Architectural Design Methods Guide

Architectural Design Methods
Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Shabander
Sultanate of Oman
University of Technology and Applied Sciences
Higher College of
Technology
Department of
Engineering

What is Design?
• Design is a word that means different things
to different people. In dictionaries the word is
described as a mental plan, preliminary
sketch, pattern, construction , plot or
invention.
• Even among those closely involved with the
built environment there are considerable
differences in interpretation.
• Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Shabander

What is Design?
• Architects, for example, may interpret design
as being the production of drawings and
models to show what a new building will
actually look like.

What is Design?
• Design is “The arrangement of lines or forms
which make up the plan of act with special
regards to the proportions, structures,
moment and beauty of the work“.

What is Design?
• Taking into account the personnel needs of
the client such as physical, emotional,
spiritual and practical, it is always envisaged
right from the beginning of a design to the
completion; irrespective of whether it’s a
residential or commercial project. Human
needs for comfort, security, privacy and
aesthetic satisfaction are always considered.

What is Design?
• Generally, design speaks of the creative
process by which art, science, and logic are
brought together to solve problems and
create unique solutions.

Who is the Designer?
designer:
- Is a person that is primarily involved in the
design of ”Forms” and “Spaces”,.
- Designers should have good creative skills,
imagination and artistic talent.
- Designers should know how to deals with
“Compositions”.

What is Architectural Design?
• Architectural Design is the Best Possible Use of the
Available Space, Functionally and Aesthetically.
• Architectural Design is the design of a space which
has been created by structural boundaries and the
human interaction within these boundaries.
• It can also be the initial design and plan for use,
then later redesign to accommodate a changed
purpose, or a significantly revised design for
adaptive reuse of the building shell.

Why is Architectural Design important?
Good Architectural
Design will not only
make a space look
and function better,
it can have a
significant impact on
mood and
wellbeing.

Historical background
• In architectural education, generally, there
are two schools or movements related to
Architectural Design:
• The Beaux-Art, in France and USA later.
• The Bauhaus, in Germany and Europe
later.

THE BEAUX-ART
• THE BEAUX-ART SCHOOL:
• Give fundamental lessons to learn about
Classical Styles. It was concerned and
focused on studying historical architecture as
a Type, which can be followed for the future
architecture without studying the Basic
Principles as a base for architectural design.
Use; stone and timber.

THE BAUHAUS
• THE BAUHAUS SCHOOL:
• Search for different solutions, or unique
forms, which must reflect the function of
the designed building, and construction
materials, and structural systems. Use;
steel, reinforced concrete and glass.

Mid Twenties Century Architecture
Design
• From the mid of the 20th century on, many
changes occurred in the architectural
education:
• 1- Focusing on aesthetical factors more than
technological factors.
• 2- Appearing new behavioral (social and
psychological) studies as a base for
architectural education.

Mid Twenties Century Architecture
Design
• 3- The role of environment in
architectural education.
• 4- Creating methodology to solve
problems, by using logic and systematic
design.

Christopher Alexander
• In 1972, Christopher Alexander published
his book “Design Method”, in which he
described the design process. This process,
he confirmed as a “process for searching
for methods which will improve the
quality of design”.

• In his iconic book (Pattern Language), he
guided to put suitable solutions for
different parts and functions.

• There are other “Design Methods” or
processes we can find in the modernism
architecture practice, as follow:
• The concept of (Form-Giver); which related
to the big architects (FLW, Gropius, Mies,
Le Corb), in which they follow main design
principles.

• The concept of (Functional Architecture);
which related to program requirements and
functions relationships.
• The concept of (Buildings as Symbols).
• The concept of (Criterias and Control); which
used in design projects focusing on:
decisions, context, and environment.

Definitions of architectural design method
• Find correct physical elements for the
structure (system)…..(Alexander 1965).
• Create decisions with possibilities of
suspicious and wrong…..(Asimow 1962).
• Create great complicated job…..(Jones).

• The best solution for many real
requirements and needs for many
special situations…..(Matchett 1968).
• Imaginative jump from the current facts
to the future possibilities…..(Pag 1966).

• Creative activity to find new and useful
thing not occurred before…..(Reswick
1965).
• Compromise between certain needs or
requirements and design determinisms.

• Changes created in artificial
things…..(Christopher Jones 1980).
• Create suggestions to change existing
thing to a new better thing…...(Lionel
Merel 1977).

• All these definitions focused on two
things:
• 1- Activities and processes which
performed by the architect for the
whole architectural work from the
beginning to the end, till the
implementation of the work.

• 2- The outcome of the architectural
activity which performed by the
architect.

Design method in architectural schools
• According to (Jones), we can divide
design methods to:
• 1- Beginning
• 2- Preparation
• 3- Proposal Making
• 4- Evaluation
• 5- Action

• 1- Beginning:
• Define and clarify the problem, which must
solve and find possibilities for solving this
problem.
• 2- Preparation:
• Gathering and analyzing informations and
facts, which related to the problem. It is the
(Program) or (Brief) stage.

• It contains a brief report of the
requirements of the project.
• There must be an analysis here, to
determine the main and important
factors that must be solved.

• Site analysis and criterias, which describe
the main preferred characters of the
architectural solution.
• 3- Proposal Making:
• Creating ideas, and preparing proposals
for buildings.

• This stage can get longer time for
creation and also development.
• We can call this stage as; (Synthesis).
• 4- Evaluation:
• Designer himself can evaluate his work,
or can be done by others.

