Essay

When designing, do you begin with a preconceived idea of what your final design will look and feel like? Do you gain inspiration and insight from things that surround you, like nature or someone else’s design? Or do you start a design not knowing what your own creative process will give birth to? In other words ——

As you design do you work toward an “end vision” or do you take on a more “experimental” design approach where you test design outcomes? Do you predominantly do one of these, or both?

These are interesting and important questions to ask yourself, whether you are a seasoned architect or are just beginning your journey as an architectural designer — particularly because as new technologies and design paradigm shifts present themselves, you should want to be well equipped to engage in both at the right times and in the right ways during your design efforts.

New Design Technology Tools Can Enhance Your Design Process

Yes, you can crunch through various design schemes and options at speeds limited by the quickness of your design abilities and your computer technologies, but as an architect it is your responsibility to become the best critic of your own work, especially as new digital design tools emerge.

As computing technologies allow for faster design processes, you will be able to create 3D visualization and algorithmic outputs of your design based on variables which you input into your building design. And as more of these variables can be entered during the early stages of your design process, you will subsequently need to increase your ability to critique your work in a much more detailed manner. Hence, new computer technologies are giving you greater ability to design in greater detail earlier on.

New digital media tools will empower you to be your own best critique. Your design process can be refined using such tools, and your design iterations can accomplish more at each step — and if you capitalize upon this, your design process will be optimized to give you the most leverage.

With ability to be a more thorough and faster self-critic, you should be able to reach a greater level of refinement and sophistication with your design work — all while saving time, effort and money. What you put in, you will get out — you just need to know what questions and explorations to ask of your design so that you use new computer technologies to optimize your process (and not create unnecessary steps).

Correcting design errors should, in theory, be easier as future digital design tools emerge. One thing is for sure through, there will be a better chance for those errors to surface with greater visualization, algorithmic and BIM design techniques. The key will be for you to know where to look for them and to know how to solve them.

Hence, your design process revisits an already well-practiced design technique. Both an “end-vision” and “experimental” mindset will help you to integrate those powerful and new computer technologies to reap the greatest benefits.

Image Credit: © courtneyBolton | Flickr