Design Decision Support Systems 7M505 Design Project Part: Architectural Design

Design Decision Support Systems

7M505 Design Project

Part: Architectural Design


Design project

• Learning goals:– Acquiring insight in the nature of design, design

problems, and design processes.– Hands-on experience with making a design.– Structural reflection on the aspects of a design

process.– First overview of possibilities for Design Decision

Support (addressed later in the project).


Referred literature• Roozenburg, N.F.M. and Eekels, J. (1994). Product

Design: Fundamentals and Methods. Wiley, Chichester*.

• Cross, N. (2000). Engineering Design Methods: Strategies for Product Design. Wiley, Chichester*.

• Neufert, E. et al. (2000). Architect’s Data, Blackwell Science, London.

• De Chiara, J. et al. (1995). Time Saver Standards for for Housing and Residential Development, McGraw-Hill, London.

*: key book DDSS Master programme


Things you need• Paper for drawing, sketching, and writing

down ideas (e.g. A3 format).• Pencil or marker for drawing (it works best to

use something that makes broad lines rather than thin lines).

• Ruler or triangle for drawing more precisely.• Use the available (CAAD)-software only if

you are experienced with it; otherwise, it will consume too much time.


Design project• Design a small family house:

– The entrance hall has stairs, toilet, and wardrobe. The stairs should not be in the living room, have no platform, and should not be straight.

– The living room has a separate sitting and dining.

– The kitchen is closed with respect to the living. It has a relation with the garden. No table and chairs. Daylighting.

– Veranda sitting. Relation with living. No glass roof.

– Scullery between garage, kitchen and bedroom.

– Bedroom with daylighting, and bathroom (containing bathtub, shower, 2 wash basins, and toilet pot). Bedroom has doors to garden and bathroom.

– Storey has guest room for 2 persons. Shower, toilet, and wash basin.

– Fireplace in living. Stone floor covering.

– Garage should be able to contain two cars.


Site location

Plot for thehouse design

19,20 m

18 m

Entry to site from street

north

Other housing

Other housing


Design process: the brief

• The brief states the client requirements.

• A brief can be short (as in this project) or very explicit and extensive.

• The requirements in the brief have varying degrees of hardness.

• Analysis of the brief gives basic ‘starting points’ for the design.


Questions: the brief• Is there information missing in the brief that

you need to start designing? If so, which, and how important is this information?

• Are there other people/institutions that can also give requirements for the design? If so, who?

• Do you get ideas about a design while reading the brief? If so, make small sketches or write down remarks.


Design process: analysis

• Analysis of the brief can be done:– Textually: writing down observations &

conclusions.– Visually: making diagrams for example for the

spaces and their connections.


Questions : analysis

• Are there contradictions in the brief? If so, are they serious?

• How do the results of the analysis influence understanding of the brief? Does it become more clear or explicit?

• How much of your own knowledge do you contribute in the analysis?


Design process: the site• The site is the location where the design will be

realized.• It contains all the conditions around the design

that may be of influence to the house:– The ground for foundation considerations.– Other buildings for visibility, relations, impression.– Orientation to the sun.– Accessibility to the plot.– And so forth.


Questions : the site

• Consider that people from the surrounding houses also experience your design. Does this change how you think about the task?

• Which elements of the site are important to the design? Make a list of these.

• Do you need to actually see the site, or is the information given here enough? Why?


Design process: the type• A house is a general category of buildings that

share common properties: this is called a type.• Understanding from other instances of the type

(other houses) can be used in this design task.• For many types of buildings, there are specialized

books, e.g., De Chiara, J. et al. (1995). Time Saver Standards for Housing and Residential Development, McGraw-Hill, London.


Questions : the type

• If you think about the design task, how much of it comes from the brief, and how much from previous experience of houses? In the latter case, summarize what knowledge you use.

• If you are using strong examples of houses that you particularly like, does it change how you interpret the brief or understand the design task?


Design process: other sources

• Other sources provide valuable information if such is missing in the brief.

• These can be used for exact data (standards), inspiration, or examples:– Architect’s Data by Neufert.– Time Saver Standards series.– Journals and magazines on architecture.– Internet.– And many more.


Questions : other sources

• If you use other sources, at what point do you do so? Why? What are you looking for?

• In what kind of fashion is the information helpful? Does it provide data, solutions, examples, inspiration, …?

• Check out the TUE library online to see what books are available: http://vubisweb.tue.nl


Design process: representations• A representation depicts in some way the

design.• The design process typically proceeds through

making representations of the design:– Diagrams (e.g., for organization and composition)– Plans (for layout of floor plans)– Sections (for vertical relationships of the design)– Elevations (for studying the façade)

• These can be made by hand of with the computer.


Questions : representations

• The representation is often the only tangible part of the design solution (the only part that physically exists), however, it is not the design itself. How does your thinking about the design proceed with the use of representations? Do you make additional representations when you discuss your design with others? What information do you find lacking?


Design process: evaluation

• Evaluation is the act of considering the state of the design with regard to the requirements (of the client, yourself, and others).

• Although evaluation can be lengthy and complex, it occurs in every step of the design process when you sit back and reflect on the design and the process.


Questions : evaluation• At what points do you consider the design in

more critical terms to determine whether you are moving in the right direction?

• What criteria do you use for determining so; are they different from those in the brief, or are they additional or more precise?

• How do your criteria evolve through the design process? Try keeping track of them.

• How do you identify and evaluate conflicts?


What to do?• In the first part of the design project, do in any

order you like:– Analyze the brief.– Make a composition of the spaces that constitute

the house in the site location.– Keep track of the issues described in the

Questions sections. Write down what you feel are important issues and decisions in the process.

– Time-stamp your drawings, texts, and other things that you use to make a kind of diary of the design process.


Tips ‘n Tricks• Make many drawings as you go along in the

process.

• The drawings do not always need to be accurate.

• Draw on scale when you need to be more accurate about sizes: for example 1:50 or 1:100.

• Try to think of many alternative variants rather than pursuing one path to solve the problem.

Documents

Design Decision Support Systems 7M505 Design Project Part: Architectural Design