Five phased process of arch design
We'll following a five phase process.
Gather and record functional requirements by sketching requirements and desired features
- What do people need when making a call?
- How many people will it hold?
- What target price range are we aiming for?
- How much sound attenuation is provided by the space?
- Usable by wheelchairs?
- Where might people place these things in their buildings?
- Power and HVAC in the space?
- Who do we think will buy this thing?
- Standing or sitting or a dynamic space that will allow for both?
- How do we get these spaces from the fabricator to the deploy site?
- How often will folks want to move the space?
- Is the furniture included?
- What are rough our size and weight constraints?
Produced during this phase
- A spreadsheet of must haves, nice to haves
- A document outlining gut feelings, descriptors floating around in the ol' noodle
Notes from GN
- Consider: Do the deliverables in this phase map evenly to the questions you're trying to answer? In a complex design process, it's important to find ways to make sure you're not overlooking something. It's easy to let a few things slip through the cracks - so structuring deliverables with that in mind is one good way to ensure you're not overlooking an important facet.
Define our volumes and masses and shapes. Flesh out the emerging designs, but don't get into construction details.
- What is the footprint of our space?
- How might our space sit in a lobby? In a hallway?
- How does the door swing path influence placement and design?
- How many (dis)assembly cycles should we expect in a deployed space?
- How much labor is needed to (dis)assemble/transport the space?
- How about placing multiple spaces in a lobby - how might we arrange them?
- How do the spaces appear from 10 feet away? 30?
- One hand adjustable desk? How about with a coffee and a computer on top?
- One stool, with casters?
- How do I evaluate occupancy of a space, and how close do I need to be to the space when evaluating occupancy?
Produced during this phase
- Elevational sketches
- Floor plan sketches of spaces in common and known lobbys and hallways
- 2D sketches of the spaces in potential envs
- 3D conceptual models
- Sketches of a zone of spaces
- Speculative one page ad for production space
- Speculative press release announcing space
Notes from GN
- In a space of this scale, relationship of the space to the human body is critical. Make sure you're considering how people of different sizes and shapes fit in the space, how they move around in it, how they position themselves. This is a good sketch based off of Le Corbusier's 'Modulor Man' concept..
- These seem like very good deliverables for this phase. Generally speaking, drawings in this stage can go from rough to fairly detailed, so I like the range of approaches and styles of drawings you've put together.
IRL this thing by defining materials, measurements, and exactly how pieces are bound together
- Are we using a frame a sheeting approach?
- Exactly how tall, wide, and deep is this thing? How much does it weigh?
- How do the panels attach to the frame?
- How do the pieces of the frame attach?
Produced during this phase
- Detailed 2D and 3D drawings committing to shape, size, and (dis)assembly methods
- Complete BoM
Notes from GN
- The questions in this section are pretty specific. It's good to keep an open mind about the possible answers to the questions in DD - in the prior phases. So I might change 'Are we using a frame and sheathing approach' to 'What is the tectonic strategy of the space'(tectonic meaning how things come together). And then revise the other questions to fit that level of abstraction. DD is when you refine, from abstract to specific.
- A completed BoM might be hard to come by in this phase. In this process, you should know that you're going to screw to pieces of material together, but not what screw to use.
- Here's a PDF of our construction documents process, let's talk through it, it's by no means perfect, but will give you some ideas.
Describe exactly how to build a space. This document encapsulates ideas, knowledge, and techniques, required to build a space. This document is the reference for the fabricator.
- Describe how panels are constructed from frame and sheeting
- Details on how pieces are fastened
- How pieces are packaged and staged for shipping to deploy site
- QA procedure executed by fabricator or shipping supervisor
Produced during this phase
- InDesign and PDF files containing detailed fabrication steps
- Machining tolerances
- Complete parts lists - both input and output
- Instructions on how to place pieces in shipping container
- Checklist of QA procedure
- List of preferred vendors
Notes from GN
- This is probably the phase where you create a BoM.
- Everything looks good here, deliverables look solid, glad to see the QA stuff.
- An additional layer of thinking about this phase is that this is probably what you'd be editing the most frequently. It's very hard to change the design of a product like this, but it's not that hard to change the manufacturing methods. So keep that in mind.
During the build, we'll work with the fabricator to solve problems and subtle decisions that appear.
- Work through material and design complexities as the space goes from model to object
- Seek and integrate efficiencies in design, manufacturing, and assembly
Produced during this phase
- Site visits, phone calls, and refinements to the construction documents
Notes from GN
- Looks good. Think about how to communicate with the fabricator that you'd like to be involved in this way. Some fabricators may not be familiar with that. That might be a qualifying factor with fabricators - if they seem resistant to your administration, they may not be a good fit.
Our Work-Shop PTS collaboration is eight sprints long and is broad. It might be thought of as
GENERAL Notes from GN
- I think you have a good grasp of this process, and I think it's very well suited to this project.
- My main piece of advice would be to make sure the deliverables meet the goals of each phase. In this process, the deliverables are the primary method of garunteeing success.