Precedent Study Guide
What is a precedent study?
According to the merriam webster dictionary a ‘precedent' can be defined as "something
done or said that may serve as an example or rule to authorize or justify a subsequent act
of the same or an analogous kind”, and a ‘study’ as “a state of contemplation”
So when defining the term 'precedent study’, it can be classed as the sourcing and
contemplation, of related and relative, past and present influences , that aim to serve and
provide inspiration and help with the justification of an idea.
These examples often come in the form of visual aides, and form vital parts of a projects
foundation and overall concept, with many projects finding their starting points from one
singular precedent.
How are precedent studies used?
Precedent studies form the backbone of a projects creation and remain just as relevant
at its inception as they do during its construction, aiding with:
Inspiration
From seeking initial design inspiration, through to sourcing the right material finishes,
precedent studies provide an excellent resource and visual library of thought provoking
media.
Design concept generation
Studying past and present examples of work in and around the arts and architecture, helps
to develop an understanding of the thought process that lead to a projects creation and
its underlining driving force, ’the design concept’.
Sometimes directly, but most likely indirectly, this will inspire and open up alternative lines
of thinking towards your own concept development, adding depth and justification to your
design process.
Justification
No matter what stage you are in your learning, or what level of creative thinker you, we
all need justification that our ideas and approaches will ultimately work and be successful.
This is particularly important for architecture, where not only must it be physically possible
to build, it in most instances must also outlast its creators.
Finding examples of similar design and construction approaches, provides us as
designers with a degree of confidence in knowing tha t we are pursuing the right direction.
Explanation and Communication
Precedent studies can be used to explain and communicate the vision of project, from
how a building for example might house its occupants, through to material choices and its
finished appearance.
Peers, tutors, and clients have confidence in what they can understand, and if you can
provide examples of what already exists , then it becomes far more difficult to misinterpret
the designers vision.
How to find precedents
As listed below in the resources section, there are a few key places to find good
precedents, however ultimately its just research, and relevant precedents can and will
come from anywhere, and will always be bespoke to a particular project. They are rarely
carried over from one to another.
For architecture in particular, you should focus on breaking the project and brief down
into segments and create sub categories for your research. This way each category will
influence the next and help to form an overall vision.
Trying to find singular precedents that cover everything is highly unlikely, and will only
lead to frustration.
These categories may include:
Building use
Building occupants
Type of site
Building location
Building plan
Building elevation
Building section
Building typography
Building type
Building size
Materials
Sustainable strategies
Construction strategies
What to look for…
Similar to the above you should aim to collect pieces of the bigger picture, which for
example can include:
Representation and presentation styles and techniques
Architectural model styles and finishes
Architectural diagrams
Form and massing
How a building interacts with light and shadow
Window opening
Entrances
Interior finishes
External finishes
Furniture
External finishes
Landscape
Planting
How to assess and analyze your precedent studies
The direction in which your analyze your precedent studies will be dependent on the
nature of the precedent study, for example is it addressing the overall design concept, o r
is it a study into how access and circulation can be instigated and designed?
Below are a few key areas to look at:
Materiality –
how the building finishes work with one and another
surrounding context
what influenced the architect’s decisions
how do different materials meet and interact with each other
how are junctions detailed
Details - Materiality merges with and plays a large role in how a building is detailed, but
aside from this you can use your precedents to influence how connections between
structures and the site are made.
Look at how openings are formed
how wall, floor and roof junctions meet each other
how a staircase connects two floors
how it interacts with them
how window cills are formed etc.
This can be investigated on both a macro and micro level.
Structure - Structural strategies for the foundation (literally) of a buildings design, and
so study how your precedents are supported and span over their open plan spaces, how
columns and beams are sized, and is the structure exposed or hidden.
Scale and volume - Put simply a building must fit, and so a scale and volume precedent
study would look at
how buildings and sites of a similar size to your proposal interact with their
surrounding environment.
Are they successful, are they overbearing and if so why
how could you avoid this?
If they work well, then how do they achieve this? what can you learn?
Access and circulation - There are many ways to address access and so study the
variations
how buildings attract their inhabitants
how do people know where the entrance is?
how do they know where go once inside?
Light shadow - light and shadow play an extremely important role in how a building is
experienced, and so look at how each of these are addressed
how has the architect brought light into the building?
How are elements accentuated?
what does this feel like?
Concept development - A precedent study can often lead to and influence concept
development. Study the
fundamentals of how your precedents where formed
where they started
how were the volumes and spaces created
what influenced design decisions
what was the driving force behind the project?
Proportions - Architecture is built upon proportion and often a buildings success is
dependent on it. So study
how volumes and forms interact and sit next to each other
how large and small openings sit within an elevation
how floor levels influence a buildings height and the proportions of its openings,
how different materials break up massing.
Atmosphere - It can be particularly difficult to communicate atmosphere and emotion
through a sketch or 3D model, and so using examples to demonstrate this becomes
crucial.
…These are of course just a few examples of how this can be approached, and in reality
each study is bespoke to a particular project and brief, and so should be tailored
accordingly.
Useful resources
Pinterest
Literature
Blogs
Exhibitions
Journals
