Architecture is not an easy stone, or chunk of metal, rather, to triumph over. Unlike graphic design, for example, it has to be attractive through its sheer simplicity – too many principles used at once and the building will not fit into the environment. It also has to be functional. It, unlike all other forms of design, has to be extremely precise, or a small gust of wind will send the newly built structure into oblivion.

Thank goodness we did not have to follow most of those rules! For students in Grade 12, trying to make a real building would be an exhausting task. We don’t yet have degrees in architecture. Still, that is no excuse for our work to be sloppy. That is exactly why the first objective for me in this project was realism. The more realistic your building looks, the better it blends into the environment, right?

The chosen location was Manhattan, NYC – a fine spot to squeeze yet another skyscraper into. The chosen photo lacked the reflective material I’ve always thought of as a symbol for advanced, developed countries – glass. There just weren’t any shiny metal/glass structures around. I was itching to put one in.