Note to students ....
So, you are getting ready to sit down and create your first architectural masterpiece for your studio class. You
have a project summary from a theoretical client (actually something your professor threw together last night,
but we’ll let that go for now), and are dreaming of all the possibilities, waiting for the instructor to say “GO”.
Before you go rushing headlong into the design, here are a few suggestions to help guide you on your way.
First off, make sure you know everything that your project summary says. Ask yourself these questions:
•
What are the project requirements?
•
Is there a site for your project? If so, where? Have you been there before? Is it a “real” site?
•
What type of project are you designing? Each project type will have different needs and spatial require
ments.
•
Do you need to worry about Building and Development Code Requirements?
•
Is there a theoretical budget for the project? Most studios use unlimited budgets so that you are not
concerned with making the project real.
•
What is the end product you must show to your professor?
o
Some common required drawings are:
Rendered site plan(s),
Floor plan(s)
Roof plan
Building section(s)
Building Rendered Elevation (s)
one for each side of your project
Any 3-dimensional images
A physical model of the building and the site.
Okay, once you have gone over the summary many times, it is time to get going. To begin a project, the very
first thing you need to do is research the site. Look to online sources (Google Earth, Google, City Planning and
Building Departments, etc.) and find out as much as you can about your site without actually going there.
Remember that the aerial photos used in most of these programmes are old. Maybe you can find a recent one,
but chances are that you won’t. Look for contour maps, historical maps, contextual articles, historical articles,
anything that will influence your design.
After researching your site to death online, go to the site. Site investigation is one of the most useful things any
Architect can do in preparation of designing a project. It is always important to visit the site, even remote ones
or ones in other countries. Let’s just say that your site is nearby and not in a foreign country. There is so much
that can be gathered from standing, sitting and lying down on the site and observing everything that goes on
there. You will observe the neighbourhood, how people currently interact with the site, opportunities to connect with transportation lines, opportunities to connect with the adjacent sites and neighbourhoods. While
you are onsite, make sure to document your observations, especially those that will directly influence your
design, like weather, wind, water flow, circulation and existing structures.
Here is a list of some important observations to make:
SITE LOCATION
CLIMATE
PEOPLE AND ACTIVITY
Access
Sun angles
Functions
Shape and size wind
Circulation
Zoning
Water flow
Noise
Views
Vegetation
Adjacent neighbours
Topography
Animals
Historical context
OTHER
Materials
Patterns
Existing structures
Access to
Transportation
desIgn Namibia October - December 2013
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