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Architecture Part 1: Student Survival Tools
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items The things that actually get you through studio. Not the fancy stuff your syllabus recommends — the real, everyday tools you’ll reach for at 2am when the trace paper is everywhere, your model is a million pieces, and you’re running on caffeine and vi...
Sections
4
Tech
Paper, Pens, and Tools
Model Making
Storage
Tech
Studio will have you switching between drawing, modeling, zoom lectures, Pinterest inspo boards, and 12 tabs of research at all times. These are the tech tools that make that chaos organized.
Game. Changer. A second screen means 2x as fast. No more flipping back and forth between windows 200+ times an hour. Also perfect for late-night studio work, group projects, and pin-up prep.
Lifelong 1920 x 1080 15.6" 1080P Portable Monitor G70-T: IPS, Built-In Speakers, 60Hz, HDMI & USB-C
It’s precise, smooth, and reacts like an actual pen — not a clumsy touchscreen stylus. Perfect for tracing, annotating drawings, shading, and sketching out concepts before you commit to Rhino, Revit, or CAD.
Apple Pencil 2nd Generation
The iPad is your portable sketchbook + drafting space + presentation assistant all in one.
Apple iPad
Not aesthetic-only — you will stare at screens for 6–12 hours at a time. Helps with eye strain + headaches during crit week.
Blue Light Glasses
Your future self will thank you when software crashes at 3am. Back up your models. Always.
External Drives : Computer Drives & Storage
A mouse is a MUST if you want efficiency. Better flow, smoother model navigation, more comfort.
silent mouse
Paper, Pens, and Tools
Tools that help you sketch, iterate, study proportions, and communicate design thinking quickly. These tools you’ll reach for 20+ times a day without even realizing.
This is one of those tools you don’t realize you need until you have it — and then you wonder how you were ever hunched over a random table edge.
Acurit PXB 20” x 26” Drawing Board for Artists and Designers - Portable Workspace for Drawing, Sketching, Drafting, Painting - Multi-Angled Laminated
If you’re cutting anything don’t use a plastic ruler. This metal ruler with a cork backing is the difference between clean, straight edges and accidental slip and an emotional spiral at 2am.
Metal Ruler with Cork Back | Chrome & Metal Case
Trace lets you sketch, layer, revise, rethink, overlap, and explore form fast. It’s the ultimate “low pressure” design surface — you won’t worry about messing up, and that’s when your ideas flow.
Bee Paper 24" x 20 yds Sketch and Trace Roll - White
It helps translate space, proportion, and measurement especially in early concept sketching and detail studies. Keep one in your bag always.
12" Aluminum Architect Scale Ruler
The architecture standard. These are your line hierarchy pens → perfect for diagramming depth, edges, shadows, and scale.
Pigma® Micron® Fine Line Black 6 Piece Pen Set
Model Making
The holy trinity of model making (and definitely something you’ll use more than scissors). Clean cuts = cleaner models = stronger presentations. Also saves your desk surface from tragic scars.
Acurit Self Healing Cutting Mat 12" x 18" - Black
These little lifesavers hold things in place while glue dries, keep edges aligned, and help you build cleaner, straighter models without the stress-shake grip of holding everything manually.
Bessey Trigger Clamp Set (4-Piece) with EHKM06 and EHKM12, 2 Each - RES4PK | Home Depot
The holy trinity of model making (and definitely something you’ll use more than scissors). Clean cuts = cleaner models = stronger presentations. Also saves your desk surface from tragic scars.
RYOBI 14-Piece Hobby Knife Set RHCKP05
Storage
When you start carrying big drawings, trace rolls, plans, and presentation sheets across campus… you will become the wind’s favorite victim. This tube is your solution. It keeps your work protected, clean, uncrinkled, unbent, and untouched by coffee ...
Unique Bargains Plastic Picture Drawing Sheet Container Tube Poster Scroll Holder Black
A rectangular portfolio case keeps your prints flat, clean, and crease-free (because nothing kills a first impression like a wrinkled elevation). It also gives everything a sense of intentionality — like you planned for this moment, not sprinted to i...
Unique Bargains PP Waterproof Lightweight Art Portfolio Case with Zipper Black