In the evolution of an architectural project, the design phase follows the selection of an architect, engineer or planner and the establishment of fees for services. Whether it is base lodge, restaurant, child-care nursery, maintenance garage or a lift structure, the success of this phase hinges on communications between the project players and decisions mutually understood.
Very often both the architects and the clients approach a project with expectations and preconceived concepts that rarely carry through to the completion of the project. Realizing that usually helps with the design phase. There are intricacies of designing and constructing facilities, particularly in inhospitable climates such as mountains, that involve countless variables any of which can significantly change the outcome. This causes the design process to be ever-changing, containing a labyrinth of inappropriate solutions to the problem with environmental/social/legal issues and cost constraints.
The design phase of a project can be broken into several sub-phases:
- Program development
- Research and data collection
- Site evaluation
- Design development
- Presentation and revision.
By far the most important sub-phase is program development, which affects the project scope, facility use, users needs, social factors, costs and location.
During program development as well as research and data collection, the architect or planner attempts to extract from as many sources as possible information to design the facility. This ranges from big questions to minute details. How many slope acres will the facility cover? What size stair treads are most appropriate? How can the swimming pool save energy dollars? Will the cost of a pedestrian bridge be too high? How large should a table in the mid-mountain lodge be? What are the alternate costs associated with providing potable water to facility sites A,B,C?
Gathering this information might involve conducting skier surveys, site visits to comparable ski areas, computer modeling, even materials or standards testing. Prototypes also can be developed and studied. With computers, it is possible to generate working models of an entire ski area. Skier counts, weather data, economic data, slope information, lift capacity, all can be correlated with computer models to provide valuable design information.
All of the information gathered should then be put into the form of a program. The program for a facility portrays with words, and possibly some sketches, the objectives of the proposed project. Added to the objectives is a realistic schedule and budget commensurate with the scope of the project and the quality standards established at the outset of this phase.
Client input is critical to the decision-making process of this phase. A client would do well to provide a project wish-list including the most minute or trivial items as well as to reveal shortcomings and problems with the current structures and facilities. Broad concepts and comments are appropriate in this early stage of the design process. The project should be viewed as a team approach with the professional and the client, management and staff taking a share in the outcome.
Once the program for the facility is created, the actual sketching on paper part of design begins. This design development phase puts the program into two- and, sometimes, three-dimensional form. It is the architect or planner’s interpretation of the program in the form of a preliminary design that emerges and is presented for review. For the first time the client will see the emerging solution to the requirements for the facility.
The architect or planner should be able to provide graphics – computer enhanced mock-ups, walk-throughs and fly-overs are readily available – to explain the design work. The comprehension of a total facility requires mental visualization and thinking in three-dimensions. While many professionals in architecture and planning have this ability, many clients are not three-dimensionally conversant. Let the architect or planner use his or her talents to explain everything on paper or on a computer screen with enhanced three-dimensional visualization.
Once the design development information has been presented, the project team needs to reflect upon the work for a sufficient period of time. This allows the concepts to form mental images, and for staff people to discuss the ideas. It is a time for thorough review of the material.
During this period, the architect or planner can help clients determine what is in their best interests and then provide the services to accomplish that. If the client believes the design concept is faulty, constructive, written criticism is appropriate and helpful for the architect or planner to do a methodical review.
The creation of a facility can have many pitfalls and generally it does. It is a natural outgrowth of the human mind to consider solutions to problems by processing small bundles of information. The design phase is formulated through the cycles of design-present-review-and-present-again. The client should be aware that the design process involves a constant refining of concepts.
The most successful projects happen when the architect or planner, and the client act cohesively as a team. Without teamwork and careful communications, the design phase cannot reflect the talents of the professional or the needs of the client.
