You may be about to spend more money on a building project than you have ever seen. Given that, it's only fair to say you’re heavily invested in achieving the best outcome. To execute the ideal build, you need a design process that’s been tested and refined. But what exactly is a design process, and how does it apply to architecture?
A design process involves a series of interconnected lenses to analyse and break down a project into its components. The beauty of design is that everyone has a unique process, leading to different outcomes. My process can be categorised into three lenses: context, character, and cost.
Context is both broad and specific, physical and abstract. A project must respond to its immediate physical context—topography, climate—while also aligning with local, state, and national building regulations and the surrounding neighbourhood.
Character is about intent: addressing the brief and creating something functional yet beautiful. It considers how materials influence space and how spatial relationships impact people. While the results of character are often hard to quantify, they’re clear in the experience of the space—how it feels when you're in it.
Cost is often the elephant in the room, but it’s essential to getting the project built. Every design decision has cost implications, and understanding whether short-term savings could lead to long-term issues is crucial. Clients often want it all but lack the resources to afford everything. This is natural, as we all want value from our investments, however, understanding the true cost of building is key to designing within your means. Clients frequently over capitalise on floor area and sacrifice character as a result. It’s worth considering: would you prefer a modest size home, finished to your liking or a larger space that falls short of expectations?
Paradoxically, I’ve divided a cohesive process into three parts which could easily lead to a misunderstanding that each can be understood or practiced in isolation, when in fact, each has to be understood in relation to each other. Context influences character—how a project looks and feels is shaped by both its environment and the client’s vision. Character impacts cost—nothing is free, and design choices affect the budget. Cost, in turn, impacts context—how resources are allocated can change the surrounding environment. This cycle continues throughout the design process.
Your project is too important to leave key decisions to chance. Strive for the best solution, not just the easiest one.
As published in Mid North Coast Arts Guide Dec 2024