Introduction to

Architecture &
Design
DEFINITION, CONCEPT, MEANING, PURPOSE, TYPES, ETC.
Introduction

Content of the lecture slide

 …. Architecture?
 …. Design?
What is Architecture?
A definition provided by the Roman architect
Vitruvius in the 1st century AD
Architecture was a building that incorporated:
Utilitas … firmitas … venustas
Commodities…firmness… delight
Function…technology…aesthetic
Utility… construction… appearance
The context of Architecture

Natural Environment

Individual

Human Environment Built Environment

Architecture

evolves incrementally from concept sketch or

 it
drawing to inhabited space or building
 making a building requires many layers of
thinking and exploration.
Architecture and Building

is Designed buildings, spaces

 Architecture
and environment.
According to Human needs
Using technology and science
With aesthetic qualities
 Architecture
 Architecture is a visual
language
 and architects communicate
through drawings, models
and eventually through the
spaces and places we
construct.
Design Defined

 Design
isan active, planned process with a purpose,
or a meaningful outcome.
creating physical form from a mental image.
Design Defined

 Webster’s dictionary says design is

1) “to plan and make with skill. i.e., as a work of art,”
2) “to form or make in the mind; conceive; invent,”
and
3) “the organization of all elements into a unified
whole.”
Design Defined

 It is a unique combination of
art,
science,
technology, and human intuition,
collecting information from diverse areas and
applying it to a specific situation.
Design Defined

 in an aesthetic sense, design is

the organization of elements and forms in a
particular manner to fulfill a specific
purpose or need.
Design Defined

 Design is
an intrinsically conscious process, and whether
utilitarian or aesthetic, it is the deliberate act of
forming materials and ideas to fit a certain
function, need, or composition.
Design Defined

 The impact of a design will depend on its

successful organization of ideas or elements into
unified wholes—
the use of materials,
the manipulation of form,
aesthetic sensitivity, and
satisfying a need.
Design Defined

 Design involves
bridging the gap between people and things,
improving human accommodation with
physical surroundings, and
increasing the safety and satisfaction of
interactions between people and their
environments.
Design Defined

 Design principles apply

to all fields or related
areas of design,
although the scale and
application may
change.
underlying fundamentals in “design”

 One functional relationship is

derived from nature.
 We can recognize the
rightness, order, and beauty
of objects and living things
that please us
 “order” is the essence of any
design.
underlying fundamentals in “design”

 Human beings
instinctively feel that
most things in the natural
environment “fit” or have
a sense of rightness, but
there are also things that
we do not perceive to
be beautiful or good
underlying fundamentals in “design”

 On the other hand, some

people find man-made, or
“artificial,” designs ugly or
poorly designed, including
automobiles, buildings, and
even cities.
 They may just be different
from, or run counter to, the
general design trend at the
time
underlying fundamentals in “design”

 Design moves through time and is influenced by

time.
The designs of nature have survived,
disappeared, or changed according to the
natural process in which characteristics held
fast, evolved, or became extinct in response
to various forces.
underlying fundamentals in “design”

Originality in Design
generally associated with the uniqueness of
 is
expression or in the problem solving of the
designer.
 isconsidered the creation of something totally
new, or the reinterpretation of something
created before.
Functional and Visual Design Concepts

 Functional design deals

primarily with physical
needs, and
 Visualdesign is basically
aesthetic in nature and
might not serve a physical
purpose
Functional and Visual Design Concepts

 The two concepts are

often interrelated;
many functional
designs are visually
satisfying, and many
visual designs may be
functional
This cast-iron pot by Timo Sarpaneva (1959) is
functional in purpose, yet has a distinct handle design
that is a visual delight.
Functional and Visual Design Concepts

 Infunctional objects, such as furnishings,

automobiles, or cooking utensils, the purpose of
the design is usually clear.
 Primitive people’s shelters, tools, and even
weapons were a utilitarian form of functional
design that served their immediate needs for
survival.
Functional and Visual Design
Concepts
 The visual aspect of these
pieces reflects their
workings.
 In other words, the objects
look like what they should
do, with no ornamentation
or aesthetic intent.
 In these objects, function
has a direct influence on
design.
Functional and Visual Design Concepts

