I recommend the continued use of tracing paper instead of instantly going to the computer. Tracing paper allows for the design to be more fluid and allows you more flexibility in designing.
First, take all the information you diagrammed on the site diagram, and put it on a scaled site plan. Draw
everything to an easy-to-work-with scale that is not too small. Most site plans are drawn at 1” = 30’-0”. If this
seems too big or too small, increase or decrease accordingly. After everything has been drawn, ink the drawing
with appropriate line weights. This will become the base layer for your design.
At this point, I highly recommend that you go get some cardboard or foam core, thin chip board (that thick,
brown paper that they put between products when they are packed), or something that can easily be cut.
Using this and the site plan, create an actual, physical model. Nothing beats being able to visualise your project
than a actual model! With this model, you can try out different forms for you project, different locations and
different elevations.
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After the site has been drawn, it is now time to draw you floor plan to scale. Using the site as an underlay, draw
the outline of the plan diagram that best fits your site. Use the same scale as the site for this exercise. Once
you have done that, enlarge the plan to a larger scale, say 1/8” = 1’-0”.
Using your programme summary, create a chart, a graph or a graphic representation of any adjacencies that
are required within the programme. Which spaces need windows? What amount of window space should
those spaces have? An example is that most medical clinic rooms can greatly benefit from having windows,
however, to respect the privacy of the patient, you really want high windows where it is hard to look into the
rooms from outside or nearby buildings. Using this information as a guide, start to arrange the recommended
spaces using the plan outline as a basic guide. You don’t need to stay within the outline as the function of the
building will ultimately define the overall form. By using the plan outline as a guide, you can generally stay
within the open spaces that you defined on the site. Make sure to refer to your site plan as you do this. You
want to capitalize on the views, minimise the weather impact, connect with neighbourhood amenities and
make sure that you have placed your project on the site and arranged your plan to take advantage of the best
characteristics of your location!
desIgn Namibia October - December 2013