Programming for design edith cherry chapter 2

Programming for Design: From Theory to Practice EDITH CHERRY

Chapter 2 Thinking About Thinking

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Kinds of thinking – Self awareness • Understand clients and their thought process • Architectural programmers must communicate well; listen and understand well.

• Philosophers – How and Why we think?

• Cultures think in different ways and different processes.

• Words are limited means of communication.

• Kinds of thinking: Analysis, Synthesis, induction, Deduction, Linear, Holistic, lateral, Vertical …

• Abstract vs. Concrete.

• Learning to think abstractly and clearly.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Analyze and Synthesize – To Analyze means to take something apart mentally and examine its parts.

• Social situation: who, what, …

• Building: site, dimensions, interior layout, structural system, mechanical systems, initial and operating cost, architectural style, the precedents of its style.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Analyze and Synthesize – To Synthesize means to put parts together and understand the whole.

• Social situation: Statement that sum it up.

• Building: Neo-classical, neo-colonial

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Analyze and Synthesize – Analysis and Synthesis are opposites.

Analysis

Synthesis

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Analyze and Synthesize – Pena: • Programming is analysis and design is synthesis.

• Programming takes apart the project context and examines all of the parts.

• Design must take all the different attitudes, information, ideas, budgets and so on and put them together in a new whole that is more than the sum of the parts – a gestalt.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Analyze and Synthesize – Scales of Design • Site analysis: topography, vegetation, wind direction, sun angles, parking

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Inductive and Deductive Reasoning – Inductive: from the parts to the whole, from particulars to generalities.

– Deductive: starts with the whole – a theory or hypothesis - and moves towards the parts.

– Both types can lead to faulty conclusions!

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

Inductive

Deductive

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Philosophers Think About Thinking – Plato: There is a form of beauty that one becomes familiar with at some point.

– Aristotle: One starts with all the parts and develops the big ideas by grouping the parts.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Philosophers Think About Thinking – Architectural programmers find these different approaches in clients.

– Some clients concentrate on the big ideas first and leave the details until later.

– Other clients want to be sure all the details are covered before getting to the big ideas.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Linear and Holistic Thinking – Linear (vertical): Step by step in a consistent direction.

• Westerners tend to describe the world linearly.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Linear and Holistic Thinking – Holistic (lateral): larger context, see acceptable detours.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Linear and Holistic Thinking

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Linear and Holistic Thinking

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Linear and Holistic Thinking – Edward de Bono (New thinking): Think laterally in situations where progress seems to be blocked.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Linear and Holistic Thinking – Vertical versus Lateral Thinking

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Way of Eastern Philosophy – The TRUTH, or the understanding of problems, cannot be gained with any step-by-step process.

– Understanding comes only when one has emptied one’s mind and made room there for insight, sight from within. (free writing exercise) – That which is not spoken, not seen, generally not obvious, is considered the most valuable, the most real.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Way of Eastern Philosophy – Riddle – Paradox – Contradictions – Multiple viewpoints – What is not there is potentially as important as what is there.

– Western: Binary Logic – Things are 0 or 1 – Eastern: things can be 0 and 1 and the same time or neither 0 nor 1

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Way of Eastern Philosophy

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Way of Eastern Philosophy

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Way of Eastern Philosophy

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Way of Eastern Philosophy

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Way of Eastern Philosophy – The awareness of what is missing as opposed to what is present.

– Define the undefined – Ideas in various stages of development – Cope with ill-defined notions – The unknown or chaotic

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Fuzzy Logic – Straight Logic uses just Zeros and Ones to define a state of a particular piece of information. Many pieces of data are more subjective than this and grey areas are needed to define them – AI (Artificial Intelligent) – We operate somewhere between Art and Technology.

Technology

Art

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Fuzzy Logic – Can a computer understand this?

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Versatile Thinker – – – – –

All types of thinking are valuable at times.

Shift from analysis to synthesis at many levels.

Inductive and Deductive at appropriate times.

Linear thinking and Holistic thinking Cleanse what is there from our minds and concentrate on what is not there.

– We need to determine what type of thinking is appropriate in a particular situation.

– Suspect our own judgment and at the same time trust it.

– Don’t take things for granted!

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Versatile Thinker

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Versatile Thinker – Thinking in the manner most appropriate to the problem at hand.

– Experience and Awareness of one’s own thought processes.

– Epistemology: Knowledge.

– Ontology: Being.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Nature of Problems – – – – –

Context.

The symptom of a problem vs. the problem itself.

The sources.

What causes the problem?

Pena: “You cannot solve a social problem with an architectural solution.”

– We can aggravate them!

– Rittle: • Tame problems - True or false solution – Quantifiable – Correct.

• Wicked problems – Don’t have clear-cut solution – No good or bad approaches.

Context

Problem

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • The Role of Value Systems – Wicked problems have a “right” solution only from one point of view.

– The individual’s value system.

– Values affect decisions we make and information we gather.

– Our values color the way we think and the way we seek information.

– The way we ask questions.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Methods of Organizing Data – Ordering the Order • How we form categories.

• How we organize information.

