Exploring Architectural Design: Understanding Space Functions and Standards

Introduction:

Architectural design is a multifaceted discipline that goes beyond mere aesthetics; it's about creating spaces that serve specific functions while adhering to established standards. From residential homes to commercial complexes, every building is a carefully orchestrated interplay of form and function. In this article, we delve into the realm of architectural design, exploring the significance of space functions and the importance of adhering to standards to ensure both functionality and user satisfaction.

Understanding Space Functions:

Space functions lie at the heart of architectural design. Before laying down a single brick, architects must meticulously analyze the intended purpose of each space within a building. Whether it's a living room, office cubicle, or laboratory, each area serves a distinct function that influences its design and layout.

Residential Spaces:

In residential architecture, spaces are tailored to meet the needs and lifestyles of the occupants. The living room, for example, serves as a social hub for family gatherings and entertainment, thus requiring ample seating and open layouts conducive to interaction. Bedrooms, on the other hand, prioritize privacy and relaxation, with considerations for comfort, lighting, and storage solutions.

Commercial Spaces:

Commercial buildings, such as offices, retail stores, and restaurants, must cater to the needs of employees and customers alike. Office spaces are often designed to promote productivity, with layouts that facilitate collaboration while providing private areas for focused work. Retail environments prioritize customer experience, with strategic layouts, lighting, and signage to guide shoppers through the space efficiently.

Public Spaces:

Public buildings, such as libraries, museums, and civic centers, are designed to serve the community at large. These spaces must be accessible, inclusive, and adaptable to accommodate diverse user needs. Libraries, for instance, offer a range of spaces for reading, studying, and community events, each tailored to different user preferences and activities.

Importance of Standards in Architectural Design: Standards play a crucial role in architectural design, providing guidelines and benchmarks for various aspects of building construction and operation. These standards encompass a wide range of considerations, including building codes, accessibility requirements, environmental sustainability, and ergonomic design principles.

Building Codes:

Building codes set forth regulations governing the design, construction, and occupancy of buildings to ensure safety and structural integrity. These codes cover aspects such as fire safety, structural design, plumbing, electrical systems, and occupancy loads. Adhering to building codes is essential to obtain permits and approvals from regulatory authorities.

Accessibility Standards:

Accessibility standards aim to ensure that buildings and spaces are usable by people of all ages and abilities. This includes provisions for wheelchair accessibility, ramps, elevators, handrails, signage, and tactile indicators for visually impaired individuals. Designing with accessibility in mind not only fosters inclusivity but also helps comply with legal requirements.

Environmental Sustainability:

With growing concerns about climate change and resource depletion, architects are increasingly embracing sustainable design practices. Standards such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provide frameworks for designing environmentally friendly buildings that minimize energy consumption, reduce waste, and promote indoor air quality.

Ergonomic Design:

Ergonomic design principles focus on creating spaces that are comfortable, efficient, and conducive to human well-being. This includes considerations for ergonomic furniture, lighting, acoustics, and spatial layouts that support natural movement and reduce strain on the body. By prioritizing user comfort and health, architects can enhance the overall quality of the built environment.

As previously discussed, 3 main components are essential in Architectural Design namely: SPACE, FUNCTIONS, AND STANDARDS

On this page, we will explore the first component which is the SPACE

SPACE  is defined as a continuous area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied.
In architecture, we can set the boundaries of space. Space can be exclusive or it can be shared. The main element that can be considered to define the boundaries of space is the human body. The space can then be measured by the measurement of size and proportion of the human body - this is called Anthropometrics. This enables us to properly size items, including system interfaces, to "fit" the user.

the Anthropometrics

From the illustration above we can formulate a minimum length, width, and depth of a space dedicated to the human body's reachability. This is the human space. Observe from anthropometrics, starting from a standing position with arms stretched sidewards, length is established. As the arm moves upward or downward,  with a corresponding size, radius, and reachability of human body movement, you as a designer can now start determining the required size of a particular space dedicated to the end user's activity.

a. Activity - After defining the space according to its size, we can now determine its activity. How are we going to define space for human activities? Going back to a simple residence, how are activities classified in each of the user's activities? 

In this exercise, we can now define which one is private, public, semi-private, and semi-public.

