DESIGN CONCEPTS &PHILOSOPHIES

UNIT V DESIGN CONCEPTS, PHILOSOPHIES & STRATEGIES

1. TYPES OF CONCEPTS
2. PERSONAL IDEALOGIES OF ARCHITECTS / DESIGNERS

I. TYPES OF CONCEPTS

CONCEPT is an abstract idea or a mental symbol, typically associated with a corresponding

representation in language or symbology, that denotes all of the objects in a given category or
class of entities, interactions, phenomena, or relationships between them.

Concepts are abstract in that they omit the differences of the things in their extension, treating
them as if they were identical

Types of Concept Based on Use

1. Empirical :
Concepts observable through the naked senses, such as chair, tables, cars
2. Abstract :
Concepts that does not truly exist in the physical world, but rather subsists in the mind, like
geometric concepts such as circle, point and line
3. Evaluative :
Concepts expressing approval or disapproval, or value of an object, action, or event, such as the
concepts good, bad, beautiful, ugly
4. Fictictious :
Concepts with no known presently existing members in the extension, like tikbalang, bogeyman,
the golden ass
5. Dispositional :
Hybrid concepts bordering on the twilight zone of the observable and unobservable that can only
be observed via sensory extension devices, such as magnetism, temperature and relativity.
6. Theoretical :
Concepts that cannot be readily observable but are believed to be functional, such as atoms,
force, and antimatter
7. Metaphysical :
Concepts with a problematic status in their use, such as God, the absolute, mind, matter

I.a.BRUNER’S THREE TYPES OF CONCEPTS

Understanding Bruner’s three categories of concepts assists the design of concept attainment
lessons. While Bruner identifies 3 categories, some concepts can fit into more than one category.

Conjunctive Disjunctive Relational

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chair fairness average

dog happiness fast
lake conservation old

1. Conjunctive concepts
Are easier when first creating data sets, as their attributes are observable. Examples might be
chair, dog or lake

2. Disjunctive concepts
Are more problematic as their attributes are often contestable. Examples include fairness,
happiness or conservation

3. Relational concepts
Have common attributes but depend on context. Average, fast and old are relational concepts,
which involve a contextual comparison

II.THE CHANNELS TO CREATIVITY

There are different ways to channels creativity .In order to enhance creativity we can use the
following :
1. ANALOGY
2. METAPHOR
Our approach aims to support three aspects of creativity:
1) Combining ideas from different sources,
2) Using visual metaphor and analogy, and
3) Expanding the search space to include innovative solutions.

1.THE USE OF METAPHOR IN DESIGN

A metaphor is not just a figure of speech but a way we structure our thoughts.

KEYWORDS
Metaphor, analogy, semantics, metaphoric product

DEFINITION

 The term metaphor can be explained as the merging of two different entities into one, which
becomes something different than the ones merged.
 The definition in the encyclopedia Britannica is the “A metaphor is used as a figure of speech
that implies comparison between two unlike entities”

The use of metaphors can be divided into metaphoric structuring of our thoughts and metaphors used
in physical products.

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Lakoff and Johnson (1980) arguments that the concept of metaphor is not just used in language and
literature, but a way human thought is constructed and processed.
They categorize metaphors in

1. STRUCTURAL,
2. ORIENTATIONAL, AND
3. ONTOLOGICAL METAPHORS.
1. Structural metaphor
Is a case where one concept is metaphorically structured in terms of another.
For example argument is war gives birth to several properties of the concept argument. Attack
position,indefensible, strategy, new line of attack etc. are vocabulary from war that has been
transferred to the concept of argument to make it easier for humans to structure the concept of
argument in their mind. Later this will be referred to as metaphorically structure something.

2. Orientational metaphors
Organize a whole system of concepts in respect to one another. These are called
Orientational since they are based in the spatial orientations like up-down and front-back.
Happy is up while sad is down “arise from our physical experience that a dropping posture typically
goes along with sadness and erect posture with positive emotions”.

3.Ontological metaphor
Is a term for our nature of identifying our experiences as substances.
These experiences can be events, activities, emotions and ideas. By doing this we can refer to
them, categorize, group and quantify them. A linguistic example of this is the mind is a machine.
This leads to expressions like: “My mind isn’t operating today” and “I’m a little rusty today.”

Fig:2Schematic representation of the method of creating a

metaphoric product

FIG:1Schematic representation of the analysis of a

metaphoric product

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SEMANTICS
Semantics is the study of the messages of signs. There are a lot of different terms throughout
literature that stand for the same thing. The sign can be referred to as a carrier of the sign, the
signifying, representamen or medium. In this article the word sign is going to be used. Quoted in
Monö (1997), “a sign is any phenomenon which has a significance that is independent in relation to
its material form.”

CONCLUSION

 Metaphors are in the three different areas used as a way of communicating and transferring
the mental models between humans.
 In design management the goal is to get all members of a team conscious what the product
they are developing stands for.
 That everybody knows what the idea behind it is. In the area of metaphor use in physical
products the issue is to make the user understand the product.
 This is for a producer achieved by describing, expressing, exhorting, and identifying certain
properties through the product. This is also the issue in creating metaphoric products.
 Creating metaphors that allows the user to se the intention of a product.

2.THE USE OF ANALOGY IN DESIGN

Abstract. Creative architectural designers often employ forms from other domains, retrieving,
adapting, and including them in designs in whole or in part.
We focus here on retrieval, searching image collections for relevant forms to support creative
designing.
Retrieval of images may be indexed on conceptual design features, on function, and (in domains that
involve a physical artifact) on visual similarity, or shape.
We propose an approach to providing information for creative design that is simple to use and
integrated with the act of creative designing, which in architecture is carried out chiefly through
sketching and diagramming. We argue that to inspire creativity, image collections from diverse
domains can be valuable to the designer.

