Conceptualization Techniques of Architectural Design

Traditionally architectural concepts have been the designer's way of responding to the design situation
presented in the program. They have been the means for translating the non-physical problem
statement into the physical building product. Every project has within it what might be described as
prime organizers, central themes, critical issues or problem essences.

Some general categories under which the concerns and issues of a building may be listed and addressed
in design are:

1. Functional zoning

2. Architectural space

3. Circulation and building form

4. Response to Context

5. Building Envelope

Functional zoning

 Functional zoning is essentially used to divide land by its function. This is the most common type of
zoning because it allows us to choose whether a property will be commercial, residential or industrial.

The concept of zones as a way of organising space in a home to create thermal pockets that can be
opened up or shut down as the need requires.

Zones are both the spaces within a building and surrounding it. This concept is infused in every one of
my designs and specially considers each zone to its relationship surrounding the homes. This is most
relevant for sites located deep in nature, where fire-zones around a home’s extended use of spaces
outside the home is to include fire zones the vegetation areas, entertaining areas, clothes-drying,
rubbish accumulation and welcoming presentation zones.

But, and most importantly we need to place focus and importance of the zones within our own homes;
to achieve both balance and liveability of your building.

Within any house design the disciplines we place deep consideration on is either passive and active
zones.

The passive zones are the sleeping areas are typically broken down to individual spaces with one person
and is aimed at being both peaceful and relaxing.

The active zones are the living areas of the building. They typically include the place to eat, entertaining,
cook and socialise. Its effectively the meeting zone where you are more active
If a design hasn’t considered these spaces well enough, we could be forced to try and be active in a
passive zone of the house, which in incongruous with how we like to live.

This is not the way we like to live, nor want to live long term.

Just as importantly, we look at these zones and function rooms, and our job, as an architect is to ensure
both the liveability of these zones work for the humans inside, but that we also place particular focus on
the thermal efficiency of each zone.

This is aimed to minimising the amount of energy needed to heat , cool and light these habitable spaces
and to ensure that each space accommodates the individual tastes of its occupants.

“Good Design is the balance where good form follows function”

- Gareth Cole

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-zoning-any-house-design-gareth-cole

Architectural space

Space, that immaterial essence that the painter suggests and the sculptor fills, the
architect envelops, creating a wholly human and finite environment within
the infinite environment of nature. The concept that space can have a quality other than
emptiness is difficult to grasp. When a building is entered, floor, supports, walls, and a
ceiling are seen, all of which can be studied and perhaps enjoyed, while the space, in the
sense that one is accustomed to think of it, is void: the absence of mass, filled by air.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/architecture/Space-and-mass

Circulation and building form

“Circulation: movement through space”
— FRANCIS DK CHING IN ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE & ORDER

In architecture, the concept of circulation isn't so different - it refers to the way people, the blood of our
buildings, move through space.

In particular, circulation routes are the pathways people take through and around buildings or urban places.
Circulation is often thought of as the 'space between the spaces', having a connective function, but it can be
much more than that. It is the concept that captures the  experience of moving our bodies around a building,
three-dimensionally and through time.

http://portico.space/journal//architectural-concepts-circulation
Response to Context

Contextual architecture can be described as the set of factors governing any and all design
decisions made, may it be in favour, or against it. one of the most tangible and easily seen
definitions of context is the physical setting in which the project is to be designed. May it be a
historic context or a modern developing one, two well-known and distinct
design methodologies to it can be summarised as, to gel it all in the surrounding, or to make it
stand out. This can be achieved on many different levels of detailing as well.

Considering the big picture, it is a response that follows the existing language of the immediate
physical setting around it. It is rather a response than replication, breaking the very first and
obvious image of similarities, lays a school of thought for adapting the existing elements and
redefining them through a different perspective of design. 

https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/rtf-architectural-reviews/a3208-architectural-theory-contextual-
architecture/#:~:text=Response%20to%20Contextual%20architecture%3A%20On,immediate
%20physical%20setting%20around%20it.

Building Envelope

The building envelope is the physical barrier between the exterior and interior environments
enclosing a structure. Generally, the building envelope is comprised of a series of components
and systems that protect the interior space from the effects of
the environment like precipitation, wind, temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet radiation. The
internal environment is comprised of the occupants, furnishings, building materials, lighting,
machinery, equipment, and the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system

The building envelope should keep out:

• temperature extremes

• moisture, as vapour or liquid

• dust

• wind
Additionally, to maintain durability, the building envelope should not permit weather elements to be
trapped inside the walls.  This may cause wall components to deteriorate, and continue to decay.  In the
early stages, it can usually be remedied relatively inexpensively.

https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Building_envelope

https://www.bchousing.org/publications/What-Is-Building-Envelope.pdf

Creativity

Some people are more creative than others. However there are ways in which you can increase your
idea production, which is the basis of creativity. In short creativity is the process of coining up with new
ideas.

3 Essentials to Development of Creative Skills

1. Ideation-refers to the mental process itself. To ideate means "to think" and that is of course,
how to train one's self think in new and unique ways.
2. 2. Idea Quantity-means that the person who is capable of producing the largest number of ideas
per unit of time has the greatest chance of producing the truly significant one. In other words,
the odds of your coming up with a really creative idea are best if you have a lot of ideas from
which to select.
3. lmagineering -letting your imagination soar and then engineering it back to reality. Be careful to
proceed in this order. In other words, don't confine yourself to reality and all of its constrain
before you begin thinking of ideas. Think outlandishly, originally, and recklessly at first. The
longer you spend thinking of ideas, the more apt you are to produce a really wild one.

