Week 6 - Intent

Design is a creation for purpose. Design intent is a clear and concise statement that expresses the objectives of the design team relative to a project or a portion a project.[1]­­­ No clear direction to design efforts can be made without a clear intent. Design intent can be expressed at various levels of a project, from the project as a whole, to individual spaces, to systems of environmental conditions within spaces. It describes the general quality and key attributes that any acceptable solution to the brief must capture. Expressing a clear design intent allows possible solutions to an owner’s brief to be most likely fully acceptable.

Architectural design services are involved in the early stages of planning. The architectural unit provides early assistance and pre-design services to assist client to assemble the appropriate pieces before diving too for into real estate decisions without the proper tools.[2] In many cases, owner’s brief provides only a minimal statement of requirements. A design intent statement interpret such needs to a description of the design team’s vision of a proposed solution, which includes all the various elements, systems requirements, and limitations of a project, such as ergonomic, reconfiguration, lighting system, maintenance, energy efficiency, as well as the philosophy of a company. Instead of defining specific methods, design intent should describe a clear destination for design efforts, so that other possible means of solution are not excluded.




A sample video of an architectural project which shows design intent[4]


The creative and communicative function of architectural representation is emphasized by conveying design intent through specific technical descriptions. These range from urban massing models to building sectional drawings, and from perspective sketches to spatial details. If design intent is to be translated into the assembled building then the specification must be well written, comprehensive and free of errors. Features in an architectural project can be related to one another in a number of ways. These relationship govern how the design will behave when changed. Design intent is the careful control of these relationships so that they correctly govern the intended behaviour of the design. As the project moves along, architects provide design services during construction to maintain continuous awareness of the design intent throughout all phases of the project.[3] With good design intent, design can be updated effortlessly.



----------------------------------------------------------------

Reference:

[1] Tom Porter and Steve Bowkett, “Archispeak: An Illustrated Guide to Architectural Design Terms”, Routledge UK, 2004

[2] DESIGN BUILD REALTY, Design Build Realty, 2007, accessed on 28 April, 2008, <http://www.designbuildrealty.com/>

[3] DESIGN BUILD REALTY, Design Build Realty, 2007, accessed on 28 April, 2008, <http://www.designbuildrealty.com/>

[4] "4th Year Architecture Design Movie (INXS-New Sensation) ", Youtube 2008, Accessed on 28 April, 2008, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mreF93lXxqQ&NR=1>