All design processes reach a point of stagnation when you seem to be trying to solve the same problem continually with no noticeable progress. This happens for a number of reasons, but there are two that stand out in my head.
The first is a lack of new information. Just as our bodies need food and nutrients to continually sustain ourselves, design concepts need a steady flow of new information to move forward. I see a common misconception that design concepts exist autonomously from the day to day practical hurdles of a project. These things are seen as obstacles, something to over come or possibly hide. However, spending a day or two digging up answers to the unresolved practical questions can be critical in pushing a big idea forward. How much does this material cost? What are the code requirements? Where will the mechanical systems be placed? The answers to these question usually make key decisions for you, either by confirming an unknown or by ruling out an unrealistic possibility.
The second reason I see design concepts stagnate is because the tools have long outgrown the process. We’ve been doing a lot of landscaping at our house lately and I’ve come to appreciate the five various types of shovels that we’ve purchased. Each one serves a separate function. The shovel I use for cutting a trench is different then the shovel I use for digging a hole. If I started the project with one shovel, and stuck with that shovel throughout the entire process I would not only waste valuable time and energy, but the craftsman ship would certainly suffer. The same goes for the tools of a design process, they have to change and evolve to push the project forward. A floor plan only serves a certain function and after a while outlives it’s usefulness. Some problems can’t be solved in plan. Likewise, some problems can’t even be discovered in plan. It’s not until you look at the condition in section, perspective, or with a physical model that you can move forward. To a designer, this seems like common sense. However I often find myself staring a plan for hours, constantly redrawing the the same unsuccessful solution, wondering why I my design isn’t moving forward. A successful process is largely dependent on knowing when to change shovels.
1 response so far ↓
Michelle Linden // August 8, 2007 at 4:50 am |
I can think of a third cause of stagnation… getting caught up in the minutia. Sometimes, I can find myself and other designers re-working the same details over and over trying to refine the perfect detailed solution, with little or no appreciable effect on the overall design. I think its an important skill to know when you should move on to the next problem, especially as it pertains to details since they can be infinitely redesigned.