Architecture is known to be a very expensive profession, simply because of the need for the right kind of tools to make your work easier. After a thorough study, we have brought to you a list of everything you will need as an architecture student to complete your workspace.
Here's a list of tech tools you can choose from based on your preference:
Laptops are what architecture students carry around everywhere- back and forth from your design studio, cafes and home.
Investing in a good laptop will help you get through night-outs without having to worry about it crashing every time you open more than one software. They also run smoothly when you model and render at the same time.
Choosing the right laptop can be a stressful process because of the million options out there. But with the right requirements and preferences in mind, you can easily narrow down your right choice.
Click to read the summed-up list of architecture laptops
All design software requires the constant use of a mouse. Three buttoned mouse with a scroll wheel is the best-preferred choice. It is a safe option to find a mouse that is ergonomic to stay away from post-submission wrist pain and injuries.
Budget Buy:
Zebronics or Readgear are good brand choices. The only downfall is that they might not last long or are heavier on the hand.
Some options:
Price Range: INR 400-499
The Good Ones:
Logitech, Lenovo, Asus, and Razer are reliable brands to purchase a mouse and have various models depending on your personal preference.
Some options:
Price Range: INR 2000 - 5000
Quick note:
When buying a mouse, its ergonomics should be given importance. If your hand is small, then using a large mouse will be difficult, and if your hand is large then consider getting a larger mouse.
Be it night-outs for your design reviews or never ending assignments, you can always get through it with some upbeat music of your choice. A good pair of earphones/headphones will surely help you not give up on the course, or maybe even give you inspiration for your design.
They are generally available in 3 main categories: Wired earphones/Neckbands, Headphones, Truly wireless earbuds.
If you are a person who sits at a desk for hours, then headphones would work best for you. If you travel a lot, truly wireless makes sense. And if you are into physical activity, then consider choosing Neckbands.
Budget Buy
Boat, Realme, Xiaomi are the best brands for good audio quality and overall stability.
Some options:
Price Range: INR 499 - 600
High End
Sennheiser, Sony, Samsung, OnePlus, Apple(Only if you own apple products)
Some options:
Price Range: INR 1500 - 1700
Budget Buy:
Realme, Boat, pTron, Xiaomi, Oneplus
Some options:
High End
Sony, Samsung, Google, Nothing
Some options:
Budget Buy
OneOdio(wired), Realme, Boat, Boltt
Some options:
High End
Sony, Sennheiser, Microsoft, Bose
Some options:
Models and renders are often very heavy files, and storing them on hard disks can be a safe and smart choice, even in the case of your laptop crashing. All your work from the very first year of your course will prove to be helpful in the future, and keeping them organized is quite necessary.
With a hard disk, there are 2 types in which data is stored. HDD (Hard disk) stores data on a disk like a DVD, and SSD (Solid State Drive) stores data in a capacitor and has no moving parts.
HDDs are generally slow, and cheap but can store large amounts of data. SSD is way faster than HDD and is costly for the amount of storage you get.
Budget Buy
Go for HDD as it’ll be worth the money from brands like WD, Kingston, Sandisk and Toshiba.
Some options:
High End
Get an SSD as it’ll be faster and also similar storage to HDD but at a cost. Samsung and Sandisk are the kings of the market.
Some options:
You could have HDMI wires to connect for class presentations, or you would want to transfer files from your camera during a site visit. Dongles can prove to be extremely helpful when we deal with multiple devices at once.
There are various usefull dongles, be it a card reader of HDMI or a type-C adapter. For architecture, get a card reader which supports multiple formats of a card like MicroSD, and SDHC for cameras.
HDMI to VGA:
This is useful for connecting a computer to to a projector for presentations as a lot of projectors still have VGA as an input for video.
USB Hub
This is used to connect many usb devices to a single machine. Our computers only have limited number of USB ports, so this can be used to extend the number of USB ports.
Honeywell Newly Launched 4-in-1 Ultra Slim USB Hub
Price: INR 449
Type-C to Various
Many modern laptops have Type-C all-in one port which can be connected to any type of device, so this is handy if your device only has this.
Price: INR 2969
Graphic tablets are great starters for your journey into digital art. They are best for transitioning from manual sketching in the first few semesters to digital sketches in the later ones. Additionally, they also provide much more freedom when compared to a mouse.
Budget Buy
Wacom, Huion and XP-Pen are the most common graphic design tablet brands. The tablets come with buttons that can be customized to fit your design preferences.
Some Options:
Wacom CTL 472/K0-CX Digital Drawing Graphics Pen Tablet
Price: INR 3500
High-End Buy
Some Options
Wacom Intuos Pro PTH660 Creative Graphics Input Tablet
Price: INR 29,890
Procreate and other in-built digital art softwares can come in handy as a portable drawing tool.
Some Options
Apple Ipad (10th Generation) with A14 Bionic Chip
Price: INR 34,900
Price: INR 1,04,900
With architecture, comes understanding perspectives. Most students get into casual or professional photography based on interests in addition to practicing architecture.
Nikon has manually operated lenses but it is tricky to learn for a beginner. Canon on the other hand is quite easy to use and is a good option for a beginner photographer. Regardless, both brands have high-end models that are quite competitive with each other.
Budget Buy
Nikon and Canon have some really good budget-friendly models in DSLRs. The mirrorless camera options are best for beginners who are exploring photography as a passion. They are also easy to carry around as they are quite compact in size.
Some Options
Price: INR 59,396
Price: INR 82,000
High-End Buy
High-end cameras have full-frame sensors. Sony is by far the best with DSLRs. Hasselblad is another leading manufacturer.
Some Options
Price: INR 2,24,000
Price: INR 2,09,000
