0007 Where To Buy Architecture School Supplies
The Brief
Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen to the Architecture Student Diaries where it is my mission to help you kill it in Architecture school whilst making you, the best you in the process. The following post is your one stop shop, to find the right shop, for buying your architecture school supplies. Today I will be going over several different types of stores and locations to obtain supplies from without breaking the bank! Some places might surprise you, but trust me you won’t regret it once you find those hot glue gun glue sticks for less than half the price of the big retailers. If I were to have all of the hot glue gun sticks that I used in first year in a pile, I could probably build a full-scale Arc de Triomphe… okay maybe not really, but you get the idea, it was a lot. And If I had bought all of these from a large office supply retailer, I would be living in a cardboard box right now. So, if saving a bunch of money on supplies and knowing exactly where to get them sounds interesting, you have come to the right place.
Below is my list of where to buy your architecture school supplies:
$2 Shops and Variety Stores
Toy and Hobby Stores
Homeware Stores
Art and Craft Stores
Hardware Stores
Officeworks
Amazon, Ebay and Facebook Marketplace
Draftex and Online Art Supply Stores
City Council Recycle Stations
Vintage and Antique Stores
Garage and Yard Sales
Now, let’s get into it. Class is now in session.
$2 Shops and Variety Stores
Now, there are preconceived ideas surrounding these types of stores, that they only sell junk and that what you buy will break straight away. Sure, if you go to a $2 shop to buy a crystal bowl to display in your house and you’re disappointed when you find out it’s actually plastic when your dog knocks it off the table… that’s on you. But, if you’re a uni student on a tight budget and you need hot glue gun glue sticks, sketch books or model making supplies like tweezers, small knives and even alcohol-based markers; a variety store is the place to be. Almost all supplies that you need to get you through architecture school (not technology related), you can find in one of these stores and usually at less than half of the price you would pay at a large retailer like Officeworks. Don’t get me wrong, stores like Officeworks are terrific resources and I can spend hours on end simply looking at everything in there, but when money is tight variety stores and $2 shops are the place to be.
Toy and Hobby Stores
When it comes to model making you are going to need a lot of materials, but finding the right ones that are easy to work with can be an arduous task. Making scale models is tricky business with lots of little pieces that typically you would have to cut up yourself and piece together, wasting massive amounts of time. But, if you go to a hobby shop or some good toy stores, you can find plastic and metal architectural modelling components from steel columns to masonry clay bricks, basically anything you need to build a scale model house. It’s unlikely in architecture school that you will be making scale model realistic houses all of the time, but these components can come in extremely handy in general model making. Another terrific material that is readily available in most hobby stores is balsa wood, this timber is an extremely light, malleable and versatile material. Balsa is used by many model makers for things such as scale aeroplanes, but works perfectly for architectural models; it can however be quite expensive and can be fragile, but in some instances of model making nothing can compare to the convenience and abilities of balsa wood. Furthermore, when making realistic models where you want to show things such as vegetation and human or animal figures, either for scale or purely aesthetic purposes, hobby shops hold extensive collections of these things designed for model train sets.
Homeware Stores
Stores such as Lincraft and Spotlight stock a terrific range of supplies that can be utilised in model making, mood boarding, presentations and for general inspiration. Polystyrene is one material that these stores stock in large quantities, in different shapes and sizes and densities and it is one of the most versatile materials there is for quickly creating form. One tip with polystyrene that I learnt in first year is that when you cut it, it will fracture and become messy, but get yourself some fine sand paper and sand it like timber; it will end up smoother than it was to start with. Oh, another thing with polystyrene is that if you try to glue it with hot glue, be careful how much glue and pressure you use as the heat can melt the material. These stores also stock textiles that can add artistic flair and flexible elements to your models. Homeware stores also typically stock all of the art supplies that you could need and sometimes at lower prices than dedicated art stores. So if you look carefully and find a good store, a homeware store could potentially be the only shop that you need to visit for architecture school.
Art and Craft Stores
This one is quite self-explanatory, you’re studying an art intensive university course, so it makes sense that you’re most likely going to frequent the art store. I personally however, visit art stores much less often than others on the list purely because of the price factor. Although, if you want the best of the best and money isn’t an issue, by all means go to an art store, it’s like being Frank Gehry in an artistic candy store. Sometimes you will be able to find things in art stores that you can’t find anywhere else and if you talk to the people there, a lot of the time they can order in specialty items that you might require, can’t find or simply that everywhere else is out of stock. It can also be enjoyable just to walk around an art store to see what they have and gain some inspiration for that project you’re stuck on.
Hardware Stores
Paint, timber, glue, tape, saws, drills, screws and screwdrivers. These are only some of the hardware like items that you will come into contact with very quickly when entering architecture school and if you didn’t use these types of things growing up either at school or around the home, they can be quite intimidating. Never fear, the hardware store staff are here. If you go to a hardware store, typically the people who work there do so because they enjoy working with what they sell and are very knowledgeable. Whether it is a tool, materials or simply some advice that you need, a hardware store such as Bunnings Warehouse, Mitre 10 or Home Timber and Hardware is a terrific place to go. Be warned though, it is very common to walk into a Bunnings with only one small thing on your shopping list and leaving 2 hours later with a full trolley.
