INTRODUCTION
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS ARE ABSTRACT IDEAS THAT GUIDE
THE DESIGN OF A BUILDING OR A PROJECT. THEY CAN BE DERIVED
FROM VARIOUS SOURCES, SUCH AS THE SITE CONTEXT, THE
DESIGN BRIEF, THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR INFLUENCES OF
THE ARCHITECT, OR THE THEORETICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL
FRAMEWORKS OF ARCHITECTURE. A DESIGN CONCEPT CAN
COME FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES, INCLUDING THE
DESIGNER’S OWN OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES, AS WELL
AS THE INPUT AND FEEDBACK FROM CLIENTS ALONG WITH THE
REQUIREMENTS OR SPECIFICATIONS OF THE USERS. IT MAY
ALSO BE INFLUENCED BY CULTURAL AND SOCIAL TRENDS, AS
WELL AS THE DESIGNER’S PERSONAL STYLE AND AESTHETIC
PREFERENCES. ARCHITECTURALLY SPEAKING, CONCEPTS
SHOULD (AT LEAST IN PART) PRIMARILY BE GENERATED FROM
THREE KEY AREAS.
THE SITE – CLIMATE, ORIENTATION, VIEWS, ACCESS,
CONTEXT, HISTORY, USE …SITE ANALYSE
DESIGN BRIEF – CLIENT AND BUILDING REQUIREMENTS,
ACCOMMODATION, AND CONSTRUCTION BUDGET
BUILDING TYPOLOGY – BUILDING TYPE AND USE
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS?
THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS, AND
EACH ONE CAN BE USED TO ACHIEVE DIFFERENT GOALS AND
EFFECTS. SOME COMMON TYPES OF ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS
ARE:
FORM AND VOLUME: THIS IDEA REFERS TO THE
MANIPULATION OF A BUILDING'S SHAPE AND SIZE BASED ON
PERTINENT VARIABLES SUCH AS FUNCTION, STRUCTURE,
LIGHT, OR CONTEXT. A BUILDING, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN HAVE
A STRAIGHTFORWARD DESIGN THAT IS DEFORMED OR
PERFORATED TO PROVIDE INTEREST AND INTRICACY.
VIEW: CREATING VISUAL LINKS BETWEEN THE INSIDE AND
EXTERIOR OF A BUILDING, OR BETWEEN DIFFERENT
ELEMENTS OF A BUILDING, IS WHAT THIS NOTION ENTAILS. A
BUILDING, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY HAVE BIG WINDOWS THAT
FRAME VIEWS OF THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT OR
APERTURES THAT PROVIDE GLIMPSES OF DIFFERENT PLACES
WITHIN THE BUILDING.
USE AND NEED FOR SPACE: THIS NOTION ENTAILS
CREATING PLACES THAT RESPOND TO THE WANTS AND
DESIRES OF THE USERS AS WELL AS THE PROGRAM'S
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS. A BUILDING, FOR EXAMPLE,
CAN FEATURE ADAPTABLE SPACES THAT CAN
ACCOMMODATE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS, AS
WELL AS PLACES THAT FOSTER SOCIAL INTERACTION AND
COLLABORATION.
JOURNEY AND MOVEMENT: THIS NOTION ENTAILS
DEVELOPING SPACES THAT PROVIDE USERS WITH A SENSE
OF DIRECTION AND ADVANCEMENT WHILE ALSO IMPROVING
THEIR EXPERIENCE AND PERCEPTION OF THE BUILDING. A
STRUCTURE, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN HAVE A DEFINED
CIRCULATION PATH THAT TAKES USERS THROUGH
DIFFERENT ZONES AND LEVELS, OR SPACES THAT RANGE IN
SCALE, LIGHT, AND MATERIALITY TO CREATE CONTRAST
AND SURPRISE.
