Aleksandar
Nešković
I belong to the last generation who worked by hand and lived to see computers arrive. I have spent thirty years in design practice, project leadership and on construction sites, in different roles and countries. Long enough to see how much the profession has changed—and, more importantly, what has remained the same and what will not change.
Technology
I came to know computers gradually, as they developed. I chose tools for what they could do for me. It seemed technology would leave us more time for creative work; in the end, we got more routine, operator-led work at the expense of creative work. Technology is a good servant, but a poor master.
What remains
What has not disappeared is how we understand space and communicate an idea so that others can understand and use it. That is why, in my work with students, I begin with drawing and engineering literacy. Later, when knowledge from different subjects comes together in one project, I can point out requirements, gaps and consequences. The decisions and the work remain yours.
A foundation to carry forward
From my own experience, I know how important the things we take from vocational secondary school can be. The way we learn there to read a drawing, think about space and explain a solution does not stay in the classroom. That foundation follows us to university and later into everyday professional practice.
That is why I consider mentoring students at architecture-focused secondary schools at least as important as working with architecture and interior design students. Their specialisms may differ, but a house should not be treated as two separate tasks; it is one whole, and it matters that we understand one another in the work we do together.
