03 Jan How to Begin Research for Your Conceptual Design
What exactly is a conceptual framework, and how do you get started with conceptual research for new designs?
The idea of a conceptual framework exists in a wide range of creative applications. For example, it exists when creating new architectural designs, when preparing a piece of artwork or when planning out a research paper. Essentially, it exists to map out the actions you need to take to complete whatever concept you’re working on.
A concept is just an abstract idea or intention you have that you intend to work on. The framework is what helps you plan out the tangible steps you will take to turn that concept into a reality.
Determining your starting point
Figuring out where to start when planning out an architectural concept can be complicated and potentially intimidating. It’s important to remember that this process takes time, and it’s important to give yourself plenty of space to work through the concept so you understand the research and work ahead of you.
First, you must understand the project’s brief. A design brief will give you the necessary details on the building requirements and the requests from the client. The brief will ask for a specific type of building and its designed accommodation, which will help you determine where you will start your research and some of the key elements that will be important in planning out this building.
You will also need to consider the site and context. You can get a lot of information from desktop studies, but sooner or later you’re going to want to perform a physical visit to the site. The site’s parameters can be used to discover the limits and restrictions the site holds, as well as its potential opportunities to help you further your design and concept.
Creating your architectural concept
To develop a strong architectural concept, you must address the aforementioned points (project brief, site, context) as well as the typology of the building. You can then start to really flesh out a concept from which all of your future work will flow.
It can help to create a project narrative that identifies the story behind the project, who will be using it, how the project will evolve over time within its context and any other narrative elements that can help contextualize your design work.
Take your time here. You’re never going to put pencil to paper and come up with the perfect design right away. You need to work through your concept and figure out what will and will not work. Incubation of an idea and unconscious thinking are both extremely beneficial to the formation of an architectural concept, so it’s important to take time away to focus on other things so you can come back with a fresh set of eyes and new thoughts.
Just make sure you work within the constraints of your project, both so you meet what the client is looking for and so you don’t make the job too open-ended and thus more complex.
For more information about working through architectural concepts and building a conceptual framework for design, contact the team at Emotive Architecture.