Essay

From Innovative Idea to Targeted Solution

As an architect, one of the most beneficial skillsets for you to develop is your ability to create truly innovative designs that your clients love. Over the years, I have heard about the huge challenge architects face as they strive to both innovate their design and “sell” those innovative ideas to their client for approval. Unfortunately, and often, their most innovative ideas get chiseled away because they do not pass the client review. Thus, many architects have told me that it is very difficult to break free from designing just another status quo building. They need the trust and approval of their client to see their most innovative ideas realized.

“Connecting the Dots" during Client Presentations

And it is here were multi-sensory design can help architects. You see, when designing it is critical to design innovatively, but in a way that keeps occupants at the center. When this is done, you as an architect, can use multi-sensory design to “connect-the-dots” during design presentations by mapping exactly how an innovative design idea becomes a design solution that will bring great benefit to the client’s bottom line.

Create a Win-Win Scenario

For example, what if your innovative idea for a museum design is to decentralize the gift shop. This would create a very unique and memorable museum experience from a multi-sensory design perspective. And when presenting this unique innovative idea to your client, you could also position it as a solution to helping the museum bring in more revenue (which is what this client cares about). You see, multi-sensory design can be used to innovate architectural design ideas, but it can be pushed even further to turn those design ideas into innovative solutions. Such solutions create a win-win scenario where building occupants benefit, and clients benefit as well.

When designing, it is important to keep all of this in mind. You can use multi-sensory design to strategically innovate so you are enhancing and uplifting occupant experience, while also targeting client goals. To do this, you must find those design solution convergence points – where your innovative idea does more than renew a way of doing something aesthetically or functionally. Be sure to evolve the idea to target your client’s ultimate goals. And then, when presenting the idea, tie it back to why it is a solution that realizes their goals.

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