50 Must have tools for architects, interior and Landscape design students.
1. Architectural drafting set
2. Sketch note book
This is a fantastic portable travel memory recording tool, sketches are a companion any designer will need. Good designers best companion, perfect even for calculations, thoughts and passing notes. Having a card board cover more preferably with rounded corners.
3. Led Desk lamp
Led light to minimize power consumption and maximize longevity.
Controllable brightness and lighting modes
360 swivel head
4. Handheld Laser Distance meter
Designed with versatile funtions for high precision distance measurement. Lightweight and very simple, instant, reliable to measure. Remarkable accuracy and fast measuemnt. Smart volume and re calculations based on measured length, width and height.
4. Drawing storage Tube
Affordable
A very rigid plastic to protect contents from bending or creasing in transit.
Tube must also be water and light resistant, protecting materials againist fading from exposure to sun light.
Includes a long Extra shoulder strap that is comfortable for use even when the ttube is fully extended.
Twist off, threaded lid with contact card for easy labeling tubes contents.
5. COMPO PENS
6. Tracing paper
High transparency that permits several overlays while retaining legibility
Accepts pencil, ink, charcoal, as well as felt tip markers without bleed through
Exceptional quality for detail or sketch work
7. Self-Healing cutting mat
You must be able to get smooth surface even after multiple uses
The cutting mat possesses unique self-healing properties allowing the cutting mat to cover its self after every cut.
The Mat must contain different sets of clear grid lines, 1/8 measuring to help the cutting process.
It must be thick and double sided to protect your table or work area.
8. Retractable Cutters
But these cutters in a range of sizes to vary which material you will be cutting to prevent them for breaking, Use smaller blades for light material like paper, and thicker blades for thicker material like ply wood.
9. Led light box
Super thin light box
Super convenient
No shadow and no glare
10. Feet-inch-fraction Calculator
This will be a huge time saver for adding and subtracting fractional dimensions
11. Adjustable Triangle
Drafts angles
12. Engineer’s scale
Don’t confuse with architects scale, this scale uses base 10 divisions instead of fractional- depends on the drawing discipline.
13. Technical mechanical pencil
Sharp pencil needed for detailed drawing
14. Electric sharpener
Keep your pencils on point with this sharpener
15. Stick glue
The best for attaching paper or card for presentation boards or models.
16. Super glue
Fastest drying glue which is perfect for model making
17. Metal rulers
Essential when cutting a straight line. Plastic or wood rulers can’t stand to a knife.
18. Mini L-shapener
Perfect for cutting mall model components
19. Drafting brush
Keeps your drawings clean with this handy brush
20. Clear ruler with metal edge
Great for model making. See what you are doing while cutting along the metal edge
21. Cut resistant Gloves
Save your fingers from having a bad day by meeting with your blade when cutting.
22. Architectural Graphic Standards
This is a must have resource for every architect
23. Headphones
I use these everyday. A must-have for any architect or architecture student to avoid distractions at work or in studio.
24. Ipad
Sketch your ideas wih the revolutionary stylus.
25. Graphic Enabled Laptop
Used for rendering, Digital drafting.
26. Paper trimmer
Perfect for trimming small scale drawings.
27. Measuring tape
Essential tool for any architect verifying dimensions on site
28. Drawing set
Contains two bow compasses, a divider, an extention beam, ink bow attachments, and a slip handle for ruling pens.
29. French curves
Get outside of straight line box when drafting
30. Circle template
Large and small circles drafting template.
31. Graph paper
Not just for engineers, layout designs and sketches
32. Drafting Board
The starting point for every young architect
33. T-Square
Perhaps he most architect thing on this list. The must have tool for hand drafting
34. Electric Cutter
Great tool for cutting foam for quick massing models
35. Stainless steel erasing shield
Erase only what you want and keep the rest
36. Modeling clay
You are only limited by your imagination with this model making material
37. Scale models
Give your models a scale, with simple toys
38. Drafting table
39. Drafting chair
Stay comfortable while drafting
40. Drafting and design Software
41. Smart Phone
Smart Phone and How they are changing design
Smart phones are the number one breakthrough after Laptops in this present age.I would say that now after trying it out and it becoming a tool that is exponentially changing my life in Landscape Architecture and design till now.
