Design Process for Architecture!
A hut teaches a lot. It gives a definition of need. Hut is basically a bed room. When someone sleeps, he probably needs protection and a little privacy so the idea of walls come in. Almost all other activities used to happen outdoor. Bathing, cooking, eating, work, entertainment, learning....all of these used to happen outside the hut at least in India. It is quite wonderful that all of these activities have become indoor in modern world. This gives a great clue for design.
Why do people come to architects? May be it is difficult to address their own needs and probably see their spatial requirements. What I mean here is, for various activities of living there will exist an spatial requirement. Lets say we can solve this by simply working out dimensions. Dimensions are truthful as we can measure it. But this might not suffice completely. Needs for walls or spatial division comes out of either protection or privacy. If I look at todays urban requirement for a young couple who are working, the activity is reduced to compressed mornings and evenings. Faster ways of addressing their every day chores. If I address all their "Principle" needs I might arrive at a logic of space measurements. this is not the end of it.
If I fix the space by making divisions looking at needs then I can make a variety of spatial effects to same spatial requirements. Here I need creativity and talent. Different spatial effects can be made. There is no immediate need of this at all. Its like buying a jewelery. The goal of this exercise if creating a new space by the process of connecting the unconnected, abstraction, composition. ( Architects popularly call it working with sections....but when asked why we dont get a clear answer !). For client this is immediately difficult to understand and accept and there is no need for this at all.
After creating spatial effects, which defines the light,space, movements, aesthetics (it is a loose term but useful) now it is time to worry about construction of the space. This includes a whole lot of talent of materials and construction processes. Usually it is based on Architects experience and many times aspirations of clients. Together many times they arrive at a construction concept based on budget. The whole activity is a clumsy affair. There is a need for a clear language here. Architect biased to brick and stone usually proposed brick and stone and architect comfortable with steel and glass dosent want to waste his time and energy on exploring new materials. And client will have aspirations of marble and paints of their choice which will add to the confusion. I feel here a library of attempts will solve the problem. This naturally happens by looking into magazines and other houses. After the materials are chosen, architect has a new problem of working with the material. Materials opens his imagination. Why?
Materials are the end visible results of visual effects which define architecture. Now he works with the materials inside the conceptual spatial effects which he has earlier created. He tries to fuse it with structure sometimes. Structure is the most important aspect of space. Space cannot be created without structure and structure defines the safety of shelter. This is again a creative activity and usually not willfully discussed with clients or rather avoided. Materials have again crossed the technological barrier as the newer materials are techology themselves. They change color,texture and shape! and are dynamic. Now this activity becomes a specialised activity which can be done with experts alone who know the executions of such hitech materials.
Interestingly when the structure is planned, designed what ends up is a visible exterior mass. Here people like to express a bit, make statements, again add some aspirations, but for architect it becomes a large mass to workout something which creates visual interest. Often if structure has the ability to express itself visually, it is left just like that. Else if walls and windows end up as the main visual elements, then architects again put themselves into a creative activity to figure out how to bring a visual interest of the built form. The end goal of this activity is to create visual interest.
Systems of facilities (Electrical, sanitary, rain water harvest, Air conditioning etc) many times integrate with built form. Systems are usually highly specialized, industrialized, componentized, optimized facilities which mainly have an approach of "Integration". Integration is an intellectual activity of unifying and adjusting two separate entities. Here is often "strategic" in nature. The end goal of unifying systems can have different strategies like efficiency, increasing visual interest, saving on cost, just addressing needs. Most often systems hinder our data of daily activities. Since systems have standards or more susceptible to standards and help in saving time, they create a large amount of discomfort as they are not effectively designed for customizing. So it is important to choose a system which has maximum flexibility to suit user needs and has the potential to be effective. Probably this is where it looks like a machine to live in. Many works on futuristic systems are being developed all around the world. Sensor based technologies, Sensor based mechanisms (Smart House) etc shall have challenges of needs to really flourish if they have to survive as Industry. There will be more pressure on the architect to handle systems intellegently.
An articulate communication using drawings is one system of communication to a party dealing with construction. In a sense, the final drawings is the final delivery of the architect with usual checks on site. It is rather difficult to change the design when it is already laid on site. This activity is an execution activity.