1. "Analogic design," says Broadbent, is the "most potent source of creative ideas in
architecture."(Geoffrey Broadbent)
2. Architects are visually oriented and are taught to think graphically (McKim)

 For architects therefore visual analogies are especially important and are
commonly used in professional design education.
 Pictures and sketches of design analogs appear frequently in studio presentations.
Instructors encourage students to use analogy in developing creative designs (“think of
your building as a string of pearls”), applying the analogy to drive the shaping of
physical form (“the rooms are pearls, a connecting path the string.”)
 This particular analogy is used not only in design pedagogy, but also in design
practice.
 For example, Frederick Law Olmstead described his design for a connected system of
parks around Boston, Massachusetts as an “emerald necklace.”

VISUAL REFERENCES

Architectural designers use the term ‘references’ to mean objects from the natural and
artificial world that inform their designs, for example rocks, waterfalls, trees, musical instruments, and
buildings.

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Especially for architects, references are inherently visual. That is, what is important about
these objects is their shape or physical form, and this information (rather than functional or behavioral
models, for example) is what designers extract and employ in their designs.
Visual references are often drawn from drawings, photographs, diagrams, sketches,
and paintings. References seem to play a key role in supporting the three activities of creative
design mentioned above: combining ideas, using metaphor and expanding the search space.

DESIGNERS VIEWS
Designers sketch and diagram to explore possible design solutions.

1. Edwards suggests in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain that drawing makes creative
solutions to problems more accessible (Edwards 1979).
2. An architectural sketch can explore general concepts such as projected spatial ‘feel’ of a
design, or specific functional issues such as circulation, structure, and construction method.
Sketches and diagrams are also drawn to record and analyze design concepts.
3. In Ching’s Architecture: form space and order (1979), diagrams illustrate how architectural
elements define built space .
4. Lockard (1977) suggests that architects draw primarily for testing, discarding, and refining
"conceptual ideas," and presenting ideas to others is only a secondary concern.
5. Aalto encouraged his students to sketch freely, to "think and draw" so those "beautiful lines"
will cultivate the "eye" for form
6. Graves (1977) describes the roles of architectural drawing in conceptualization; he identifies
the ‘referential sketch’ as a record of discovery and “a metaphorical base for use or
transformation in later compositions”.

EXAMPLES OF VISUAL(SHAPE) REMINDING INCLUDE

[A] Le Corbusier claimed the roof for the chapel at Ronchamp

was inspired by a horseshoe crab shell

[B] Columns at Calatrava’s BCE Place Gallery recall palm trees;

[C] Michelangelo’s Porta Pia may have derived from a

drawing of a head in agony;

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[D] Ove Arup, Utzon’s construction partner,

claimed the Sydney Opera House’s shell
forms reflected the image of yachts in Sydney
Harbor.

EXAMPLES OF CONCEPTUAL REMINDING

[A] Wright claimed the form for his

Unitarian meeting house derived from the
image of hands clasped in prayer;

[B] Many ofKahn’s performing arts centers borrowed the

form of a violin in its case.

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CONCEPTION DRAWINGS EXPLORE SHAPES AND FORMS.

CONCLUSION

 After finding an appropriate or interesting visual reference, the designer incorporates it

into the design in whole or part, more or less directly.
 With traditional design media, this typically involves tracing or copying the image onto
the design drawing at various scales.
 While tracing and copying, the designer may alter the references, fragmenting,
stretching and squeezing it in response to the needs of the design.
 The designer may also make functional assignments from the design program to parts
of the visual reference for example matching spaces and circulation paths with features
of the drawing.

UNIT V-PART A QUESTIONS

1. What is meant by Brainstorming & Synectics

2. State your understanding of the term CONCEPT in design.
3. Outline the personal philosophy of any one architect who you think has significantly influenced
you.
4. Bring out the importance of concept in a design problem.
5. List the different types of Architectural Concepts.
6. What do you understand by the term ‘Metaphor’ in the context of design?
7. Analogy is the simplest type of creativity / concept. Discuss
8. Can the understanding of the design process help you become a better / self-aware designer?

UNIT V-PART B QUESTIONS

1. What are the different approaches to the generation of creative ideas in architectural design?
2. Explain the philosophy and works of any one architect who has triggered off positive thought
processes in you.
3. What are the different channels to Architectural Creativity that have been identified by design
theorists? Explain each briefly.
4. How does the personal philosophy of an individual designer shape the creative process?
Discuss with examples.
5. Explain how a metaphor & an analogy will help in generating ideas and how does it channels
creativity in architecture?
6. What are Analogies and metaphors – state how these are significant in the process of design.
7. Explain the Channels to creativity in architecture and state various blocks in creative thinking.
8. Explain the design philosophies of two prominent architects and their concepts with examples.

GENERAL

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1. Design problems are very open ended and have also been termed as wicked problems. Give
reasons for this.
2. Design is sometimes considered a ‘wicked problem’. What do you understand by this term?
What are the characteristics of a wicked problem? How will the understanding of this help you
become a better designer?
3. Explain in detail the Art –Nouveau, Cubism and Post Modernism in Architecture.
4. Describe in detail the design methodology and study program in designing a ‘Farm house’
5. Illustrate the methodology and study program in designing small architect’s office.
6. Discuss in detail the advantages of Christopher Alexander’s approach and concept of pattern
language. When it is applied for Architectural Design?
Illustrate with example that ‘Design’ is a problem solving process. And state the methods and stages
involved

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