 Visual designs—paintings, sculpture, and other

art forms—are created to elicit a response from
the viewer and are mostly nonfunctional.
 An artwork can be created to excite, please,
shock, intrigue, attract, or even repel a viewer.
the creation evokes the intended response, it
 If
must be considered an effective design.
Design definition fundamentals
summarized

 Visual Organization
 Creative Problem Solving
 Form and Content Defined
Visual Organization

 artist or designer plans the

arrangement of elements to form
a visual pattern.
 these elements will vary—from
painted symbols to written words to
scenic flats to bowls to furniture to
windows and doors.
 Art seeks visual solutions in what is
often called the design process.
Visual Organization

Art as Communication
is saying
 designer
something to the viewer.
 Here the successful
solution not only is visually
compelling but also
communicates an idea.
Creative Problem
Solving
 Creative - there are no
predetermined correct answers to the
problems.
 can choose as wide or narrow a
scope as he or she wishes.
 The architect or graphic and
industrial designer is usually given a
problem, often with very specific
options and clearly defined
limitations.
Form and Content Defined

 Form is the purely visual aspect,

the manipulation of the various
elements and principles of
design.
 Content implies the subject
matter, story, or information that
the artwork seeks to
communicate to the viewer.
 Content is what designer want to
say; form is how they say it.
Procedures

Steps in the Creative Process

What Is Design Thinking?
THE DESIGN PROCESS: THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS

 Good design does not just happen; it is a

process planned to yield products that
perform well and are aesthetically pleasing.
 Good design results when designers, clients,
consultants, and builders join in organized,
creative problem solving.
THE DESIGN PROCESS: THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS

 Architecture is a professional field that must be

creative, yet solve problems and produce solutions to
be implemented.
 Thereare several approaches to designing or creative
problem solving.
 Thekey word is creative, which implies that designers
not only solve problems or make designs but create
things where they did not previously exist.
THE DESIGN PROCESS: THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS

 Creativity can involve

 convergent thinking, leading to a direct solution.
 divergent thinking, which creates multiple options
or point of view, leading to unique solutions.
THE DESIGN PROCESS:
THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS

 Generally stated, a design process

can be thought of as two phases.
 analysisphase: the problem is
identified, researched, dissected,
and analyzed
 synthesisstage: seeks to form ideas
by creating something new or
finding a solution to the problem.
 THE DESIGN PROCESS:
THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS

 This simplistic two-phase

design process can be
further broken into eight
specific steps,
Commit (Accept the Problem)

 Recognizinga
design problem
and committing
to it
State (Define the Problem)

 involves establishing the

problem requirements,
constraints, limitations,
and assumptions with
which the designer is
operating.
 state the goals and
objectives to be
resolved
Collect (Gather the Facts)

 research,
interviews,
surveys, etc. to
gather
information
Analyze

 organizegathered information into related

categories
 Techniques for analyzing information can
be implemented through the use of
conceptual sketches, matrices, pattern
searching, and categorization.
Ideate

 means generating as many ideas or

alternatives for achieving project goals as
possible.
Choose (Select the Best Option)

 chooses the most appropriate or “best”

option by going back to see how the
selected concept fits the client’s budget,
needs, objectives, and desires.
Implement (Take Action)

 executingor taking action on the selected

idea and giving it physical form
 communicates the idea through final
drawings, plans, renderings, and other
forms of presentation to the client.
Evaluate (Critically Review)

 reviewsand makes critical assessment of

what has been achieved to see if it does
indeed solve the original problem.
LOOKING

SOURCES
 we do not create our design solutions in an
information vacuum.
 We have the benefit of an abundance of
visual information coming at us through
various media, from books to television,
websites, and films.
LOOKING

SOURCES: NATURE
 Observingnature reveals the elegant
adaptations of plants and animals to their
environment.
 Thestructures of nature, from beehives to
birds’ wings, offer models for efficient
design and beautiful art.
LOOKING

SOURCES: NATURE
Source versus Subject
 The source is a stimulus
for an image or idea.
LOOKING

SOURCES: ARTIFACTS, HISTORY AND CULTURE

 Studying art, architecture, craft, and design
from all periods, regions, and cultures
introduces you to a wealth of visual
creations, better equipping you to discover
your own solutions.
LOOKING

SOURCES: HISTORY AND CULTURE

 Studying art, architecture, craft, and design
from all periods, regions, and cultures
introduces you to a wealth of visual
creations, better equipping you to discover
your own solutions.
END

Questions?????