This will introduce you to the functionality of the space. The boundaries that define the space are also considered to make it private or public. There are spaces in between that relate to the functionality of the adjacent space. like the dining and kitchen. The living and dining, The hallways and the bedrooms, the bedroom and toilets. 

Identifying these activities and their interrelationships of functions, you can group them in a bubble form. This is a good starting point to see how these spaces interact with one another.

b. Function -  The Balloon diagram is your guide to determine the groupings of each space according to function. In a bigger house design scope, all spaces are under one roof. But all are divided accordingly according to function and consider the next principle which is accessibility. The space hierarchy can start from a public space to a private space. In between, you can play around with how you, as the user, will move in and out of each of the spaces. 

The Functionality will consider the safety, ease of access between spaces, and the visibility of each space. 

Conclusion:

In the realm of architectural design, space functions, and standards serve as guiding principles for creating buildings that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional, safe, and sustainable. By understanding the unique requirements of different spaces and adhering to established standards, architects can design environments that enrich the lives of occupants and contribute positively to the built environment

DESIGN 101 Architectural Design | The INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN 101?

DESIGN 101 is the first course you are going to undertake once enrolled in architecture.  It is basically from design 101 to design 110. This will be your ladder. In order to complete the whole course, you have to finish 10 design courses. Each course is unique and is a pre requisite of the next higher design class.

Design 101 is an introduction to the basics of architectural design. This will enable you to learn the tools and the skills you need to become a designer and understand the principles in designing a structure.

While you are learning to develop your visual skills and the standard drafting,
Design 101 will develop your analytic skills. You will learn the value of space, functional grouping and minimum standards.

structures are categorized according to functions and complexity of design, therefore Design 101 will guide you through your learning process from designing basic structure, that is learning the first place where we got involved with in defining space and it's functionality.
What is it? that is the place you live in - your house.

1. Starting with your house - Have a look around you and observe what you see inside your house. Let your observation be focused on the spaces within your house and determine the function of each area that is within your house. Then let your observation be more focused on the building elements like the windows, doors and other details - this will help you become more familiar with the minimum standards.

The DESIGN PROCESS

This is your first journey to develop your design skills in architecture. The first stage will be the ANALYSIS. Let's determine and develop some design principles by taking the example below:
( you can also make your own sketch of your house and see how they are arranged. The floor plan as shown is a top view of the house. As you see the spaces arranged together, start drawing your own plan as you enter and then link them altogether)

a. In determining the space - What are the spaces  can you find inside your house?
you can list down all the spaces you see. Let's have an example on the plan shown below:
 


floor plan

  
These are your space requirements. 

starting from far left down, there are two groups of spaces that are arranged without any partition.

Notice the furniture placed in the first area, 3-seater and two-seater sofa with single sofa, center table, tv console and a cabinet. Can you now identify this area? Yes this is a

LIVING ROOM / AREA

second area, is a dining table with six chairs, this area is the

DINING AREA


Next one is a long corridor connecting 3 mores spaces:

One with an office table and chair, with credenza this space is a

PRIVATE OFFICE

Another one with a table with 3 chairs, sink, working counter, this is the

KITCHEN

and lastly, there is a water closed and a lavatory. This space is the

TOILET

You can also identify the stairs along, this is the access leading to the next floor level.

Putting them all together, you have now established the space that are available within a simple residence. These are:

LIVING AREA ,DINING AREA ,CORRIDOR, STAIRCASE, PRIVATE OFFICE, KITCHEN and the  TOILET                    
 

isometric view



b. In determining the function - How was it arranged? This is where you determine the public areas, private areas, semi-private and the common areas. This is what we call Functional Grouping

The best way to classify the spaces as private and semi-private and common area, we can best express this by balloon diagramming. Place a circle as to how the plan is arranged and identify the classification of its spaces.

Analyze: 

How are these space interrelates with one another other?
What are the areas that are considered private in relation to its function?
What are the areas that needs to be adjacent that will compliment to their function?
Can you arranged them better?

This is the best exercise to group the spaces together and analyze it according to the usage and interrelationship of each space.

In relation to the question "can you arrange them better?", this question is more appropriate to ask when you are analyzing the activities within. In exploring your idea within the design process, keep on thinking about the ways and means to improve your design in terms of arranging the space in accordance to the most efficient way of solving the problem.  