MATERIALS: THIS NOTION ENTAILS SELECTING MATERIALS
THAT REFLECT THE BUILDING'S CHARACTER AND
PERSONALITY, AS WELL AS ITS ENVIRONMENTAL AND
STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE. A BUILDING, FOR EXAMPLE,
CAN UTILIZE LOCAL MATERIALS THAT BLEND WITH THE
CONTEXT AND CULTURE OR MATERIALS THAT EXPRESS THE
BUILDING'S CONSTRUCTION METHOD AND DETAILS.
FUNCTIONALITY: CONCEPTS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON HOW
A BUILDING IS USED AND THE ACTIVITIES THAT OCCUR
WITHIN IT. A CONCEPT THAT STRESSES NATURAL LIGHT AND
OPEN SPACES, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY BE ACCEPTABLE FOR A
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, BUT ONE THAT EMPHASIZES
SECURITY AND DURABILITY MAY BE MORE APPROPRIATE
FOR A GOVERNMENT FACILITY.
SUSTAINABILITY: BUILDING CONCEPTS CAN HAVE AN
IMPACT ON THEIR LONG-TERM VIABILITY. ONE THAT
STRESSES THE USE OF NATURAL MATERIALS AND ENERGY-
EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY HELP TO
LESSEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE BUILDING
AND INCREASE ITS OVERALL SUSTAINABILITY.
AESTHETICS: A CONCEPT CENTERED ON CLEAN LINES AND
GEOMETRIC FORMS MAY RESULT IN A MODERN AND
MINIMALIST DESIGN, WHILE AN ORGANIC SHAPE AND
NATURAL MATERIAL CONCEPT MAY RESULT IN A MORE
ORGANIC AND NATURAL APPEARANCE.
EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR – ORIENTATION, MASSING,
FORM, APERTURES, HEIGHT, LIGHT
THE LANDSCAPE – HARD AND SOFT SURFACES, TYPES OF
PLANTING, SCALE OF PAINTING, ARRANGEMENT OF
PLANTING
FINISHES – COLORS, STYLES, TEXTURES, MATERIALS
FIXTURES AND FITTINGS – GENRE, STYLE, SCALE,
AMOUNT, MATERIAL
STRUCTURE – LIGHT, HEAVY, TRADITIONAL, MODERN,
VERNACULAR
THESE ARE ONLY A FEW EXAMPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL
IDEAS. ARCHITECTS CAN EXPERIMENT WITH AND DEVELOP
MANY MORE SORTS AND VARIATIONS. IT IS CRITICAL TO
HAVE A CLEAR AND CONSISTENT CONCEPT THAT SUPPORTS
THE DESIGN OBJECTIVE AND EXPRESSES THE ESSENCE OF
THE PROJECT.
GIVE ONE EXAMPLE FOR EACH
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT
BUTTERFLY HOUSE
THIAGO LIMA
THIAGO LIMA, THE BRAZILIAN ARTIST WHO DESIGNED
"BUTTERFLY HOUSE," DREW THE FIRST SKETCH OF THIS HOUSE BY
DRAWING ONLY HALF OF A BUTTERFLY ON A FOLDED PIECE OF
PAPER, AND SYMMETRY TOOK CARE OF THE OTHER HALF.
NATURAL LIGHTING DESIGN AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
THE HOUSE AND NATURE ARE THE MAIN ARCHITECTURAL
CONCEPTS OF THIS PROJECT. WHEN ONE VIEWS IT FROM THE
OTHER SIDE OF A CALM POOL OF WATER, THE APPEARANCE OF
BUTTERFLY WINGS QUITE LITERALLY REFLECTS THE PROJECT’S
CONNECTION WITH ITS NATURAL SURROUNDINGS.
POLISHED CONCRETE IS USED AS THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE
INTERIOR DESIGN OF THIS HOUSE, BUT IT APPEARS AS A SOFT,
SERENE INTERVENTION WITHIN THIS RURAL SETTING. THIAGO
LIMA FINISHED THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT BACK IN MAY 2013 AND
HE BELIEVES THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS DESIGN
WAS ABOUT UNIQUE ELEMENTS AND HIS OWN TEXTURES.
