This is very similar to the gap between the idea and the drawing during the initial ideas phase. The architect will manage the project and control its quality. During the detail design phase of a project, plastic conceptual ideas must be turned into physical ones. The architect’s production of drawings and models tends to decrease in proportion to the completion of the building. Make a statement explaining how this concept can be expressed through the materials that you select and how you connect them. However, design does not stop at this point. These conditions are influenced by the people who inhabit the world as well as the architects who design for their physical needs. Once the contractor hands back the building on completion, ownership reverts to the client. Traditionally, the architect leads the design team of consultants and channels communication between the contractor and the client. The following exercise seeks to name the links that an architect can make between the concept for their design and its expression through technology. Physical conditions
The conceptual qualities of
influencing architecture
materials and connections
Gravity
Disguise
Expression
Time
Contrast
Continuity
Climate
Movement
Static
Enclosure
Craft
Technology
Openings
Temporary
Permanent
Culture
Complexity
Simplicity
Resources
Layers
Monolithic
Skill
Mass
Delicacy
Separation
Connection
Pristine
Decay
Quality
Humility
Tradition
Revolution
Precision
Randomness
Human scale
Non-human
scale
Natural
Artificial
Calm
Restless
Initial ideas Development and detail Construction and occupation
Once the architect has produced construction drawings that are sufficiently detailed to obtain prices from building contractors and approvals from statutory bodies, the project can begin on site. The architect can no longer wander freely within ‘their’ building or make any changes to it beyond the correction of mistakes. During construction there is a gap between the speculation of the drawings and the reality of the building. Through the materials that are chosen and the way that they are put together, technology can inspire or express an architectural concept. Find a word in the first column that has the most influence on the building or element that you are designing. We all exist in a physical world subject to laws such as gravity and seasonal change. For example, a shortage of one material may lead to a redesign of an element using another material. During this stage of a project the architect needs to be aware of the beginnings and the core ideas of the project to ensure its integrity.