You can make your own arrangement and try to move each balloon representing the area. Make you own sketch and move the areas you think should be in close connection with each other. Once you have done that, you can make your own reason why you are placing that space next the space you think would be more reasonable. Arrows are good representation showing a circulation pattern. Draw an arrow to interconnect these spaces and determine which one should have direct access and which one should have indirect access.

After establishing your functional grouping, you can now start doing a single line presentation. What is the single line presentation? The balloon diagram is now translated into a more accurate space plan, that is the layout of your floor plan. As shown on this example, you are now going into the next phase of the design process.

c. In determining Minimum Standards - Do you see all the building elements that were put together? What do you see? if you noticed all those elements, these are the components within the building that were set to standards in relation to its size.

a. Let's start with the floor, do you see varying sizes? what's connecting the floor and the wall? what about the level changes from one area to the other, do you recognized the heights of each level change?  

b. what about the walls? do you see anything that are attached to it like the doors and  windows, do they have varying heights and widths?

c. and lastly, let's look at the ceiling. how are lights fixed? what are the attached elements that connects the ceiling and the wall? Aside from that, you can also see all the furniture that are within the rooms or areas. You can also observe that all have sizes relevant to the space and the usefulness of each furniture in relation to the end user - you. 

All these are set to a minimum standard in order to guide you, as the designer, to know the required size of each of the space you are dealing with.

DESIGN 101 Architectural Design | SPACE

How do architects get paid? - Case Study

You might be wondering how architects are being paid.


There are several methods on how the architects get paid and these are:

1. Percentage basis
2. Fixed fee
3. Fixed fee plus percentage basis

In our attempt to give you the latest and updated information about the methods of compensation, some more additional information is published in our main website at 3dartrender. You can read the whole article that deals with the 6 methods of compensation for architects under the title "How Do Architects Get Paid?"

Below is an example on how the computation of the professional fee is done. The whole amount (100%) of the professional fee is not paid at one time, it is broken down into four (4) phases that fall under the regular services of an architect, these are;

1. Preliminary Design Stage
2. Design Development Stage
3. Contract Document Stage
4. Construction Stage

Upon completion of each stages, the professional fee is paid for with the corresponding percentage of the Professional Fee. See the computation below and the manner of payment for each of the stages;

The commissioning of the architect is the most fulfilling part in the practice of architecture, because this is where he gets his living. 

This is a sample computation

1. Percentage basis - each project has its complexity and building are categorized accordingly. Depending on the complexity of the project, the architect is then paid equivalent to certain percentage of the project. The range is in between 5% to 15% of the project construction cost. The higher the cost of the project, the less percentage it becomes. This method of compensation will lead to the next method which is the fixed fee.

example computation:

project cost:                               $4.5 M
Architect's fee:                         5% - 15%  ($225,000 to $675,000)

The standard percentage fee for residential design is 10%.
Depending on the level of experience of an architect, the professional fee is within the range of 5% - 15%

Case Studies 1

1. The Manner of Payment: for 5% Professional Fee - $ 225,000

1. Preliminary Design Stage      - 20% of Professional Fee  -  $  45,000
2. Design Development Stage   - 40 % of Professional Fee -  $  90,000
3. Contract Document Stage     - 25 % of Professional Fee -  $  56,250
4. Construction Stage                - 15 % of Professional Fee -  $  33,750

* The Professional fee is based on the actual construction of the building, therefore, the fee for the last stage will be adjusted according to the percentage of the actual cost of the project.

Assuming the final construction of the project cost is $5.0 M  as per the previous estimated cost of $4.5M the Professional Fee is adjusted to $250,000 instead of $225,000, therefore the final payment of $ 33,750 upon completion of the project is adjusted adding the remaining balance of $25,000. The total amount then becomes $58,750

Case Studies 2

1. The Manner of Payment: for 15 % Professional Fee - $ 675,000

1. Preliminary Design Stage      - 20% of Professional Fee  -  $  135,000
2. Design Development Stage   - 40 % of Professional Fee -  $  270,000
3. Contract Document Stage     - 25 % of Professional Fee -  $  168,750
4. Construction Stage                - 15 % of Professional Fee -  $  101,250

* The Professional fee is based on the actual construction of the building, therefore, the fee for the last stage will be adjusted according to the percentage of the actual cost of the project.

