Small Changes to Produce Big Effects

Many times I am seeking a breakthrough on trying to reach an image to give my architectural exploration something that I can’t seem to create. I don’t know what I looking for but I seem to think that I am close to a change that could satisfy my anticipation. This is not at the beginning of a conceptual design, but rather it is during the design development process.

 Here’s an example on how I go from one stage to another until I am satisfied with my achievements. For example these thumbnail sketches of a medium rise commercial tower reached a stage where the junction of the tower with the podium converged into an awkward alignment, which seemed irregular.

My approach was to create a template of the sketch and then systematically drew various podium articulations, completing each fully to the extent that they could be analyzed and compared between one another. While sketching the elevations the plan would also be affected and in some cases it quickly become clear that some proposed configurations were unworkable.  After several thumbnail sketches, the seventh sketch was developed into a final design proposal, which was approved by the client and eventually built. I found this technique simple and productive besides being fun and satisfying to do.

During the development of the same project, the junction of the various massing components of the tower and the podium presented questionable articulations for the construction process. Using the same exploration sketching method, I quickly devised 5 options on just how this could be resolved. Each tower sketch was again explored with the changes that affected the plan. It was easy to see that Option 4 would be the preferred option since the junctions between the various masses did not present complex intersections.