• Cognitive categories: The act of organizing perceptions.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Methods of Organizing Data – The ordering of information into categories and the ordering of those categories into a hierarchy implies a process.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Problem-Solving Processes – Problem Recognition  Problem Solution – Gathering information and organizing it.

– Scientific Methods: • Bacon 17th century: – Observe – Measure – Explain – Verify

• 19th century: – Pose question – Collect evidence – From hypothesis – Deduct implications – Test implications – Accept, Reject, Modify hypothesis

• 20th century: – Verification – repeatability

– Architectural solutions are not appropriately repeated!

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Problem-Solving Formats from other Disciplines – Systems Analysis: • Goals – Objectives – Strategies – Alternatives – Evaluate and select.

– Historical US Military Analysis: • Problem – Facts and Assumptions – Criteria – Solutions – Evaluate – Recommendations

– Federal agency: • Problem in measurable terms – Measurable objectives – Strategies – Evaluation plans and dates.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Problem-Solving Formats from other Disciplines – Common characteristics: • Goals and objectives – Goals: Broad aim – Objectives: Quantified

• Facts and assumptions – Strategies • Create ideas • Evaluation – in a quantitative way

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Architectural Programming Format – Scientists deal with things that are inherently measurable.

– Architectural decisions are value judgments.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Architectural Programming Format 1- Frabstein (Programming the Built Environment): • Behavioral science concerns and methods • Participatory involvement of users • High quality professional architectural and environmental programming services.

1- Survey Literature relevant to the facility 2- Describe Users and their expected behavior 3- Develop performance criteria 4- Consider options 5- Prepare space specification • Continuous evaluation process

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Architectural Programming Format 2- Kumlin (Architectural Programming, Creative Techniques for Design Professionals: Checklist of Program Elements (not organized)): • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Priority statement Issues, objectives and concepts Affinities and grouping Organization diagrams Existing facility Site evaluation Site selection criteria Space lists Flow diagrams General standards Space standards Room data sheets Arch/Eng criteria Codes, ordinances and regulations Equipment data sheets Cost evaluation and budget Schedule Unresolved issues Other information

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Architectural Programming Format 3- Duerk (Architectural Programming): • • • •

Defining the issues: Issues – Facts – Solutions Values: Goals – Qualities – Conflicts – Checklists Critical decisions: Focusing the design Information search strategy

• Keep the issues separate

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Architectural Programming Format 4- Pena/CRS (Problem Seeking): • The process of seeking the definition of the problem to be solved by design.

– – – – –

Establish Goals Collect, organize and analyze facts Uncover and test concepts Determine needs State the problem

– Form – Function – Economy – Time

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Common Characteristics of Architectural Programming Formats 1. Literature search on building typology 2. Definition of goals, criteria, objectives and issues: Performance criteria, Priority statements, Goals for priority issues, Establish goals, …

3. Gather data, analyze information and Synthesize: Literature survey, User descriptions, …

4. Develop alternatives, strategies and approaches 5. Evaluation 6. Separate programming from design 7. Costs implications

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Common Characteristics of Architectural Programming Formats – Information Arrival and Flow – Ease of access to the designer – User involvement – democratic idea!

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Phasing Architectural Programming – How much information to include in each category?

– The scale of the situation: • huge master plan – small remodeling project

– Consider the audience: • Clients, general public, fund-raisers, funding agencies, legislators, architects, landscape architects, planners, …

• Deliver information at a scale appropriate to the reader’s task.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking

Information Scale

• Phasing Architectural Programming Master Plan

Design Development

Schematic Design Small Remodeling Project

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Phasing Architectural Programming – Designers: Deal with the largest-scale issues first.

– Small scale information can be accommodated after the more demanding requirements of the overall schematic design are met.

– In other situations, activities in individual spaces can have effect on the overall building design.

• Natural lighting.

• Repetition of activity.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Phasing Architectural Programming – What details are important is made on the basis of experience.

– What impact will a piece of information have on the overall design of the building?

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Phasing Architectural Programming – Information does not arrive in order!

– Receive information – Sort into useful categories – Verify with the client – Provide users with the scale of information that suits their needs.

• Phasing Architectural Programming • Information: – Information analysis – Information ordering

Master Plan

Design Development

Schematic Design

Information

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Phasing Architectural Programming – Pena: Two-Phase process of architectural programming: • Programming information relevant to the efforts of schematic architectural design • Programming information relevant to the design development stage

– Should be documented separately.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Phasing Architectural Programming – Scale of information – Master Plan Program • Phasing,

– Schematic Design program • Relationship of more than one space to another, the general form of the building, the site, the overall budget, the activities of the building occupants relating to more than one space, ..

– Design Development Program • Internal working of individual space, …

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Summary – Types of thinking processes • • • • • •

Analysis Synthesis Inductive and Deductive reasoning Linear and Holistic thinking Eastern philosophy Fuzzy logic

– No one type of thinking is always best.

– Versatile thinkers: Tailor their thought process to the occasion.

Part I: PREPARING FOR PROGRAMMING Ch. 2: Thinking About Thinking • Summary – Nature of problem.

– Not al problems have solutions that can be mutually agreed to by all affected parties.

– Different value systems.

– Ordering of information.

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