The more I practice architecture, the more I asks myself - have I done enough thinking and understanding of what I am building?
The worry I have is the thoughts of not exploring / exhausting the design options/process more. Somewhat where I am now particularly exposed of (and feel out of depth with)
Definitely not in younger days where we laid up the Client's brief, source out reference from dezeen or archdaily or pinterest, and trying to work out scheme (in record time, always) to wow the clients.
Client wants a bath overlooking the hill, looks for cool reference, adopt it in design.
Why stop at bath?
How do we intend to capture that moment?
Do we framed a peeking opening? Do we open bare it all? How does it direct to other spaces? How does this particular moment relates to the overall house?
We decided on the parameters, then only we're looking for reference that fits on our intention. Our design intention governs the reference, not the other way around.
The same thing with facade/openings; we're more often than not being utilitarian about it, and dolled it up with copings and materials. The window is there, with that particular standard opening, because the need is spelled in *UBBL. Paste on copings later and pattern paints so it doesnt look bare.
Why must all units of the terrace have the same exact position of the window? (because we dont want to spend time do extra drawing and window schedules).
Can we thought further of the window placement? What happened if we push it out? If we slanted it or angled it? Break the mullion? How does the facade reads as a whole?
We have a reunion over weekend, which Lan Lan points out something obvious to me for a some time;- why is our local practice/scenes so hung up on by laws and contracts?
By-laws and contracts is important; but we're bending hell over it at the expense of schematic & design development.
Reason being is business - because it only represent a portion of our fee. The bulk of fee, claimable, is from authority approval / tender documentation / contract implementation.
And of course, everyone wants it FAST.
And that is a lost opportunity. Anything good came up from a good foundation, base. And schematic @ concept is the base of any design.
More often that not we hear the phrases;- copy this and that from previous jobs, just wing it. Sell the jobs through pretty renderings instead of IDEAS.
RUSH the tender documentation. Settle things on-site and during construction.
I found this article (click here) somewhat justifying; that investing more of your time and effort in design development, is more productive. Anticipating, instead of reacting.
Probably just a mid-life crisis.
Part of me is content, thankful for the journey to I am today.
I'm grateful (and proud) of the jobs I've completed.
But there's just niggling feeling I have more to learn, ALOT.
gesundheit.
*Uniform Building By-Law
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