FUNDAMENTALS
OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
Cover:
City for 5000 Inhabitants - Project by BRRE Architects.
Baires Raffaelli
BIS Publishers
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1094 CP Amsterdam
The Netherlands
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ISBN 978-90-636-9685-6
Copyright © 2023 Baires Raffaelli and BIS Publishers.
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FOREWORD BY P ROF. A R ch. Eli O R Avà
The book takes on the most difficult challenge by venturing into less-traveled paths that are rarely explained: how does one come up with a design idea? What are the subsequent steps and in what order should they be carried out so as not to lose the idea during the process? And finally, after the project is completed, how can it be effectively communicated?
Architect Baires Raffaelli attempts to provide answers to these questions by developing his personal method/process – open to debate, like all methodsbut effective and concise. He is perfectly aware that it is ONE method, and not THE method. It is particularly useful and effective because it avoids intellectualistic discussions and circumlocutions, expressing itself through the language of Architecture: images.
architect Elio Ravà is waiting for you on page 45
33 S TEP G UIDE TO Y OUR P ERFECT DESIGN
Each double page can be read as a separate topic if you are having difficulties in that field or at that stage; alternatively the whole book can be followed step by step to create an architectural project. The index lists the topics of all the pages, and highlights in yellow the 33 mandatory steps to complete the final project. The number of the highlighted step is also shown in yellow on the corresponding page at the bottom.
01 - INPUT AND INITIAL REQUESTS ............................... 12 02 - SITE ANALYSIS ........................................................... 14 03 - ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ............................................ 16 Environment impact - CLOSED 18 Environment impact - DEMI-OPEN .................................... 20 Environment impact - DOUBLE 22 Environment impact - OPEN SPACE................................... 24 04 - GROUND IMPACT ....................................................... 26 Ground impact - LAID .......................................................... 28 Ground impact - SUSPENDED............................................ 30 Ground impact - EMBEDDED 32 Toolbox - BUILDING IN VARIOUS BLOCKS ...................... 34 05 - COLLECT REFERENCES........................................... 36 Toolbox - PROPORTIONS AND HEIGHTS ........................ 38 Toolbox - SERIES AND EXCEPTION ................................. 40 Toolbox - DIRECTIONS 42 06 - THE IDEA ..................................................................... 44 Toolbox - THE IDEA IN ARCHITECTURE .......................... 46 Toolbox - THE IDEA - MASTERS’ LESSON ....................... 48 07 - DRAW THE IDEA ......................................................... 50 Toolbox - SOME ARCHITECTURAL IDEAS ....................... 52 08 - DIAGRAMS .................................................................. 54 09 - SHAPE AND EXPAND ................................................ 56 Toolbox - HORIZONTAL DISTRIBUTION ........................... 58 10 - THE OVERALL PLAN ................................................. 60 11 - MASTERING BUILDING VOLUMES .......................... 62 12 - PROJECT SIZE 64 Toolbox - FURNISHINGS .................................................... 66 13 - IN DEPTH ANALYSIS AND VERIFICATION .............. 68 EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN 3D ......................................... 70 14 - WHY? ........................................................................... 72 15 - VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION......................................... 74 Toolbox - RAMPS ................................................................ 76
16 - THE STRUCTURE ....................................................... 78 The structure - PILLARS ..................................................... 80 The structure - LOAD - BEARING WALLS .......................... 82 The structure - STRUCTURAL OBJECTS .......................... 84 17 - DRAW THE STRUCTURE ........................................... 86 18 - READABLE VOLUMES .............................................. 88 Toolbox - MATERIAL UTILIZATION 90 19 - THE ENTRANCE ......................................................... 92 20 - SCALE DRAWING ....................................................... 94 21 - CONSISTENCY............................................................ 96 22 - OPAQUE OR TRANSPARENT ................................... 98 23 - THE FURNISHINGS .................................................... 100 Toolbox - SPACE SIZE ........................................................ 102 Toolbox - STAIRCASES AND ELEVATORS ....................... 104 24 - SECTION ...................................................................... 106 25 - THE FACADE 108 The facade - VERTICAL STRIPS ........................................ 110 The facade - REGULAR SCAN 112 The facade - CASUAL PUNCTURES .................................. 114 The facade - THE SURFACE/LAYER ................................. 116 26 - ILLUMINATION ............................................................ 118 27 - DRAWING FACADES .................................................. 120 28 - DOUBLE-CHECK ........................................................ 122 29 - CREATING A 3D COMPUTER MODEL...................... 124 Toolbox - CREATING A SCALE MODEL 126 Toolbox - DETAILS............................................................... 128 30 - COMMUNICATION ...................................................... 130 Toolbox - UTILIZING THE DRAWINGS .............................. 132 31 - AMAZE ......................................................................... 134 Toolbox - DON’T FORGET ANYTHING .............................. 136 32 - PUT IT IN WORDS ....................................................... 138 33 - THE REPORT ........................................................... 140
INTRODUCTION
In Architecture, a project is a combination of sketches, drawings, diagrams, technical reports that outline the design of a building and the distribution of the spaces with respect to routes and specific functionalities of each space. The designer is the person who chooses how we will experience the buildings and, more generally, all the areas that highlight the personality of our cities.
When designing, we choose if we’ll be waking up with the sunlight, where our living room will be situated, where we’ll be having lessons, where we’ll go for a walk, and what we’ll see when walking down the street.
The Designer decides the appearance of the vessel of our lives: colours, shapes, sizes, and building materials.
Designing means to define our needs, and to create space for our dreams.
The 33 Tips offer a lighting path, or a lightbulb to turn on in the dark moments that come up during the various phases of the project layout.
In short, designing means giving answers, with the aid of the drawings, to a definite series of questions always to be ascribed to human behaviors.
The aim of this book is to suggest a method while attempting to organize a series of steps presented in the shape of ‘things to do’ or ‘questions to ask’ that need simple answers.
Summarized in 33
Tips - with instructions and diagrams - the book supports the Designer from the beginning to the end of the architectural project, meaning its final presentation.
The 33 Tips suggested in the book represent just a series of necessary thoughts, questions, and answers that the designer is urged to consider and expand with more questions and answers that come up in specific circumstances, that with our know-how, find original alternative solutions.
The 33 Tips represent the buoys that you should never lose track of in order to complete the journey holding a successful project, without getting lost in a sea of variables, or worse, stuck without answers.
THE ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT
IS AN IDEA THAT CONCERNS THE FUNCTIONALITY OF OPEN AND CLOSED AREAS. THE PROJECT IS A PROPOSAL ON HOw TO USE AND APPRECIATE THEM, FROM A MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIvE
Firstly, clarify what the building is going to contain, what areas, rooms or houses you need to organize in the space available. In Architecture, ideas are always about space management and organization.
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