• Here, designer begin to compare between
the design solutions, aims and criterias of
the program.
• 5- Action:
• Drawings and specifications preparation
submit for implementation.

• Notes about (Jones) definitions:
• - It is a cyclic process.
• - There is a feed-back in this process.
• - Repeatable process.
• - Diagrammatical process.

Design method in architectural offices
• According to (AIA), we can divide design
methods to:
• 1- Schematic design:
• Determine the main characters of
designing the building through diagrams
(and plans, elevations and sections).

• The aim is to give primary decisions ,
which will be the base for the late
stages. It contains:
• A- Allocate project on the site.
• B- Costs approximation.

• C- Spaces layout.
• D- Movements and relations.
• 2- Design Development.

• 3- Preparation of constructing
documents.
• 4- Bidding and negotiation.
• 5- Administration of the construction
contract.

Design Method according to behavioral
studies
• Most of the architecture theorists (like;
Broadbent, Osborn, Gorden,..) agreed that
the most important thing in design
method is the process which happened in
the (MIND) of the designer.

Definitions of design method

Definitions of design method
• As a conclusion, we can divide Architectural
Design Methods into two main types:
• The Black Box Design Method.
• The Glass Box Design Method.

Black box design method
• It is unconscious and hidden process,
which used by architects to design.
• Stages of this method can be divided to:

Black box design method
• 1- Analysis of informations and
requirements.
• 2- Idea.
• 3- Conception.
• 4- Development.

Glass box design method
• It is conscious and clear process, which
used by architects to design.
• Stages of this method can be divided to:

Glass box design method
• 1- Analysis of informations and
requirements.
• 2- Synthesis (submitting proposals).
• 3- Evaluation.
• 4- Development.

Black box method vs. glass box method
Glass Box Method
Black Box Method
1- Architect put each stage of his design
with diagrams, so, his mind will be
similar to transparent-glass box, seeing
and knowing the design method and
process.
So, creation of idea, will be clear,
conscious, and appearable.
1- Architect mind looks like a closed
box, in which can’t know how he think,
and how he create the idea, and can’t
know how to take decisions to solve
the problems.
So, creation of idea, will be ambiguous,
unconscious, and not appearable.
2- Design method has hierarchy stages,
beginning with trying to solve the parts
of the problem then the main problem.
It begin from (in-to-out), from the
details to the general. Synthesizing
these solutions to reach the proposals.
Then to reach the best solution.
2- Design method has hierarchy stages,
beginning with trying to solve the main
problem, then to solve parts of the
problem. It begin from (out-to-in), from
the general to the details, from the
public to the private.

Black box method vs. glass box method
3- Main design decisions will take place
in the final and late stage.
3- Main design decisions will take place
in the first and beginning stage, then
later taking the detailed solutions and
decisions, which related to the smaller
parts of the project.
4- Many general ideas, then to choose
the best proposal, according to definite
criterias.
4- One idea developed within many
later stages.
5- Owner and designer working
together as a team to solve problems
and submit solutions.
5- Owner submit the problem, and the
designer should solve these problems
and submit solutions.

Problems of black box method
• 1- Ambiguity of the design thinking, and
decisions making.
• 2- Focusing on form rather than function.
• 3- Decisions will be unconscious and not
clear.
• 4- Choosing one fast solution, and not
discovering other solutions.

Problems of black box method
• 5- Divide the process between the
owner (problem) and designer
(solution).
• 6- Generalization of taking the design
decision will lead to general and not
perfect solution.

Problems of glass box method
• 1- When dividing the general big
problem to small detailed problems to
find solutions to these problems will
make gathering and synthesizing these
solutions very difficult, and may lose the
creativity o the design.

Problems of glass box method
• 2- Formation of the problem may
change within the different stages of the
design process and method. So, the
architect must reformation this problem
again and again.

New compromised design method
• This method divided to (4) stages as
follow:
• 1- Analysis (wide period of thinking of
the idea).
• 2- Synthesizing (submitting proposals).

New compromised design method
• 3- Evaluation (process to find and
choose one proposal).
• 4- Development (working on the chosen
proposal).

Characters of the compromised design
method
• 1- Transparent idea formation and thinking.
• 2- Serial thinking process, from the parts to
the wholeness.
• 3- The main design decision will take place
in the end of the process.

Characters of the compromised
design method
• 4- Submitting many proposals.
• 5- Good relationship between architect
and owner.
• 6- Focusing on team work.

Characters of the compromised
design method
• 7- Good relationship between research
and design.
• 8- Objective decisions making.
• 9- Submit research report beside
architectural drawings.

Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Shabander

General analysis
• 1- Resources of General Analysis :
• A- References in Libraries.
• B- Site Visit.
• C- Similar Project Visit.
• D- Interviews with Experts.
• E- Designer Thinking.

General analysis
• All these resources would lead the designer
to :
• - What to do (Requirements).
• - Why to do (According to goals).
• -How to do (Methodology).
• - Where to do (Site).
• - To whom to do (Owner or Client).

General analysis
• 2- Stages of General Analysis :
• A- Work Plan.
• B- Analysis of the project requirements
and activities to reach the program and
spaces.
• C- Site Analysis.

General analysis
• D- Functional Analysis.
• - Spaces Characteristics.
• - Relationships between Spaces.
• E- Symbolic Analysis.
• F- Case Studies (Analysis of Similar
Examples).

Architectural Design Methods Guide

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