week 3 Concepts

Sustainability is a relatively new term used in both planning and design that must incorporate three “E’s” in order to support life for the future. Environmental quality of life, equal opportunities, and economic vitality must be kept in mind when planning to design an object, building, or community under the theory of sustainable design/planning. In architecture, these concepts can be tricky to incorporate into an aesthetically pleasing design, but are not impossible. At my internship I have began to realize the stressors the three E’s can have on a proposed design when the client requests specific parts to look a different way. The architect must keep in mind the clients wishes while designing for vitality of planet in the future with respect to the building codes of the city and sustainable standards. The concept of zoning in urban planning and design also creates restrictions and challenges the designer must deal with. In order for the building to lawful under city codes, the architect must be familiar with the process of obtaining permits and legal documentation of approval or disproval of requests given the area. At my internship, there are binders and binders of codes and specific information is written out to avoid any confusion. Getting past the red tape takes a basic knowledge and understanding of these concepts. The architects do not have to memorize these codes for zoning, but instead know where to obtain the information to make proper design decisions and make the design process stay on schedule and go smoothly. Color theory is very important in design. Color can affect the way a person feels within a space and direct a person’s attention to the right places. At my internship I have noticed that the architect I am learning from is extremely good at choosing the right colors for the right space. You need to design a space that is useable as an architect but not all architects have the interior design eye as my mentor. It is what separates him from other architects, his careful attention to detail and completion of a space from outside to in. Less is more is a concept that originated during modernism. After the Second World War designers decided we needed to eliminate all unnecessary aspects of a design and boil it down to skin and bones. The more useless things you tack onto a design the less the design means in the end to a person because they are distracted from the purpose of the design. At my internship, afterthoughts are not part of the design process. The architects think every aspect of his design through and present a meaningful, clear-cut plan to the client. To avoid adding fillers and frills can take more time and planning but produces a more coherent and meaningful end product.