Design Matters

While thinking of the design being something that continues on I could not help but flash on the classic ‘60’s hit, its syncopated driving bass line and closing lyric “and the beat goes on.” The 1967 pop hit is none other than “The Beat Goes On” written by Sonny Bono and sung by Sonny & Cher. Perhaps I’m giving up my generational age but the driving force of a project is the design and all the reasons it is what it is become the lyrics and legacy of the building as it lives on.

We’re into the final design phase of the Visitor Center. We have had preliminary design review meetings with the client and we have also had time to reflect on how well the design is achieving the project goals, LEED objectives and that the aesthetic character is right. The goals and objectives are more a matter of checking things off the list, but aesthetics are very subjective and we rely on an artistic maturity and the feeling that we created something special for the client. We get a thumbs-up from the Chickasaw Nation; that feels good. Continue reading →

The architectural character and palette of materials were outlined in the previous post on the “trail to creativity.” The materials must now be orchestrated into an expression of form that creates visual and physical texture. The designer is challenged with how those elements integrate with each other and flow from one the next to create architectural interest and character. It is all too easy to only think of the site and floor plan as flat planes. While the site and floor plans are represented as 2 dimensional illustrations, the challenge is to be thinking of the site and building as a 3 dimensional elements concurrent with working out the site grades, views, circulation, building access, building space needs, groupings, adjacencies and flow.

The integration of the architecture and engineering systems cannot be an afterthought to design; something left to chance. The results of this approach can be disastrous. So as the site and plans evolve, the designer must be thinking of how engineering systems are woven into the architectural solution. At times the engineering systems themselves become exposed expressions of the architecture. Continue reading →

While defining the project, i.e. the problem, is paramount to arriving at the right solution, problem solving is at the heart of the design process. This is the primary skill of the design professional and it’s the challenge that keeps us charged and alive with creativity. As we engage ourselves in the creative process, each discipline must reflect on the project needs identified in the charrette then overlay it with the sustainable design criteria identified in the LEED workshop. Continue reading →

The real charrette is here. This is the day we explore creative ideas with the stakeholders. We have previously distributed the pre-charrette packet for the Program Definition Workshop. We are counting on everyone having done their homework by thinking about the various pieces of information we have sent them regarding ideas for spaces, ideas for the flavor and style of the building interior and exterior and what experience they would like the architecture to create.

I always ask the stakeholders, “if the building could talk, what would you want it to say to visitors, what do you want their experience to be and what feelings would you want them to have from interacting with the architecture?” Continue reading →