Innovation in Residential Architecture
Survey
The first item that is required is the survey. It gives the legal boundaries of the land, and the depth of the setbacks on each side, rear, and front. The survey will also show the utility easements and any overhead powerlines that need to be avoided. Oftentimes, it will show the locations of trees and their caliper over a certain size, power poles, manholes, water meters, and terrain or elevation points if the lot has any. If the lot sits in a 100 or 500-year flood plane, that should be stated in the survey as well.
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Inspiration images
Most architects will ask their clients to not have preconceived notions of what the final design will look like. But we believe the final design belongs to the clients, as they are the end users. This being the case, we will ask the client to bring their inspirations to the table. As design is a visual discipline, communication is made clearer when both the client and the designer can agree on a direction for the design, and it inspirational images are powerful tools to launch the design and give some direction to begin. OF course, as the final design is a custom product, we keep our eyes open to opportunities that arise to make the final design a personal product.
Floor Plans
A 2D floor plan reflecting the program set by the client and embodies the look and feel taken from the inspiration images is formulated to show the rooms, areas, and spaces that hold the daily activities of the owner(s). From this 2D floor plan, one can see the relationship between spaces, the flow of circulation thru those spaces, and make sense of the adjacencies of spaces. The floor plan is situated on the site plan extracted from the survey to ensure that any changes continue to fit within the boundaries of the setbacks and easements. One can also determine if there is enough room given to all the areas given the daily activities and functions each area holds. If the owner has pre-existing furniture or art pieces, one can decide where each is located and if there is enough room given to each. This process can take several revisions to get it almost perfect. This exercise will allow the owner to know exactly how many square feet or square meters the floor plan produces. From there, a rough cost estimate can be determined by the builder.
Site Plan
1st Floor Plan
2nd Floor Plan
Massing Models - Phase I
When the floor plan is mostly figured out, it is time to see what the design looks like in 3D. We start by modeling the exterior masses of the design, extruding from the 2D floor plan for an accurate representation. Issues like ceiling heights (or plate height) can be determined as well as roof types. At this point, we do not worry about windows and doors as much. We allow the massing design to inform us of the size and locations of the windows. The images below show the massing of the floor plans above. As one can see, materials, colors, doors, and windows are not shown. With a massing model, one can instantly sense the look and feel of the design, and make quick changes if needed.
Massing Models - Phase II
After the massing is mostly figured out, we begin to look at exterior cladding, materials, and color. For example, we can look at siding, stucco, brick, stone, or metal as the wall cladding material. Likewise, with the roof, we can look at asphalt shingles or metal. The windows can now be located and their sizes determined. Also, the type of windows can be experimented with. For example, is it a single-hung, casement, awning or picture window. Will it be plain and modern with giant un-divided glass, or will it have traditional mullions to keep with a certain style. What color shall they take? Door types and materials can also be examined so they match or compliment the windows. Lastly, existing trees and proposed landscaping can be added to complete the design.
Massing Models - Phase III
When all exterior items have been resolved, the house model í placed on the Site Model, and landscaping is added. The landscaping is just a proposal as the client may have their own landscape designer to complete the site portion after the construction is complete. A fairly accurate rendering of the model can be done with shadows.
Interior Model
Finally, we can begin to model the interior based on the 2D layout that was done at the beginning. Interior walls, doors, cased openings, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, and appliances are constructed in 3D. The stairs and any ceiling designs will also be modeled at this point. Although all rooms/spaces will be modeled so they show up in plan, in the end, only the living areas, kitchen, bathrooms, and closets that have special built-in cabinetry will be presented in the construction documents.
Interior Model of the Kitchen
Construction Documents
The design process is now complete. But we must transfer the design to a format that builders can build from, and from which permit officials can accept. The process now reverts back to a 2D format but based on the 3D model. With the same modeling software, we create "slices" from the model so that the 2D format is accurate. A floor plan is just a horizontal slice of the model at certain pre-determined levels parallel to the horizontal plane. Exterior elevations are taken by locating the viewpoint in front of the model and capturing the exterior. The same is done for interior elevations. The building sections are produced like the floor plans but taken with a vertical slice thru the building.
