| Here is a description of the design process. I have become fluent in the design process starting with the predesign and contract to the completion of construction documents. I have linked to parts of my own projects in order to demonstrate the process. All of the projects are my own, although one of the projects was a group effort. Just click on the icon to see the examples. |
| The Design Notebook |
| Contract |
| At this point you have merely acquainted yourself with the client and have established that you as the designer will be designing their space. At this point you draw up a contract that makes clear every service you will be providing and when those items will be accomplished. |
| Programming |
| Now the designer begins identifying the client, their needs, and their concerns. This is accomplished through interviews and preliminary research. A concept is also established. This is the overall design that will unite the entire space. In the case of a residential design, it will be the basis for which the home is layed out and furnished. A Program Statement is the firm requirements for each space within the whole. The Program Statement establishes how many rooms are needed and their funtions, as well as what the minimum sqare footage of each room should be. This is also the time that a FFE (Furniture, Fixture, and Equipment list) is drawn up. The FFE allows the client to determine the needs of the room, and creates a list for the designer to work from when working within each room. |
| Design Concept |
| If the design concept has not already been established to this point, here is where it is finished. The design concept gives an overall motive and reason for all of the designing. The layout of rooms and other spaces should, and will, be determined by this design concept. A design concept can be as simple as deciding a general theme such as bright colors, to designing a parti. A parti is a general shape or layout that is mirrored in all levels of the building. |
| Research and Blocking |
| Here there is a need to establish adjacencies and space requirements. In this stage, we begin blocking the spaces. Using bubble diagrams first, we layout spaces in adjacency to each other. Essentially, does the kitchen need to be near the bedroom? Or, do all the private bedrooms need to be far from the public living spaces? These bubbles then turn into blocks in the approximate size of the room's minimum square footage. At this same time, we start thinking of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural systems. We need to think about these systems when we start drafting plans. Code research is also done during this stage. We need to make sure that while we shift rooms and place fixtures, that they are in a code compliant location. |
| Schematic Design |
| This is where we begin laying out the spaces; defining rooms and furniture placement. We start with preliminary floor plans and elevations to form a sense of the space. It is essential to establish the heights and relationships of objects in order to convey the space to a client. As we start placing walls and appliances, furniture and fixtures, we always keep in mind how it looks in the third dimension. For our sake and others, we draw up simple elevations throughout the design process. As the floor plan and rooms take shape, we begin thinking about finishes. The finishes will most likely be determined again by the design concept, but if that isn't the case, then paint, fabrics, and other finishes will begin to be thought about and set aside. |
| Design Development |
| This is one of the final stages in the design process. The schematic design can last a long time, but this stage is generally the tying up if loose ends. This is the finalization of room layout and size. Here is also where all of the millwork and other architectural details are firmly placed. Most likely details had been thought about, and this is the time to place them. Now we begin drawign up elevations and sections of the actual space. An elevation doesn't show three dimensional forms, but does give a measurable vertical representation of the space. Sections are also measurable, but show small areas such as the design of the crown molding or how a custom designed desk should be made. To this point we would have been thinking about lighting; where it should be and how it would enhance the space. Here we make a plan that shows exactly where all the lighting placements should be. This includes everything from recessed (in ceiling) lights to floor lamps and table lamps. This lighting plan is called an RCP, or Reflected Ceiling Plan. |
| Construction Documents |
| To this point we've done hand drafting and CAD drawings (Computer Assisted Drafting). Eventually, it all comes to this point. All drawings will be put on CAD to then be printed off and used as the final plans for the construction of the building. With the computer age, "blue prints" have been replaced by enormous printouts. Blue prints were created using hand drafted velleum and a light transfer system to burn that image on a more durable piece of paper. The acid used on the paper to allow this transfer changed from clear to a blue color hence "blue prints." Now we just print on giant roles of printer paper. These construction documents are then the final word in the design process, however, there is the occassional amendment. At that point, the change is made in the design and a new construction document is printed. |
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