Archicad, Adaptation, and Advancement: One Student's Journey to Success

Emine Buran holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from her native Turkey and a Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism degree from USC. For the past year, Buran has worked as a designer on the landscape team at a prominent high-end, single-family residential architectural firm, KAA Design in California. KAA Design has a reputation for innovative and stunning designs created in Archicad and was among the firms featured in the third season of Graphisoft’s digital series By Design.

I had the pleasure of learning more about Buran’s professional journey in a recent discussion for the blog. Her experience in using Archicad as a student and then in her post-graduate studies set her up well for her current role. What stood out to me in our chat was Buran’s joyful approach to her work – one that rebounds on the entire process. Being happy in one’s job is certainly something young professionals – heck, any professional, for that matter – long for.

Landscape design involves creating indoor and outdoor connections within a single-family home. Buran says her role focuses on making make sure there is a seamless transition from the inside to the outside.

We approach the home as a whole – not segmented into interior or exterior. It is paramount in our projects when we talk about landscape, we zero in on framing the views that you will see from inside or from outside.

Emine Buran, on working at KAA Design

Sustainability features factor in here too, whether it is planting design, infrastructure, or water management, a trend that is growing in popularity and usefulness in California, where KAA is based.

“We want to design in a way that is pleasing, while following the rules and regulations that are in place. It takes creative and forward-thinking, in terms of sustainability, when designing to protect wildlife or the native habitat of any given home.”

Buran backs up her essential technical skills coupled with her education. Yet she considers that aspect, the technical know-how, as secondary to her success and appeal to potential employers. Creativity combined with that know-how was key for her.

“I had both degrees from Bachelor of Architecture and Masters of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism – and that established Archicad knowledge made a huge difference. What tipped the scales so I could be a perfect fit for KAA was my creative design skills and being able to use Archicad as a design tool. I believe that’s what I brought to the table.”

Anyone who is drawn to the field of architecture or landscape architecture, already possesses an aptitude for design. The fluency in any one program – in this case, Archicad, served to bolster that aptitude and candidacy as a productive employee.

“I was fluent enough to be able to complete all my projects in Archicad, starting from undergrad until the end of my master’s studies and from research and diagramming phase through the end of a proposed design each semester in school. I was able to work across different scales and phases in my projects that I believe allowed me to grow up with the software as well. When I started at KAA I felt confident enough to start working and creatively contributing to our projects.”

The first few days, weeks and months at a new job can present many obstacles and stresses. Buran cast her mind back to when she was the new girl. Despite having immediate, applicable software knowledge she says there was a transition period.

This job was my first post-graduate position. I had never worked at a high-end residential firm. Getting acclimated took time, but overall went smoothly.

Emine Buran

“This job was my first post-graduate position. I had never worked at a high-end residential firm. Getting acclimated took time, but overall went smoothly. Thanks to my colleagues – senior associate, Meghan Beckmann specifically has been a great mentor for me in regard to Archicad and design technology. My curiosity with technology, with Archicad and with BIM solutions keeps getting extended and I keep being engaged with it.”

Continually engaging with Archicad was paramount in the onboarding process for Buran at KAA. She says the beauty of Archicad is that it grows with the user. She and the team at KAA embrace that aspect.

“When I first started I may have thought that I was great at Archicad. I caution young professionals that this opinion might change when they begin working. I know mine did. Yet that is one of the things I love about Archicad. The software itself grows and you grow with it. Getting comfortable with KAA’s office template presented a whole new software for me. I took advantage of the firm’s one-on-one Archicad learning opportunities, which includes user groups. KAA has a culture that consistently empowers the team with opportunities to advance their Archicad and BIM knowledge.”

Being a good designer requires a combined skillset. You need to be a good storyteller through technology.

Emine Buran

Buran says the way KAA uses Archicad helps her knowledge of it evolve and vice versa. Regular brainstorming sessions about the best ways to use Archicad are “de rigueur” at KAA.

“The way we use the software gives us opportunity to think creatively with our designs. For me, that is what Archicad is, a way to deepen my knowledge of how it works but also how I can make it work for my design. KAA embraces this aspect of Archicad, using it as a design tool as well as a construction and advanced BIM tool. The team here consistently meets to come up with new ways to advance design through Archicad.”

Buran fully agrees that what makes people so passionate about Archicad is that it performs the design aspect of an architect’s job well and produces an accurate model and set of construction documents. Students benefit from learning Archicad because it is such a flexible and powerful BIM authoring tool.

It is not enough to be only creative. Keep acquiring more information and be your own best problem solver.

Emine Buran

“Archicad speaks the universal language of architecture by following its rules and requirements. Students have a variety of tools and software available – so the choice is sometimes left up to the student. I picked Archicad and I am glad I did, because Archicad enables me to design, instead of only working on technical portions of the project. From an educational perspective, my own experience taught me that it is not enough to know the technical ins and outs of a particular software. Students today need a strong foundation to pursue a higher level of professional development. I approached my studies to broaden my knowledge, which made me a better fit for KAA.”

That fit almost did not happen. Before ultimately accepting her offer from KAA, Buran had been prepared to accept another offer from a firm not using Archicad. Had things gone a different way, Buran might be using her skills in a completely unfamiliar software. This happens to students all the time and Buran has this advice.

“Students need to focus on acquiring more and more knowledge during their educational career. Feed the creativity, build a good foundation, and extend your curiosity. A former professor of mine in Turkey told me that only knowing 25-30% of Archicad allows you to do a lot of things as a student and even as a professional. When I look back, learning and extending my artistic knowledge every day, even as the technology was changing was a key. As designers, we need to adapt. Having the BIM knowledge is important, there’s nothing that substitutes for asking questions and keeping your curiosity peaked.”

Students must keep pushing their limits with the technology they are using and using the software to advance their creative thinking.

Emine Buran

“Being a good designer requires a combined skillset. You need to be a good storyteller through technology. Students must keep pushing their limits with the technology they are using and using the software to advance their creative thinking. It is not enough to be only creative. Keep acquiring more information and be your own best problem solver.”