how are things built?

i know nothing about how things are actually put together. (ie: nothing about architecture)

thinking about actual physical construction and how things get put together is not something i'm used to thinking of. in school, if you want to hang some louvers on the front of your building, then fine- go draw it on your cad elevation and that is that. but now... there are real things to consider, xl - xl - tr - m - co, repeat doesn't fix everything anymore.

the other day i copied and pasted a detail of what i thought was a pretty standard 10mm countersink screw... just as i was about to finish the detail, my boss walks by and asks why i was drawing rivets ... o.O

so the question remains, how are things built?

my initial thoughts jump to how our design education prepares us for working in the field, but that is not the purpose of education (well in my opinion at least). the ability to find answers for ourselves, the desire to look for new + better ideas, and the constant belief that education is never finished... i think these are the lessons i will rely on while i constantly learn, read, review, and re-do that which i do not know.

then maybe one day, i will become an architect.