Introduction
Designing a building is one of the most rewarding and challenging endeavors you can embark upon as an architect. It requires a lot of skill, experience, and know-how to create something that is both artistically pleasing and structurally sound. When it comes time for you to actually begin working on your next design project, there are many steps involved in the process.
You will start off by gathering information about your client's needs and wants for their new space then move forward into programming where you will decide what size rooms are needed and what kind of windows will be required throughout each room. Once this has been decided upon (along with other features) then sketch design kicks in which allows us to draw up floor plans so that clients can see how everything will come together once construction begins! After reviewing these plans with them we move forward into schematic design where we further develop things like elevations before going back again with sketches yet again during Design Development before finally handing off all documents needed by contractors so they can bid on jobs properly once they've been given all necessary info from the architecture firm.
The architecture design process steps are quite simple, with a lot of hard work in between.
The architecture design process steps are quite simple, with a lot of hard work in between. Here's how it works:
Start-up - You'll want to start off with some research and analysis of your project goals and objectives, as well as research on similar projects that have been completed before. This should give you an idea of what kind of structure you'd like to create for yourself or your client.
Once this research is complete, you'll want to prepare a project brief. This brief should include information on your design goals, budget limitations, and other important factors that will affect the outcome of the project.
Programming
Programming is the process of determining the physical characteristics of a building or space. You can think of it as an extension of the schematic design phase, where you start to see how your ideas will actually be built out in three dimensions.
Programming involves answering questions like:
How many people will be using this space? What are their needs and wants? Do they need special accommodations due to disability or other factors, such as large groups coming together for events (like weddings)?
What kind of functions does this building need to support--and what types of spaces will help meet those functions? For example, do we want offices with lots of cubicles or open offices that encourage collaboration between employees; meeting rooms; kitchens stocked with snacks and beverages; etc.? The answers will help determine things like square footage requirements for each type of room needed based on desired capacity levels per day/week/month/year plus any special features needed (elevators) so we don't end up with an unworkable layout when we're done designing!
Sketch Design
Sketch design is the first step in the architecture design process. It's where ideas are sketched out on paper, and it's a quick way to get your head out of the clouds and onto paper--and into a more tangible form that you can show others.
Sketch design often looks messy at first glance, but that's okay! It doesn't mean that you're not good at sketching; rather, it means that this part of the process is all about experimentation and exploration--you don't know what will work yet so there's no point in spending too much time perfecting something when it might not even be right for you in the end anyway!
Schematic Design (SD)
Schematic design is the next step after programming. It's about translating your program into a preliminary design concept, refining that concept and creating the building's structure.
In schematic design you are refining your conceptual design based on information gained from programming and site analysis. You'll need to think about how much space each room needs and where they will be located within the house. This stage also involves determining what materials will be used throughout the house, such as flooring or cabinetry material options like hardwood vs laminate flooring.
Design Development (DD)
Design development is the process of refining the design, and is usually done in conjunction with the contractor and owner. The architect will work with the contractor to make sure they are both in agreement on the design. They will also work with you, as an owner, to make sure that you are happy with what has been drawn up so far. This can be a tricky period for many reasons: sometimes there are disagreements between parties about what should happen next; other times there may be changes in budget or scope that need to be dealt with before moving forward (and this could mean delays). The best thing for you as an owner? Making sure everyone is on board before moving into this phase!
Construction Documentation (CD)
Construction drawings are the next step in the design process. They communicate to contractors and subcontractors how a building will be constructed, including details such as dimensions, materials, finishes and more. Construction documents include:
Drawings - These are 2D representations of your building's design that show elevations (side views), floor plans and sections (cross-sections). They also include details about where things go in relation to one another--like walls or windows--as well as how they'll look when finished.
Specifications - These outline all of the requirements for materials used onsite during construction so that everyone knows what kind of flooring is needed for each room or what type of glass needs to be installed in each window frame before work begins on site.
Material Orders - The specifications also tell contractors how much material to buy and how it should be installed. In addition, they include details about the location of electrical outlets, plumbing lines, windows and other building components that need to be accounted for during construction.
Bidding and Negotiation
Once you've selected the design team, they will prepare a bid proposal. This is an estimate of how much it will cost to complete your project. You will then review this with them and negotiate a contract that includes all aspects of the work to be done, including:
Price quotes for each phase (design development, construction documents, schematic design)
Payment terms (including progress payments)
Guarantees on both sides (the architect's liability insurance coverage; contractor warranties)
Contract Administration
Contract administration is the process of managing a contract between a client and an architect. The architect is responsible for delivering the project on time and within budget. This can be accomplished by having strong communication with all parties involved in the project, including contractors, sub-contractors, material suppliers, etc.
Contract administration also includes managing the budget, schedule and payments on behalf of your client. As part of this process you will collect information from each party involved so that there is no delay in getting paid for work performed by them on behalf of your client.
The process of architecture design can be a long one, with many steps and stages. But the end result is worth it: a beautiful building that serves its purpose well and makes everyone who uses it happy!
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