Assuming the final construction of the project cost is $5.0 M  as per the previous estimated cost of $4.5M the Professional Fee is adjusted to $750,000 instead of $675,000, therefore the final payment of $  101,250 upon completion of the project is adjusted adding the remaining balance of $75,000. The total amount then becomes $176,750

2. Fixed fee - or lump sum fee. The architect can set a fixed amount of fee for the services he rendered. This is done especially with small projects where the computation of a percentage fee cannot sustain the architects cost of production, instead of setting percentage fee, a lump sum amount can be set as a payment for his services.

example computation:

Project cost:                               $4.5 M
Fixed Fee:                                  $400,000

3. Fixed fee plus percentage fee - this method is applicable to large projects. This is normally a combination of a percentage from 3% to 10% plus a fixed amount.

Example computation:
Project cost:                               $166 M
Fixed fee plus percentage:      for the first $100 M fixed fee of $5 M
                                                    plus 3% fee for the balance
                                                    3% of  $66 M is $ 1.98 M

total architect's fee plus :          $ 6.98 M


The Method of compensation for architects are discussed in detail under the architects code and the professional practice. For the public's information, these three are the common method of payment.

Hope this will give a brief overview on the manner by which architect is being paid.

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What will I expect from Architectural Design course? | Architectural Design

Architectural Design course is a very interesting course. Maybe you will be asking "What will i expect from architectural course?"  well, let me give you a brief overview about architectural course.

This course is a five-year curriculum with a required 2-year on-the-job training before you can become an architect. In the five year curriculum, you will be trained to become professional in this field. There major subjects that you need to pass and these major subjects are pre requisites in order for you to step up to the next level.

These subjects are:

Architectural Design and Planning
Visual Arts
Architectural Graphics
Building Technology and Utilities
History of Architecture
Theories of Architectural Design
Professional Practice

All of these subjects are distributed in your five year stay in the college. Architectural Design course is the main subject which is divided into 5 year study course from Architectural Design 1 to Architectural Design 10. 

landscape planning - an aerial view

Planning will be an introductory course on the Comprehensive architectural course that will lead to Urban and Regional Planning, Community Planning and Subdivision Planning.

You can pursue higher studies on these courses offered in Masteral Degree couse.

Visual Arts or Visual Technology is a course that will help you develop your visual presentation skills from the basic freehand drawing to 3dimensional presentation and large scale modeling presentation.

You will start with the basics of free hand drawing from line exercises to shades and shadows. This basic training will lead you to sketch what you see around you. These will challenge you to sketch existing structures so you can improve your visualization techniques from pencil, pen and ink to digital presentations. As shown on the examples below.

The left image is a pencil sketch as an exercise to visualize the architectural design of a house which is the basic designing skills developed in the introduction of the architectural design course.

Another example below is the pen and ink rendering of an existing building. There are Three major course in Visual Technology. 1. The use of pencil in visualization, 2. Is the use of Pen and Ink 3. Color Rendering using different mediums like water color, acrylic, markers and any color tools available in the market which artists use.

This is a water color rendering with pen and ink. This is a multi-media presentation on free hand drawings. 

As compared to the pen and ink rendering of this image below. The Visual Technology course will cover 2 years of study. The First year will be in two terms where you will have the Pencil and the Pen and Ink Presentation techniques.

The Second year will have two terms which are; the Multi-media presentation from Manual rendering to 3d rendering presentations for the first term and the latter will be the Scaled Modeling presentation.

This image is a created in 3d studio max. This is a 3d modeling and rendering presentation. Nowadays, this is the trend in the architectural design presentations.

Free hand sketches are still in the trend in architectural design presentations especially in presenting a schematic design where the architect's design study is on progress where ideas can still be changed. 

The design development stage can be more detailed and the use of 3d modeling using software to coordinate with the cad files of the proposed design is produced.

for larger projects where visualization is used in a more complicated presentations, the Scaled model is another advance feature in the visual technology course. It is a scaled model, where the actual size of the project is reduced its size. 

Here are some examples of scaled model:

Architectural Graphics will give you better understanding about graphic standards, basic drafting work, computer aided design and drafting.