Example, before, a zoo is where you cage animals and people roam around to watch them, now
in some countries it is the reverse. The people are caged inside their cars and the animals roam
free.
The idea of the concept in Architecture is quite subjective and we repeat, everyone has their own
definition and creative process, however many can be based on a generalized form or idea or on an
architectural style that they have developed with the step weather. The concept is the essence in itself
of the design in the architecture, it is understood as the passage of a subjective idea to a materialization
of the same having the architectonic drawing like means to capture it.

Trial and error in conceptualization is the bread of every day, all concepts and first ideas require
adapting to different circumstances that we can find on the road such as: Sizing, landform, etc. However,
you should not lose sight of the fact that your concept should solve the problems raised for this project.
The architectural project must be seen as a single entity in itself, but it is also composed of a certain
number of individual spaces that have to harmonize with each other.

Architectural drawing is the architect’s basic tool that allows him to express his perception of space and
form. Always try to express concepts or ideas through perspectives, elevations or any type of sketch or
angle that allows us to get closer to a comprehensive solution.

The creative process of Architecture can have many elements, however, some Architects have worked it
in the following way:

 Analysis and study of the Project. It is the first phase of the creative process, it is necessary to
gather all the necessary information to be able to elaborate the architectural project. This phase
concludes with the elaboration of the architectural program that will allow us to know exactly
the demand of spaces of the project.
 Bindings and Zoning Once the Architectural Program. Has been drawn up, you can continue to
create design diagrams that allow you to develop a sequence of design and operation of the
project, usually the projects are divided into zones. For example, a house can be divided into
«day zone», «night zone» or «social zone», «intimate zone» and «service area», based on it you
can organize your spaces to achieve a design functional.
 First ideas or concepts. In this part of the creative process is when they begin to emerge the
first ideas or sketches of what is intended, some can start from the functional, others from the
form, or in any case others based on a defined architectural style. The trial and error and
concepts in the form of a sketch are fundamental to begin to develop a design and a way to
solve the problems raised at the beginning.
 Match. The game are the first solutions outlined and in elaborated with architectural drawing
where a solution or proposal for the project is expressed, usually they are made by hand raised
and are architectural and raised floors.
 Preliminary. The blueprint is what precedes the architectural project and is a solution that can
be modified before moving to the final Architectural Project, usually is what is usually presented
to the client as a proposal.

Primary Ideas

We can approach the conceptualization of a project from the formalism or from a «generatrix idea», the
idea generatrix in this case is a particular form (can be organic or inspired by some element) and from
there start to develop the form for the own project. Other architects first approach and compose the
relationship between the spaces and their connection and then enter the aesthetics and shape the
project.

Either way they are valid and precisely provide the architect with his own «style» of design, it is
important to stimulate creativity in all its dimensions, both in 2D and 3D. The plans and the models at
the end of the day are a graphic and expressive representation of our concept, if the plans are not
capable of expressing a concept at the end they only become mere technical drawings.

Manipulation

Manipulation is defined as “skillful handling or operation; artful management or control. The purpose of
manipulation in graphic thinking is the altering of graphic images so as to get a new look at them and
thereby expand our thinking.

While the architectural design process involves decision-making aimed at the reduction of alternatives
in search of a final solution, it also involves elaboration aimed at expanding the range of possibilities.

Manipulation are devoted to elaboration in the design process, deviation from the norm, expansion of
thinking, and development of imagination.

Intuition, creativity, and imagination have traditionally been considered the skills attributable to a
limited group of people: inventors, artists, geniuses.

Many researchers of creativity feel that most people have the basic capacity for imagination but that it
remains underdeveloped or unused.
Shape

In formalism always first imagine the form and it adapts to the constraints and conditions that we have
such as land, climate, etc. In this case, the conceptual idea always comes from an iconic form that is
taken as a reference or inspiration to develop the project, organic forms are the most spectacular and
aesthetically provide more.

However, as we all know, it is more difficult to work them and adapt them to the spatial standards of
today. In Universities and study centers, creativity and the student’s familiarity with the forms are
always stimulated through fundamental subjects where, through pictures, compositions with a special
theme are made.

Creating

Another important tool when designing and creating are conceptual models or volumetric models as
they give us a better perspective of the form and how our project would look, it is not necessary to
spend or implement thousands of materials, you can make these models with waste material as they are
merely representative and volumetric.

I hope these tips are useful for you, this is the basics we need to know to conceptualize an Architectural
Project, we hope these tips and advice are useful for you. 

Not delete

A recommendation that I make personally is that they draw a lot, trial and error is always important in
conceptualization and design. Make enough drawings that allow them to fully understand your concept
or your form, another important point is NOT TO DELETE.

It is never necessary to erase since many times we can collect ideas from one drawing and another and
in the end form a new one, an error that many of us make at the beginning or at the time of students is
to think only in 2 dimensions or think «on the ground», we should always think about the 3 dimensions,
the plan drawing is only a view of our project but we should always draw thinking of a unit.