It’s a project for kids. It’s a theatre space for kids who come and learn music for free. So it’s a big project. It’s got theatre space, classrooms, offices and it’s been a really beautiful passion project for me. I want to continue on this route. I want to design spaces for nonprofits, community projects. I’m also an artist so I’d like to also pursue my art. It will probably be half and half and I still do houses sometimes. I want to do projects for the community that feel really good.