Architectural Programming Lecture

Architectural Programming
By: Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

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• The student should prepare a
comprehensive architectural program
that includes definition of functions,
activities, utilities, areas, and volumes.
• The suitable size of Graduation
Project ranges from 10,000 to 15,000
m² of usable area. This is the "total
gross floors areas" not the "building
foot print".
• The land area, outdoor activities and
landscape depend on the site and has
no limit or range. Outdoor and site
areas are added to such a range.
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

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INTRODUCTION
ProjectComplexity
Project Size
10,000 m2 15,000 m2
• The project complexity should be related as shown on the
following graph.
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

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• The program should be relevant to the needs of the
owner and expected users and consistent with
architectural recent theories and design data.
• It should respect local and international standards.
• The student should work with the faculty advisor
and the client (if available), to calculate the
required areas in relation to the physical,
environmental, and social context.
• The program is presented in the form of functions,
areas, and relationships, space data sheets of the
main spaces.
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

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Group
1/3
Individual
2/3
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

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• It is imperative that the program or the pre-
design document outlines all the
information and that each students should
develop a set of design constraints and the
design criteria that respond to them.
• As well, the program document should
include preliminary alternative concepts
that articulate the program and respond to
the constraints identified for each project
and site.
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

8Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
INTRODUCTION
What is architectural programming?

9Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
INTRODUCTION
What is architectural programming?
 Architectural programming is the research and decision-
making process that defines the problem(s) to be solved by
design.
 Architectural programming is basically a research process
to gather, analyze and document relevant information
(human factors, functions & activities, relationships, cost,
ordinances, site, climate…etc.) and then reach a conclusion.
 Architectural programming establishes the appropriate
criteria for the proper design solution (a guide), to identify
the forces that influences the design (both internal and
external).

10Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Architectural programming is the first step of
the project lifecycle. Decisions taken at this
stage affect the cost and operation of the
project in the future.

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The most cost-effective time to make changes is
during programming. This phase of a project is the
best time for interested parties to influence the
outcome of a project.
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

The Project Lifecycle
• Project Selection - define the goals (wants, needs, requirements, etc.);
• Programming - research and document the related issues (facts,
problems, potentialities, etc.);
• Preliminary Design - in a schematic form, acknowledge the impact of
those issues on the goals;
• Design Development - interpret the spatial expression of the design,
goals and issues;
• Final Design - resolve the issues, and the inter-relationships, of the
design, goals, and issues;
• Documentation - prepare the contract drawings and specifications;
• Construction - facilitate and monitor the fabrication and assembly of
the built environment; and,
• Evaluation - assess the quality of the built environment and its impact
on the project's goals and users.

IMPORTANCE OF PROGRAMMING
• To provide the designer with the information needed to achieve the
best possible solution to the problem at hand.
• The wide range and variety of projects and building types the architect
is asked to design makes it impossible to provide training for all
building types. Programming is the tool that enables architects to
handle this wide range of buildings.
• The critical importance of the architect’s role in shaping the built
environment.
• To avoid major mistakes in design decisions, which can be very
expensive to correct.

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PROGRAMMING FRAMEWORK
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

PROGRAMMING FRAMEWORK

Introduction
• Programs are prepared for three different
design phases:
– Master Planning
– Schematic Design
– Design development
• Should contain the information that the
designer needs to make informed design
decisions for that phase.

Project Requirements
• Vary considerably depending on the nature
of the project:
– Master Planning Requirements
• Site Design (circulation, parking, drainage,
retention, utilities)
• Building Layout (overall building relationships,
sizes, location, orientation, future expansion)

of the project:
– Schematic Design Requirements
• Building Design (building organization, size,
orientation, image, growth, change)
• Interior Design (user needs, activities, sizes,
relationships, conditions)
• Space identification and square meter allocation
• Relationship matrices and diagrams

of the project:
– Design Development Requirements
• Space program sheets
• Building systems requirements (materials, systems,
processes)

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Many different programming
formats incorporate the same
essential elements. In all cases, the
design programming fits within a
larger context of planning efforts
which can also be programmed. For
design programming for a building,
we propose a six-step process as
follows:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
A Six-Step Process
1. Research the project type
2. Establish goals and objectives
3. Gather relevant information
4. Identify strategies
5. Determine quantitative
requirements
6. Summarize the program

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EMERGING ISSUES
• Some of the emerging issues in the discipline of architectural
programming include:
• Development of standards and guidelines for owners that build similar
facilities frequently. These efforts include:
– Formalizing (computerizing) building facility requirements for
Web-based consumption—for example, the National Park Service
has developed Facility Planning Model Web-based software to
assist park superintendents and other staff in the development of
space and cost predictions for legislative requests. The intention is
to make budget requests more realistic and more comprehensive.
– Facility programming to make early predictions to aid in early
capital budgeting.
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