With a numerous number of tools, compressed in just such a single device, smartphones are not just the next big thing; they are the big thing.
From Client calls, to research about landscape ideas on the internet, from client Online communication such as social media like Whats-App and Facebook to site visit photography/ Video data collection.
Smartphones evolved from the earliest communication devices. Thus, it has been created to primarily improve people’s way of communicating with each other. The advent of smartphone technology modernized communications. It has paved the way to SMS, text messaging, call, video chat, and apps that allow people to instantly communicate to everyone across the globe.
Web Surfing
The smartphones also make it convenient for people to surf the web. These devices are integrated with mobile browsers that enable them to research and access websites anytime and anywhere. According to a study, 10% of the total time spent by people on smartphones is used in opening browsers to surf the internet. With this, people have easy access to information.
Camera
In this “selfie” generation, the camera is so important.
It saves people from buying a separate digital camera to take photos and videos. Especially now that the millennials are fond of posting photos in the social media.
According to a 2014 Comtech study, the camera ranked third as the most important consideration for consumers in buying a smartphone.
With this, smartphone giants make sure their phones are equipped with the best camera.
Education
Smartphones also aid education, research. With easy access to information and helpful content, you can have a more interactive learning through watching education videos and playing education applications. They can also easily surf the internet if they want to search something about a topic.
Productivity Apps
Smartphones can do almost everything with the help of apps. There are over 2 million apps in Google Play Store while over 1.5 million apps in Apple App Store.
People spend 90% of their time accessing apps in which an average user install 36 apps on their smartphone.
The functionality of apps varies from each other – photo and video editor, ticket booking, online store, payment system, data analysis, personal assistant, etc.
GPS
Most smartphones now are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS). This technology allows people to locate certain addresses and area all around the world. This helped improved not just communication, but most especially, transportation.
As a designer it is easy for you to reach clients and locate places.
Privacy
You as a designer can keep confidential information in your smart phone and even. Online transactions can also be done through smartphones.
It is the first part breakthrough for anyone trying to catch up with the current market. If you already have a market lucky for you. But the online world seems not to be touched and yet billions use the internet today.
Statistics
According to statistics, almost half of the population owns a smartphone. In a 2016 survey conducted by the Bank of America, 96% of the millennial aged 18 to 24 years old said that smartphones are very important for them. 93% of them even stated that smartphones are more important than deodorant and toothbrush. The survey also found out that an individual checks his or her smartphone every 6.5 minutes.
Why a Smart Phone
From it I easily connect to potential and old clients, in a few clicks. Easy communication with colleagues and other service or product providers without running up and down.
Creating content for clients has never been easy, and give the best customer communication experience that can surely attract the next business.
I would say today the first most important investment in any starters’ life is a smart phone. If all designers learn the craft, big opportunity awaits
2. Tape measure
Ha-ha sounds a little strange! But it sounds way stranger if an architect or landscape designer has no tape measure of their own.
It does not definitely assure you about getting new and fresh clients but it definitely assures you of accuracy in any job got.
It helps a designer measure and estimate easily sites and put into sketch what is truly on site. That assures you of professionalism and accuracy.
I would suggest a 30m tape measure for beginners or if capable to get a 100m tape measure.
3. Laptop
Few or none of the landscape designers in a few years will be unaware of computer Aided presentations, this is like the use of PowerPoint, Landscape Architecture CAD platforms and many other upcoming platforms.
It’s easiest to convince a client with computer aided designs. So a designer who is well equipped with laptop skills can change the perspective of clients with well-planned and presented proposals.
Bigger clients are potential here.