Program Highlighted | Architecture
Interview with | Clarence Lau
Date | June 2002

Interview | Clarence Lau

Clarence Lau is an Innis College fourth year Architecture specialist Student.

Innis: Would you introduce yourself?
Clarence: Hello. My name is Clarence Lau, and I'm a fourth year student at U of T studying a Specialist Architecture Program and a Minor in Visual Studies.

Innis: What attracted you to the study of architecture?
Clarence: I've always liked visual arts in High School. I have been doing lots of paintings, and architecture is another form of art that would actually lead to more productive careers.

Innis: What roles did advice/influence from peers, mentors, relatives, and others play in your decision?
Clarence: Not too much. Mainly my parents, because they think that artists can't really survive in the world today.

Innis: Did you ever think of combining architecture with any other programs other than visual arts?
Clarence: No.

Innis: Is there a reason why?
Clarence: Because Architecture already involves a lot of other disciplines, and I have taken a course in Calculus in Humanities, so doing an Architecture degree already has a lot of other disciplines involved.

Innis: What aspects of this program do you find fascinating or inspiring?
Clarence: The education of Architecture is very intriguing because as I've said before it involves a lot of different things. It involves design, economic issues, engineering issues, materials, environment, and all of these things sum up to be Architecture and that's why it's so fascinating.

Innis: How would you rate the facilities and opportunities offered by this program in the University of Toronto?
Clarence: Right now I'm doing an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. Most of their resources are for the Masters program. So right now we don't have studio spaces for the undergrads, and that's a shame. We have a great library, in fact lots of libraries which are great. And in terms of professors a lot of them do also teach in the masters program and they're great.

Innis: Are you thinking of taking the Masters program after graduation?
Clarence:Yes.

Innis: Of all the courses in this program you have taken so far, which one did you enjoy the most, and why?
Clarence: All of the design courses, so each year there would be a half course to 3 half courses of design. Those courses are actually studio courses where you bring your design to class and have a critique session during the lecture. What that means is that you talk about your projects, and everybody just discuss and the Professor gives you suggestions and asks you questions of why you did that, and other students get to ask questions as well. This is the main process to design, it's an ongoing process so as more inputs are offered, your designs change throughout.

Innis: What's the normal class size like?
Clarence: The class sizes vary. The studio classes are smaller, that's why I like them a lot better because you have a closer relationship to the Professor. Those are about 25-30 students and they are 3 hours each once a week. The other lectures are bigger, such as the History courses and the technology or engineering courses. They are around 100 students.

Innis: Are the studio courses conducted in lecture style or are they more practical?
Clarence: They're more practical. They are discussions, more seminar like.

Innis: How is an architecture class different from classes of other disciplines?
Clarence: The design courses are really different because the ratio of Professor and Student is so much lower. Therefore you learn a lot more. Rather than just sitting there and listening at a lecture, you get a conversation, a dialogue between the Prof., other students and yourself.

Innis: What extra curricular activities have you been involved with on campus since coming to U of T?
Clarence: I have been involved with the Chinese Student Club called Unique Productions and Publications. I was the Vice-President for the Club last year, and I have been involved in a lot of their activities such as Orientation, Book Fair, dances, parties, etc.

Innis: Were there any connection between the extra-curricular activities and the programs that you're in?
Clarence: A little bit, because we also do a publication and a lot of flyers needs to be designed, and this is where the connection comes in because Architecture as well as Visual Arts is about design and communicating visually.

Innis: Given your heavy course load and the organization that you're involved with, how did you manage to organize your time?
Clarence: With Architecture courses, especially design, one can't really manage it as well as you want to. The projects do take a lot of your time, that's just the way it is and everybody in Architecture knows this. There may be a week in each month that you have projects due, and that whole week you may not get too much sleep. So the other times I could try to balance out with the other courses and other extra curricular activities.

Innis: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is interested in pursuing this program?
Clarence: Look at Architecture around you, such as the house you are living in, schools or colleges or rooms that you are in, and any buildings, malls, anywhere. Because they are all designed for a specific purpose, and by looking around you really learn a lot about Architecture such as lighting, the material, the space, the spatial quality, and experience it all.

Innis: Of all your achievements here at the University of Toronto, which one are you most proud of?
Clarence: Well being the Vice-President last year took a lot of my time and energy. We have done many great things and we organized a lot of activities that took a lot of energy, such as the drama production in January that killed all of us because it was so time consuming. I'm really proud of that.

Innis: As a student in this field, I am sure you have researched the job market. What kinds of employment opportunities are there?
Clarence: The education of Architecture is very different from the professional field of Architecture. Some of us may never get to use what we learn in school in a career. I think I would enjoy the education of Architecture a lot more than the Professional field, because there's a lot of business and economic issues and by laws and building codes that restrict a lot of the design ideas. That's why Visual Studies gives me the other opportunity to explore the freedom, the artistic expression of myself. In terms of a career path, after the masters I would have a lot of foundations for many other fields. Any design related fields such as publishing, advertising, interior design, or furniture and I think I would be more interested in those. They are sort of a smaller scale design related field rather than a big project.

Innis: What types of careers are you interested in developing in the future?
Clarence: Furniture Design, Interior Design, Graphics, or even animation.

Innis: But animation is a total different field!
Clarence: Exactly, but they're all design related. That's why the Architecture Program is so helpful because there's a strong foundation of knowledge that you gain through this program that you can apply to many different fields. So that's why you should take it.

Innis: What steps are you taking to assist you in achieving these goals other than taking the Masters Program?
Clarence: Build up a really good portfolio. The portfolio is a selection of your design work that you can present to companies that you may want to go into, and also really look at many things. Look at Design magazines, Architecture magazines, and look at everything around you. You have to look around a lot. Look at how the industry is changing because there an awareness in environmental issues now that's really important, and a lot of designs are related to the environment at the moment. So be aware of the world around you and design accordingly.

Innis: Are there any other things you would like to say to Innis students?
Clarence: If you are interested in Architecture, they are looking for students with other disciplines as well. If you're into language such as Literature, or Computer Science, or Mathematics, or even Music, they want students from a lot of disciplines. So don't think if you're a Computer Science student you cannot become an Architect. If you have the intent or interest in any design related field look into Architecture, look into the magazines and you will be surprised by what you find.

On behalf of Innis College I would like to thank you for giving your time so generously …

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