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EMERGING ISSUES
• Client-owners are increasingly requiring verification that the design
complies with the program. sub-discipline as a career path.
• New technologies are generating a need for types of space which have
no precedents. Basic research on these technologies is required to
determine standards and guidelines.
• As more clients require measures for building energy and resource
conservation standards (LEED, Green Globes, etc), the programming
process needs to reflect these requirements in goals, costs, scheduling,
and process.
• The supply of facility programmers is smaller than the demand. More
professionals need to consider this sub-discipline as a career path.
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

Program Preparation

Program Preparation
• Program Form
• Program Content
• Preliminaries
• Executive Summary
• Values and Goals
• Design Considerations
• Project Requirements
• Space Identification and
Allocation
• Relationship Matrices and
Diagrams
• Space Program Sheets
• Budget and Cost Analysis
• Project Schedule
• Design Analysis
• Appendix

Introduction
• To process and organize the information so
it can be communicated effectively to the
client and the designer.
• Understand the nature of the architectural
problem.
• Obtain their concurrence (approval) that the
program document is correct as presented.

Program Form
• A variety of presentation format.
• Bound paper publication.
– Bound left edge (English)
– Bound right edge (Arabic)
• Typical sizes:
– 8 ½‖ x 11‖ or 8 ½‖ x 14‖ or 11‖ x 17‖
• Orientation
– Vertical or Horizontal

Program Form

Program Content
• Five to Eight sections including:
– An executive summary
– Values and goals
– Design considerations
– Specific project requirements
– Budget
– Schedule
– Appendix
• The nature of design problems will affect how each
program is structured.

Preliminaries
• Cover sheet
• Transmittal
• Acknowledgement
• Directory
• Methods
• References

Cover Sheet

Transmittal

Acknowledgement

Directory
• Persons that the design team should contact
relative to specific areas of design:
– Areas of concern
– Name
– Position
– Address
– Telephone
– E-mail

Methods
• A summary of the information gathering
and analysis procedures used to produce the
program document.

References
• Reference materials.

Executive Summary
• Purpose
• Format

Executive Summary - Purpose
• It allows the executive to take only a few
minutes to read and understand the nature of
the architectural problem.
• It allows the designer to obtain an
understanding of the entire design problem.
• It reveals to anyone the key issues to look for
as they continue through the document.

Executive Summary - Format
• Only a few pages in length.
• State:
– The organization’s mission/purpose
– How the project will serve these purposes
– The principal values or issues
– Specific goals to be achieved
– Important constraints or opportunities
– Special user needs
– Overall size and relationships
– The quality level of materials and systems
– The project schedule
– The project budget and preliminary cost estimates

Values and Goals
• First present the values and goals in simple
phrases or sentences.
• Followed by the programming matrix

Design Considerations - Facts
• Human (activities and characteristics)
• Environmental (site and climate)
• Cultural (traditions, laws, codes, and
ordinances)
• Technical
• Other

• Human (activities and characteristics)
– Nature of organization and its activities
– The organizational structure
– The organization mission and goals

• Environmental (site and climate)
– Visual illustration of the location of the project:
• The city or region in which the site is located
• Its immediate environmental context
• The characteristics of the site
• The climate and microclimate
• Other information.

Source: http://www.sunearthtools.com/dp/tools/pos_sun.php

http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/q/QR41170.php

• Cultural (traditions, laws, codes, and
ordinances)
– The cultural context of the problem
– Community traditions
– Community fabric
– Urban design objectives
– Ordinances or special review procedures
relating to site, building, or landscape
appearances.

• Technical
– Controlled temperature or humidity
requirements
– Materials and finishes
– Solutions similar to existing ones or alternative
approaches

• Other (facts or needs?)
– Image of facility
– Signage and way-finding
– Form and color
– Energy conservation
– Safety and accessibility
– Budget and time

• Needs
• Performance Requirements (PRs)
• Design Requirements (DRs)

NEEDS
• Poorly developed programs  a simple list of the
required spaces is the program.
• What space they think is needed without any
systematic consideration of:
– The institutional purposes to be served
– Values to be expressed
– Project goals and objectives to be met
– Environmental or cultural context
– Special users
– Client/user design ideas
– Other considerations
• Reduces design to a puzzle-solving exercise.

NEEDS
• Contain compete information on the client’s and
user’s:
– Values
– Goals
– Objectives
– Factual constraints and opportunities
• Space needs compiled from programming matrix.