Officeworks
The king of office supplies and one of my favourite stores of all times, Officeworks. I get happy just thinking about walking through the aisles, and if you don’t, you may be in the wrong course because it is well known that most architects have stationary fetishes of sorts... Just think of the stainless-steel fountain pens (drools). Officeworks is basically your one stop shop for all things archi, from drafting supplies, to technology to art supplies and of course the architect’s best friend, Copic Markers! Officeworks holds large supplies of Copic markers of all different shapes, sizes and colours and boy are they life changing, with one slight hitch… you may have to sell a kidney to afford them. But that perfectly blended shading on your hand render is totally worth it… right? I think so. This is a theme that you will find throughout Officeworks though, high quality products with prices that match. Officeworks is not overpriced though, lots of their products are quite cheap and you can definitely stock up on a lot of things without breaking the bank. However, with brands like Copic or Bostiks hot glue sticks, Officeworks like to stock the best brand and no cheaper option, therefore, you’ll have to pay the premium (unlike at the $2 dollar shop where you will find the lower tier options). In some instances this price is definitely worth it, it’s like buying a high quality shirt that lasts 5 years verses a cheap shirt that wears out after 2 months; you can choose to continually be buying the cheap option with the costs adding up over time or buy the expensive option to start with and have it last for your degree. The choice is totally up to you, personally I use both methods, a lot of the time it depends on what money I had when I needed to purchase the product or what I intend to use the product for.
Amazon, Ebay and Facebook Marketplace
Large online retail warehouses / online second hand stores can be a terrific place to find a bargain on a range of things from art supplies to laptops. You will be able to find anything you could ever want for your course between Ebay and Amazon and the best part is for our socially awkward and introverted generation who prefer to stay behind screens, you don’t need to leave the house once! Amazon is a fantastic resource where you can find terrific materials at great prices that you might not be able to find anywhere else. I use Amazon to buy rolls of thin cork that I use to create contour models; it works out much cheaper than trying to source the product elsewhere. Facebook Marketplace is something that can seem slightly shifty at times, however, if you use your internet safety smarts and screen out the ‘too good to be true’ deals you can find an amazing array of items for great prices. I mentioned in an earlier article that I have a friend who found a proper drafting table on Facebook Marketplace for free that someone simply didn’t need anymore, she still uses it to this day. Deals like that do not come up very often, but you can very often find a great deal on items like desks, drafting chairs and tables, slightly used Copic markers and a lot more. But as I said, use your internet smarts and look out for knock-offs.
Draftex and Online Art Supply Stores
I stumbled upon Draftex’s website whilst working as a draftsperson in my gap year before starting at university and I have not looked back since. Draftex has an extensive collection of everything that an architect could ever need to draw to their hearts content at different price points, so no matter what your price range you will be able to find something for you. They also stock high quality and affordable items, for example the firm that I was working for used to purchase scale rulers from Officeworks, however we found that the numbers would rub off quite quickly and then we needed to buy new ones because without the numbers a scale rule is rendered basically useless. Not only is this a waste of money but it is also bad for the environment because more and more rulers need to be produced. So, we decided to switch to Draftex scale rulers of the equivalent price point and they did not rub off at all. Sometimes it pays to shop around. There are also several art specific online stores that due to not having brick and mortar shops are able to sell products to you at lower prices because they have less overheads as a company. These will help when you have to choose between eating instant noodles and getting the good pencils you want as opposed to eating properly and buying bad quality pencils.
City Council Recycle Stations
City council transfer and recycle stations can be terrific resources for cheap and sometimes free materials but they can be slightly hit and miss. You will need to research your local station with your local council either online or over the phone to see their opening hours and their rules for visitors. If you can gain access you will be surprised with all of the things you can find for architecture school, like model materials. If you have a chance one day, go for a walk through your local yard, it can be fascinating to see what actually happens with your recycled products and if you re-use things from the recycle station, you’re doing your bit for the environment whilst saving money at the same time! It’s a win, win, really.
Vintage and Antique Stores
Architecture is a profession that has been around for a long time. Centuries ago the term ‘Architect’ didn’t exist and those working as architects were typically referred to as ‘Master Builders’ for their incredible design and crafting abilities, or they were artists and sculptures like Leonardo De Vinci. This means that for a long time there have been architectural supplies, and typically older supplies are better quality than those made in today’s consumerist world. A great idea for finding supplies for architecture school without breaking the bank is to search for these old school supplies in vintage and antique stores. Some of these supplies are highly sort after, like vintage drafting tables that can ask thousands of dollars, however, if you hunt around you can typically find a bargain. One of my tutors in first year found a vintage drafting table on Ebay for a few hundred dollars that needed a bit of TLC, the owner threw in the matching drafting chair as well. Little did the owner know that this pair was very rare and worth much more, my tutor had these items taken to a quality vintage furniture restorer and now they are worth several thousands of dollars all for the cost of few hundred dollars and some bargain hunting.
Garage and Yard Sales
Much like vintage and antique stores, garage sales are terrific places to look for second hand supplies. Typically garage sales happen either because people need money fast or they want to get rid of things that they don’t need; this means usually you will be able to find items for less money than they are truly worth. Every now and then you will find some garage sales with people who do know the true worth of their items or simply are trying to rip people off so make sure you do your research before making purchases. The best thing to do if you find something at a garage sale that you think might be overpriced is to just do a quick Google, Ebay and Gumtree search on your phone for the item, you will find similar products and see what the average asking prices are. So, next time that you are driving along a street and see a ‘HUGE GARAGE SALE NEXT LEFT’ sign on a fence, think about taking the plunge and seeing what you can find.
Final Notes
That was the TASD list of the best places to find supplies for architecture school no matter your budget or what you need. If you follow this list there shouldn’t be many things you can’t find to get you through your course and to ace those assignments. Now when your tutor says why didn’t you use the materials that they asked, you have no excuses. Although, sometimes it pays of to think outside the box and substitute what they asked for with something you think works better, architecture school is all about personal interpretation after all. If you have any other great ideas for places to buy supplies that I might have missed, please leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more helpful tips and tricks to make your life easier in architecture school.
Ladies and Gentlemen, class dismissed.
Iain Colliver, SONA, YBA, GKIHS