Building Technology and Utilities deals with the Method of Construction, Building materials and specifications including the utilities sytem like the Sanitary systems, Mechanical and Electrical systems.




History of Architecture is the study of the History of Architecture itself from the ancient civilization up to our modern and millennial time. The best architectural design examples are in the past. This will give you an in depth knowledge about the history.





Theories of Architectural Design is also connected with the History. the design theories and principles were taken from the past design influences.





Professional Practice will be your guiding principle in your preparation for the practice of the profession. From the building laws, Fire and safety codes and other relevant laws concerning the construction of any structure in any localities. The laws concerning the practice and the most interesting part of how the architects are paid (method of compensation) and the architect's responsibilities and liabilities.





What is not included in the list but is essential is the Structural design course. This is included in the curriculum for you to understand the Strength of material and the durability of the structure.

Go back to Architectural Design Course here

How To Become An Architect?

 

If you are considering architecture as your career path, this blog will help you understand what you need to know and the necessary preparations so that you will be more confident that architecture is for you.

1. What are the qualities you possess to become an architect?
    There are 4 simple questions you need to ask yourself if you would qualify to become an architect.:

 a. First, can you draw well? 
     Concepts are done through your drawing skill, the medium by which you convey your ideas. 

This is what we call "sketching". 
Sketching may not be that good, this is a means by which you would like to express your thoughts and ideas. The more you learn to sketch, the better you can visualize your design and it may become an artwork.
Some architects are outstanding in their sketching skills, and they spend time conveying their ideas with their own sketches, which works well with them 

Some designers don't have the better skill in sketching, and they work for people who know sketching, they enrich the idea and someone else has to draw it for them, that process has worked well with them too. It is a plus factor while you are stating that you possess a little skill in drawing, but it is not essential because your drawing skill can be developed through the years when you start with the architectural course. It is just the starting point to evaluate yourself if you want to consider architecture.

sketch using SketchUp

Today, sketching skills can already be achieved through the use of computers, so if you are not good at manual sketching, do not be discouraged. If you have a good judgement on beauty, and you are creative in a way, this is what you need to possess to take up architecture which will be the next question you need to ask yourself

b. Are you creative?
Being creative is the ability to work on ordinary things and make them extraordinary. Architecture is a composition of building materials that were put together, thus making a good design. In Architecture, you will be trained to be more creative and rational in what you do. Every line that you draw must always tell a story. That's where your creativity comes in, where you combine vertical and horizontal lines.

Your imagination would lead you to design like this picture on the left.
Each designer is unique, and his design is phenomenal because not all ideas would be the same. Other architects might have different designs as compared to this example.  How are you going to arrange the elements like the door, ceiling, and stairs? Are you good at putting things together?. It is just like building blocks, and you can come up with a good composition using those blocks together with different shapes and colors. Similarly applied to architecture, that's where you can test your creativity. So why not start using things around you and build something out of it? Be creative...



c. How good are you in your communication skills (English)

Good communication skills are a very important quality you need to possess. As you start to draw your line, you must already start telling your story. That's where you should develop your English language because you need to have a reason behind your designs. Let the people know your design intentions, philosophy, concept, and ideas.
That process is what we call the design conceptualization stage, which will be part of your training in architecture. So if you can communicate in English (or maybe in your own native language) you can become an architect.

d. How good are you in Mathematics?

Many students, especially those inclined to arts, are afraid of mathematics. Don't be surprised if mathematics is one of the qualities you need to possess to become an architect because this is necessary. If you know basic addition, multiplication, division, and subtraction, that is a good starting point. Do not complicate it, Architecture is also about solving problems. This deals with simple computations and those are translated into visual line presentation.

Example:

You are designing a restaurant, and you are required to fit 40 people in the dining area, what is the size required?
If you need 2.44 sq. MTS to fit 4 people with tables and chairs, what will be the required size of the dining area to fit 40 people?

Solution:

40 divided by 4            = 10

10 multiplied by 2.44   =  24.4

you will need at least 25 sq. MTS of the dining area, not including the clearances for the people to walk on in between chairs.

That is a simple calculation that I believe is not so complicated for you to be able to know that you are good at math.

There you have it. Do you possess these qualities? Then I think you can become an architect.

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