A great amount of adaptation happens in the beginning of usage of house. From fixes, finishes, performing activity etc. It is important to check the initial hypothesized activity we considered before creating spatial effects. If the activities are being performed with a certain effectively, then there is a little credence to our hypothesis. It is very difficult to gauge the spatial effects though. That enters the books of experience. Else everything else quite black and white with no grays.
Why do people come to architects? May be it is difficult to address their own needs and probably see their spatial requirements. What I mean here is, for various activities of living there will exist an spatial requirement. Lets say we can solve this by simply working out dimensions. Dimensions are truthful as we can measure it. But this might not suffice completely. Needs for walls or spatial division comes out of either protection or privacy. If I look at todays urban requirement for a young couple who are working, the activity is reduced to compressed mornings and evenings. Faster ways of addressing their every day chores. If I address all their "Principle" needs I might arrive at a logic of space measurements. this is not the end of it.
If I fix the space by making divisions looking at needs then I can make a variety of spatial effects to same spatial requirements. Here I need creativity and talent. Different spatial effects can be made. There is no immediate need of this at all. Its like buying a jewelery. The goal of this exercise if creating a new space by the process of connecting the unconnected, abstraction, composition. ( Architects popularly call it working with sections....but when asked why we dont get a clear answer !). For client this is immediately difficult to understand and accept and there is no need for this at all.
After creating spatial effects, which defines the light,space, movements, aesthetics (it is a loose term but useful) now it is time to worry about construction of the space. This includes a whole lot of talent of materials and construction processes. Usually it is based on Architects experience and many times aspirations of clients. Together many times they arrive at a construction concept based on budget. The whole activity is a clumsy affair. There is a need for a clear language here. Architect biased to brick and stone usually proposed brick and stone and architect comfortable with steel and glass dosent want to waste his time and energy on exploring new materials. And client will have aspirations of marble and paints of their choice which will add to the confusion. I feel here a library of attempts will solve the problem. This naturally happens by looking into magazines and other houses. After the materials are chosen, architect has a new problem of working with the material. Materials opens his imagination. Why?
Materials are the end visible results of visual effects which define architecture. Now he works with the materials inside the conceptual spatial effects which he has earlier created. He tries to fuse it with structure sometimes. Structure is the most important aspect of space. Space cannot be created without structure and structure defines the safety of shelter. This is again a creative activity and usually not willfully discussed with clients or rather avoided. Materials have again crossed the technological barrier as the newer materials are techology themselves. They change color,texture and shape! and are dynamic. Now this activity becomes a specialised activity which can be done with experts alone who know the executions of such hitech materials.
Interestingly when the structure is planned, designed what ends up is a visible exterior mass. Here people like to express a bit, make statements, again add some aspirations, but for architect it becomes a large mass to workout something which creates visual interest. Often if structure has the ability to express itself visually, it is left just like that. Else if walls and windows end up as the main visual elements, then architects again put themselves into a creative activity to figure out how to bring a visual interest of the built form. The end goal of this activity is to create visual interest.
Systems of facilities (Electrical, sanitary, rain water harvest, Air conditioning etc) many times integrate with built form. Systems are usually highly specialized, industrialized, componentized, optimized facilities which mainly have an approach of "Integration". Integration is an intellectual activity of unifying and adjusting two separate entities. Here is often "strategic" in nature. The end goal of unifying systems can have different strategies like efficiency, increasing visual interest, saving on cost, just addressing needs. Most often systems hinder our data of daily activities. Since systems have standards or more susceptible to standards and help in saving time, they create a large amount of discomfort as they are not effectively designed for customizing. So it is important to choose a system which has maximum flexibility to suit user needs and has the potential to be effective. Probably this is where it looks like a machine to live in. Many works on futuristic systems are being developed all around the world. Sensor based technologies, Sensor based mechanisms (Smart House) etc shall have challenges of needs to really flourish if they have to survive as Industry. There will be more pressure on the architect to handle systems intellegently.
An articulate communication using drawings is one system of communication to a party dealing with construction. In a sense, the final drawings is the final delivery of the architect with usual checks on site. It is rather difficult to change the design when it is already laid on site. This activity is an execution activity.
A great amount of adaptation happens in the beginning of usage of house. From fixes, finishes, performing activity etc. It is important to check the initial hypothesized activity we considered before creating spatial effects. If the activities are being performed with a certain effectively, then there is a little credence to our hypothesis. It is very difficult to gauge the spatial effects though. That enters the books of experience. Else everything else quite black and white with no grays.
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