GUC – German University in Cairo

Architecture and Urban Design

ARCH 702 Legislation, Professional Practice and Contracts

Fall 2017

Instructor: Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

Design Process

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Date: _______________

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Keywords

Summary

Notes

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Name: ______________

Topics

• Design Process

• Design Influences

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Design Process

Building design is the keystone of architecture practice.

Translating: needs and aspirations, theories and technologies, and schedules and budgets

Into: appropriate and exciting places and buildings

It requires great skills as well as attention to broader concerns.

Design

Complex and Inaccessible yet

Taught to and practiced by thousands

Design

Private and Intuitive yet

Broadly discussed and rationally analyzed

Design has moments of great inspiration and deep insight - but most of all it required hours, months, and years of hard work.

Design

Design Process

Design Process • Linear Quality

Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Design Process

• Non-linear Qualities

Flashes of insight … Creative leaps

Design Process

The design process works with information and ideas simultaneously on many levels.

Design Process

Z

Y

X

Interior

Materials - Colors

Structure – Systems

Function – Circulation -

Access

Form – Shapes - Style

Site – Climate – Context -

Surroundings

Design Process

Designing is a reciprocal

Action and Reflection.

Dr. Yasser Mahgoub

It is both problem-seeking

and

problem-solving process.

Design

The Common Tasks of Design

Establishing Design Goals

– Expressed formally or informally

– Create functional and aesthetic guidelines for judging design decisions

– Project objectives help establish priorities

Synthesis

The Common Tasks of Design

Evolving Design Concept (s) – Plan concept

– Geometric form

– Mass the building vertically or horizontally

– Use of an organizing element

– Particular image

– Historic precedent

– "Design Vocabulary" of formal and aesthetic ideas

Synthesis

The Common Tasks of Design

Evaluating Concept Alternative

– Point-by-point evaluation against the original design objectives

– Intuitive judgment based on experience

– Combination of both

Synthesis

Aspects of design unique to a particular architect or firm

Particular design stimuli

Organizing principles

Areas of emphasis

Aesthetic vocabularies

Synthesis

Design is a continiuous activity.

Beginning (no end)

Design

Design Influences

Design Influences

– Every project situation is different

– Different requirements and limitations

– Cultural, environmental, technological, aesthetic contexts

– Challenges and opportunities.

Design Influences

Program

– Requirements and Limitations

– General or Specific descriptive of needs

– Suggestive solutions

Design Influences

Community Desires

• Public agency (ies) approvals

• To meet objections or to gain support.

Design Influences

Codes and Regulations

• Safety requirements

• Minimal land use

• Light and air zoning

• A major force in design that regulates every aspect of design and construction

Design Influences

Site and Climate – Physical characteristics: size, configuration,

topography, geotechnical, etc.

– Climate: wind, solar orientation, temperatures, humidity, precipitation, etc.

– Environmental Factors: view, existing vegetation, drainage, etc.

– Access

– Adjacent land uses and other site factors.

Design Influences

Building Context and Existing Fabric – The surrounding environment

– Influence:

–Materials

–Fenestration

–Color

–Detailing

– Existing structures

Design Influences

Building Technology

– Building configuration, materials, and systems are rarely arbitrarily chosen and are only partially based on aesthetic criteria.

– Dimensions may be dictated largely by mechanical systems or even by the knowledge and preferences of the local construction industry.

Design Influences

Sustainability • The ability of a society, ecosystem, or any

such ongoing system to continue functioning into the indefinite future, without being forced into decline through exhaustion or overloading of the key resources on which that system depends.

• For architecture, this means design that delivers buildings and communities with lower environmental impacts while enhancing health, productivity, community, and quality of life.

Design Influences

Cost • Projects have limited budgets.

• Cost considerations significantly influence almost all issues from building size and configuration to material selection and detailing.

• Budget: Fixed or flexible

Design Influences

Schedule • Design decisions out of sequence

Design Influences

The client • The Good client:

Is there such a thing as "good client"?

• Some clients have a clear idea of program, budget, and other project objectives, including the final appearance of the building.

• Others look to the architect to help them define the project objectives, as well as to design a building that meets theses goals.

Design Influences

End

Dr. Yasser Mahgoub