Space Identification and Allocation
• Tabular presentation
• Leadership
• Iconic representation
• Building efficiency

Graduation Project Preliminary Program Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Student Name:
Project Name:
Item Sub-Items Description # of Units Net Area/Unit Toatal Net Area Net to Gross Factor Gross Area
1 (name)
1.1 (name) (number) (number) #VALUE! (number) #VALUE!
Total #VALUE!
2 (name)
Total #VALUE!
3 (name)
Total #VALUE!
4 (name)
Total #VALUE!
5 (name)
Total #VALUE!
(Insert more rows as required)
Grand Total #VALUE!

• Tabular presentation
– Brown sheets or Grid sheets
– Appropriate size for each space

• Leadership
– Lead lengthy work session discussions:
• Number of persons who will be using the spaces
• Activities in which they are likely to engage
• Type and amount of furnishings and equipment that
will be needed
– Point out norms and standards for space size
– Help client/user group come to an
understanding and agreement to what size each
space must be.

• Iconic representation
– Illustrate space size with small
rectangular figures at the same scale.
– Effective in showing laypersons the
comparative size of spaces.
– Helpful to the designer
– Designers are often more comfortable
with iconic rather than numeric
imagery.

– Estimate the amount of additional square
footage (meters) that will be required to
account for unprogrammed spaces including:
• Circulation spaces
• Walls
• Mechanical and electric rooms
• Janitor’s closets
• Rest rooms
• Miscellaneous storage

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– Estimate the amount of additional square
footage (meters) that will be required to
account for unprogrammed spaces including:
• Circulation spaces
• Walls
• Mechanical and electric rooms
• Janitor’s closets
• Rest rooms
• Miscellaneous storage
N
G EX
÷ ÷

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Assigned
Net Area
Unassigned
Area
Gross Area
Building efficiency

20
7
9
1.25
0.75
2
60
Net Area
Circulation
Mechanical
Walls
Toilets
Janitors
Storage

– Very substantial percent of the building area
– Net-to-Gross Ratio or Building Efficiency
– Varies significantly for different building types
– If it is accounted for incorrectly, it can have a
significant negative impact on building quality.

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Efficiency = Net Area / Gross Area
Building efficiency

– Calculation of efficiency:
Net Area
Efficiency = Gross Area
6000 m2
60% = 10,000 m2

Relationship Matrices and Diagrams
• Relationship Matrices
• Relationship Diagrams
Understanding relationships is a very basic and
important part of architectural programming.

Three distinct levels:
1. Relationship of activities within an
organization.
2. Relationship of activities to objects or
places.
3. Relationship between different objects
and/or places.

Relationship of activities within an organization

Relationship of activities to objects or places

Relationship between different objects and/or places

The programmer must discover the actual
relationships and not make assumptions
based on limited past experience.
• Food preparation  Eating
• Kitchen  Activities

The programmer needs to have a good
understanding of all the relationships
between activities, objects, and places in
order to know which activities and objects
can and should be separated into distinct
spaces or rooms, and which will work
better in one common area.

Relationship Matrices
Relationship matrix develop and show how
various spaces relate.
Every identified space is located vertically along
one side of the matrix.
Lines at a 45-degree angle to the end of each
identified space extend to provide one cell
connecting each space to every other space.
A simple distinguishable code can be used to
show the nature of the relationship between
the spaces.

Relationship Diagrams
Small circles or ―bubbles‖ each of which
contains the name of one of the identified
spaces.
The bubble representing the space under
consideration is drawn first, then other
spaces relating to it are indicated in
additional bubbles placed near the first
bubble.
Heavy, medium, and light-weight lines can be
used as a code to indicate strong, moderate,
and weak relationships.

Relationship Diagrams
For simple buildings, it may be possible to
prepare a diagram which, like the
relationship matrix, shows the
interrelationships of all interior and exterior
spaces.
As the building becomes more complex, it is
difficult to prepare such a diagram without
implying some relationships that may not
exist. It may be necessary to relate only the
established major zones of the building.

Space Program Sheet
A space program sheet for each identified space
includes:
• Statement regarding the purpose
• The square meter allocations.
• The important relationships for each space.
• Types and numbers of people who will use the
space.
• The activities in which people will be engaged at
various times of the day, week, and year.
• Furnishing and equipment needs.

Space Program Sheet
A space program sheet provides a complete
miniature program for the space covered.
They are circulated throughout the client’s
organization for review, comment, and
correction.
The following are samples of program sheets.

Program Example

Architectural Programming Lecture

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