What Architecture Design Actually Means

Architecture design is the part of the discipline of architecture that turns an idea for a building into a set of drawings that can be built, and it is the work that runs from the first sketch of a space to the final construction document that the builder works from. It differs from a general design field in 3 ways that matter. First, it must be built: a graphic design exists on a screen, but an architecture design exists in space and must be raised by a builder from a set of documents. Second, it must be safe: the design is checked against the building code and the laws of structure before it can be signed. Third, it is a process with phases, not a single act, and it moves through 7 standard phases, from the first concept to the final review on site.

Illustration: A white primed canvas with a faint graphite grid standing on an easel.

The phases the design moves through

The design of a building moves through a standard sequence of phases, and the table gives each phase, what it produces, and the typical share of the total design time it takes on a mid size project.

PhaseWhat it producesTypical share of design time
ConceptThe massing and the idea, 1 to 3 options10 to 15 percent
Schematic designThe layout and the scale, the client's decision15 to 20 percent
Design developmentThe materials, the sections, the systems20 to 25 percent
Construction documentsThe drawings and specs, 100 to 300 sheets30 to 40 percent
Construction administrationThe review of the work on site10 to 20 percent

The phases are sequential in name, but they overlap in practice, and a good design develops the structure and the systems while the concept is still being drawn. The construction documents phase is the longest, because it is where the design is made exact, every wall, every opening and every material is fixed on a drawing, and the builder can price it and build it from.

How the design is made: from idea to built project

The design is made by a method that moves from the abstract to the exact, and the method is the same whether the building is a house or a tower. It starts with the brief, which is the client's need made into a short statement. It moves to the site analysis, which is the study of the ground, the light and the access that the site gives. It then develops the massing, which is the building's volume in 3 dimensions, and the layout, which is the order of the spaces within it. Each step fixes more decisions and allows fewer changes, so the method is a series of points where the design becomes harder to alter, and a change in the concept is cheap while a change in the construction documents is expensive.

The documents the design produces

The design produces a set of documents that the builder constructs from, and that set has a standard form. The plans show the building from above, cut at a level just above the floor, and they are the primary drawing, the one the whole building is read from. The sections show the building cut vertically, and they show how the floors, the walls and the structure relate to the ground. The elevations show the outside faces, and the details show the hard joins, where the wall meets the roof, where the window meets the wall, at a large scale. A complete set for a small building runs to 30 to 60 sheets, and for a large one to several hundred. The documents are the final form of the design, and they are what the builder, the client and the code all read, which is why the discipline treats the clarity of the drawing as a core skill of the architect.

How the design is checked before it is built

The design is checked against 3 things before it is signed for construction. The first is the structure, which the structural engineer checks to make sure the building will stand. The second is the building code, which the design must meet for safety, for fire and for access, and the check is done by the local authority before the building is permitted. The third is the client's brief, which is checked against the final drawings to make sure the building that will be built is the building that was asked for. A design that passes all 3 is ready to be built, and the signature of the licensed architect on the documents is the statement that the check has been done.

Where to start

Illustration: A small white cardstock house model resting on a walnut desk beside a brass caliper.1. ARCHITECT DESIGNArchitecture designWhen an architect designs a building, the work is the discipline of architecture applied to one specific project.Scaffolding wrapped around the side of a building under construction.2. ARCHITECT BUILDINGArchitecture vs buildingArchitecture and a building are two different things that a project needs both of: architecture is the discipline of designing.Workers pouring wet concrete into formwork on a site.3. START HEREArchitecture and Building ExplainedArchitecture building, as a phrase, joins the two halves of the discipline.

Pages describing one type of architectural drawing or visual

A detailed blueprint drawing of a building spread across a table.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture DrawingAn architecture drawing is a technical drawing that records part of a building, and it is the primary document of the discipline of architecture.Illustration: A small isometric paper room model standing on a black slate slab.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture DiagramAn architecture diagram is a simple drawing that states the idea of a building or the relationship between its parts.Illustration: A deep blue drafting cloth rolled into a cylinder on a dark oak bench.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture BlueprintAn architecture blueprint is a reproduction of a set of drawings made on blue paper with white lines.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture Floor PlanAn architecture floor plan is the drawing of a building cut horizontally at a level just above the floor.Illustration: A carved oak wood type block with a bold geometric letterform cut into its top.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture FontAn architecture font is a typeface used to letter a drawing, a document or a presentation in the discipline of architecture.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture HandwritingArchitecture handwriting is the lettering an architect writes by hand on a drawing.Illustration: Three unframed black and white photographs of a white concrete facade on a plaster wall.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture ImagesArchitecture images are the visual records of buildings and of the design of buildings.Illustration: White graph paper with fine pencil line work showing a gabled house front view.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture ElevationsArchitecture elevations are the drawings of the outside faces of a building.Illustration: A small stack of white cards with clean geometric blue line diagrams on a desk.PAGES DESCRIBING ONE TYPEArchitecture GraphicsArchitecture graphics are the visual tools of the discipline of architecture.

Other sections

THE PRACTICEWhat Is Architecture?Architecture is the discipline of designing buildings and the other spaces people live, work and gather in.HOMES & HOUSESArchitecture house explainedArchitecture house, as a phrase, names the application of the discipline of architecture to the design of the house.INTERIORSInterior Design and Architecture ExplainedInterior design is the discipline that designs the inside of the building.URBAN PLANNINGUrban PlanningUrban planning is the discipline of shaping how land inside a city is used.STYLES & HISTORYArchitecture stylesAn architectural style is the set of design features that a building shares with the movement and the place and the period that made it.MATERIALS & TECHNOLOGYBuilding materials and technologyBuilding materials are the physical substances a building is made of, and they are the raw inputs of architecture in the most direct sense.CAREERS & COSTSArchitecture jobs and careersArchitecture jobs are the positions where the discipline of architecture is practised.FIELD GUIDEArchitecture and the LandscapeArchitecture and the landscape is the pairing of the discipline of architecture, which designs the building, with landscape architecture.HOMES & HOUSESHow house design worksArchitecture house design is the application of the discipline of architecture to the house.