Architecture Design Concept

Definition
• An idea that provides the foundation
and backbone to your design
process and decision making
• Concept design is a main phase
where designer needs to create an
attractive design.
General Concept?
• “An abstract idea / a plan or intention / an
idea or invention to help sell or publicize a
commodity.”
• Therefore a concept can be an idea, notion,
theory, object, opinion, representation or
process that provides the fundamental
building blocks to the thoughts and beliefs
behind an idea.
 Architectural Concept?
• Purpose of an architectural concept is to generate a
response to a given design based scenario, by
addressing the projects brief, context, restrictions,
issues, use and structural requirements.
Where do they come from?
• Architectural concepts should generated from three key
areas
• The Site (climate, orientation, views, access, context,
history, use.)
• Design brief (client and building requirements)
• Building typology - Building type and use
Why Generate a Architectural Concept?
• Architecture concept gives the architect / designer a clear direction
and framework when making design decisions
• it provides a methodology to the thinking process by offering a type
of rule book
How and what do they influence?
• Exterior and interior - orientation, massing, form, apertures, height,
light
• The landscape - hard and soft surfaces, types of planting, scale of
painting, arrangement of planting
• Finishes - color's, styles, textures, materials
• Fixtures and fittings - genre, style, scale, amount, material
• Structure - light, heavy, traditional, modern, vernacular
• Materials - color's, hard or soft, weathering, types, styles, locally
sourced
Types of Architectural concept
• Site
• Design Brief
• Narrative.

SITE
The site in our opinion should always be the initial starting point to any
conceptual process.
• Design brief
Without design brief there is a major process of concept developing,
after concept designing the main purpose is to describe it by using site
location and others major courses that may influence your concept.

• Narratives
Lastly every project should have a narrative the story behind its
inception. For example a clinic should be a place of healing and calmness,
and just this small amount of information starts to define where the
building should be placed
Where to start Ideas
• Finding a starting point can be frightening, especially when
developing a successful concept
• This includes site analysis, design brief appraisal, building typology
appraisal, archetype appraisal, precedent studies and so on