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There is a principle when it comes to systems optimization which says that if one part of the system is broken, you should look at the part just before it — because it is likely that that is where the problem really originates from. And to me, this principle can be carried through into architecture as you begin to look at how an occupant travels through built forms, from space to space, or from room to room. I think of course that the design of the grand featured and climactic gesture within an architecture is of paramount importance, but I also think that the transition which leads occupants into and from that featured space is of extremely high importance as well. With a transitional space within architecture, you have the power to “set up” an occupant impression. You can give them hints about what is to come, or you can minimize what awaits them to ultimately give them a grand surprise. Similarly, as an occupant exits a main and grand featured architectural space, a transition can help them to synthesize what they have experienced, as they form their last memories and impressions that they will carry with them once exited. Transitions can occur in the exterior and the interior, and within what is between the two. The key is to think about transition as a means of preparation for what is next, or synthesis of what has come. Because your occupants will always be taking next steps as they experience your building, those transitions will help them to synthesize what they are experiencing, while also preparing them for the desirable reaction which you as a designer hope for.

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Boundary within building design involves factors like layering, filtering, and opening or closing. It is a way for you as an architect to communicate to your occupants about where they were, where they are, and where they are going. While boundaries do define, they also reveal — by allowing different entities or spaces to communicate with each other through your buildings occupants’ perceptions. The way your boundary is handled during building design will likely determine how your occupant travels through it, their ability to create a mental map to form memories of the place, and their ability to communicate with their environment, each other, and the exterior world around them. So think of boundary as more than a line which separates two entities — also think of it as a bridge by which those two entities can interrelate. And the way you design your boundaries determine exactly how those two entities interrelate — ultimately impacting how your occupants think, feel, and behave.

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Variation in building design can contribute a lot toward achieving a harmonic design balance. Unified designs often celebrate differences as much as they celebrate sameness, and it is the interaction between the two that may yield a simple complexity. Be aware that your variation does not turn into complication — but instead celebrates needed and essential differences that contribute to the strength of your building design works. Additionally, variation gives way to hierarchy and structure, both of which help in stripping away its unnecessary complications. The key is to tap into the core of your design, where you remove the unessential to reveal what is most meaningful, simply and beautifully. So use the notion of variation to determine, if within your work, what is complex has given way to what is complicated. If it has, delve into reaching into the essence and core of your design by studying its variations— for I think that they will reveal the essential differences and samenesses that will make your work something meaningful to experience.

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When your occupant touches a material within your building they are immediately given more information to compile into their mental image about your space. And this perception, influenced by their haptic senses, contributes to how successful their experience is within your building. Given this, I invite you to design texture in such a way that complements and deepens the meaning which your architecture aims to convey. For example, would a coarse and heavily textured wall signal an occupant to keep their distance? And would a smooth, finely textured wall invite them to come closer? The idea here is to go beyond the visual sense within your designs. Use other characteristics, like texture, to guide your occupants experience as they travel through your building. Because just as the visual sense can accomplish a lot — because of the tremendous amount of information that communicates — other environmental stimuli like texture also have the power to communicate. So be aware of what the textures in your design are communicating and guiding your occupants to do.

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Design section drawings are very important because they reveal height immediately. And with height, you as an architect can accomplish some amazing things. In fact, according to Science Daily — “ceiling height can affect how a person thinks feels and acts”. In their article they explain that 10 foot ceiling heights foster occupants that tend to think more freely and abstractly, while 8 foot ceiling heights foster occupants that tend to think in a more detailed way. (1) So with this information, I encourage you to think about height within your architectural designs — by thinking about what activities you would like to promote within certain spaces, and asking yourself whether high ceilings or low ceilings would enhance or detract your occupants’ ability to engage in those activities successfully.

(1) Ceiling Height Can Affect How a Person Thinks Feels and Acts. Science Daily. April 25, 2007.

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Color has the ability to emphasize. And what does this mean for your architectural designs? It means that you can create hierarchy, structure, order and repetition through differences. Color is a means by which you can create needed differences, in order to accentuate, subdue or compose a language. All of your building materials have color, even those that are transparent (as they usually reflect). And because of this, you can design environments that appeal to those visual senses, while also guiding the other senses toward what would be rewarding to touch, or where it would be rewarding to hear. Color reveals much of what is behind architectural elements in a glance…so don’t underestimate the power of color in all of your building materials — because their combinations yield invitations for your occupants to engage with their environments and with each other.

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When examining your design process, determine your weakest link — that is the area within your design process system that is hindering you from improving your design projects and/or your design business. Understand what is holding you back creatively (often you will find that there is a “weakest link” in your design process which is holding your whole system back. Thus, if you improve this link, your entire design process will benefit. So, whether your weakness is in building models, coming up with innovative conceptual design gestures, translating your architectural vision into a 3d virtual world, or being-true to your initial design vision all the way through to building completion — you should learn how to strengthen this weak link by either learning how to improve your “how to” knowledge directly, or by finding a better and perhaps more innovative solutions, resources and/or methods to help you get the results you want. Again, once your weakest design process link is strengthened, the rest of your design process system will benefit — and as you may infer, this is a very powerful way to leverage your time.

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Do you seek out architectural experiences? Go beyond the confines of your office and your project site. Visit meaningful architectural works in the world (whether local to you or a distant trip away). And before you visit, ask yourself the following question – “What do I want to get out of experiencing this particular work?” Answer this question before your trip, and you will make better use of your trip because you will be looking for the creative growth you need at that time. This will also allow you to delve deeper into newfound design discoveries while also allowing you to make use of them more quickly.

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Get feedback from others that you respect, and I mean more than only your client. Don’t work in a vacuum. By making your work “semi-public” at certain stages (even if “semi-public” means “within your office”), your design will become stronger as you will be able to respond with creative solutions to the different perspectives of what is working or not working within your project. Use the feedback you receive as a way to understand your own design process. After all, design feedback about a design work of yours can give you insight into not only your end result, but about your design process as well.

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Improve your skillset. Learn how to use a new tool, whether it be a computer-based one, a new physical or virtual modeling technique, or even a tool which can help you to develop a new way of analyzing building design factors like noise, light, wind, temperature and so on. Learning a new skill will help you think differently and communicate differently. And the more versatile you are with communicating design ideas to yourself and others, the stronger your designs will be from inception to completion.