Through this essay the reader will explore the journey of development and transformation that every architectural design has to go through in relation with the limitations presented post conceptual design of a project. Architecture when well-crafted has the incredible ability to influence on its users not only by how they perform on the space but also to transmit ideas or concepts and emotions to them through semiotics. Nevertheless, the design process and the construction outcome do not always run smoothly. Through short case studies, the reader will know the implications of some technical constrains such as geography, topography, urban planning and city regulations and structure as well as budget limitations which include speed and rhythm of construction, changes in design due to program requirements and the investors’ expectations. Architectural projects must be put through a moral battle between fidelity towards the design and adjustments to make the proposal real.
Architects must be self-critical during and after the design process to determine clearly what are the morally correct values which they will stand for in order to achieve ‘good design’.?Architectural design has an enormous influence on people’s behavior and way of living. By shaping spaces, designing light, placing objects and choosing materials, architects and interior designers make a difference on the lives of those who inhabit the space.
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Nevertheless, many times there is a conflict between the design process and the construction outcome because architects have been taught to ‘dream the impossible’ and that ‘good design’ should triumph over technical restrictions, investors or owners’ requirements and even budget limitations. Architects often think that their proposal is above all these constrains, and that there should be a complete fidelity to the design. Obviously, that is not what happen most of the time.
Modifications must be made in order to make a project real, and when this happens architects must reevaluate their beliefs. What to do when the proposed design is too expensive, or it does not meet city regulations? What to do when it is not profitable? In order to avoid all these conflicts, architects, cities and engineers must work together to deliver a design that suits the needs and wants of all the stakeholders.First of all, architects must have in consideration the technical constrains that a project face. To begin with, there are city regulations that respond to an urban plan which must be followed. These regulations specify the allowed program of use, height of the building, the distance regarding other buildings, among others.
For instance, you cannot build a factory in a residential area, or a high rise building next to the airport because the factory needs special infrastructure to treat their waste and planes needs space in order to land safely. Additionally, geography and topography are factors that must play a fundamental role in the architectural design of a building. “Design is influenced by the physical attributes of a location, like its climate, topography and site features, but is also influenced by the social attributes of an area as well, like its culture, industry, design style or history.” (Sederstrom, 2016) Designing with respect and acknowledgement of the scene in its physical and social sense, allows the architect to conceive an authentic and sensitive space. (Sederstrom, 2016) Another factor that is affected by the geo-localization is the structure of the building. Depending on the type of soil and the architectural design, the structure has to be laid out in a certain way, which at the same time influences the designed spaces.
An example of frivolous design regarding all these aspects is the UNASUR building placed in the arid Ecuadorian ‘Ciudad Mitad del Mundo’ complex, where the latitude is zero and the monument to the middle of the world is located. This 43.5-million-dollar megastructure was designed with a cubist scope and a fifty-meter overhang (the biggest in South America) in a high-risk seismic area with no consideration to its desert-like scenery. (Noticias 24, 2014) This building as Ana María Durán Calisto explains, is a governmental monumental-design that presented a structural challenge with its enormous overhangs.
It caused serious controversy among the Ecuadorian population due to the site location, its unexpected corporative aspect and its tremendously high cost of construction. (2015, p. 50)(Guayasamin, 2015)Furthermore, budget is another constrain that architectural projects face when being designed. This has a huge implication that limits every aspect of a project: from speed and rhythm of construction, to scale and materiality, to the proper design and structure. Take the Elbphilharmonie from Herzog ; de Meuron as an example of a project that went under public scrutiny for not looking like it was designed and massive miscalculations of costs caused the suspension of the project for two years.
The project began having a wide acceptance among Hamburg citizens who were hooked by the idea of having a cultural emblem in their city. Nevertheless, the excitement transformed into frustration when “the hotel consumed more space than initially planned, the building had to be raised – but only at one of its sides” affecting the image of the building, making the characteristic waves look “less huge and less rough”. (Bopp ; de Wolff, 2012) In addition to this, “(…) its total cost rose from €77m, an implausibly low figure given by the city authorities when the hall was first mooted, to a final bill (with substantial additions to the brief, but even so) of €860m.” (Moore, 2016) (Hamburg News, 2018)Although budgets and technical constrains are important issues to consider, designers must incorporate the message they intent to deliver into the design. Famous architect Kenzo Tange mentioned “space is the world of meaning”. (Walker, 1987) Design is never neutral, it always delivers a message.
As all behavior has an interactional value, then every act is communicating something, even if that action or message is inactivity or to remain silent. (Watzlawick, et al., 2011, pp. 29-30).
Though the use of semiotics, architects communicate function through form: a bench on a plaza that invites the user to stop and contemplate, the use of light in churches to generate a spiritual environment, a different materiality announcing a change in space. As Christian Norberg-Schulz said, “The task of the architect, is not to ‘do as little as possible’, but to create forms with an adequate capacity. The capacity of the forms defines their range of meaning.” (Walker, 1987). Furthermore, messages of activism and political participation are delivered through the study of signs. (Barthes, 1972).
With architecture being a tool for delivering a message, designers must be aware that their vision of morality will be reflected of the design. They have to be self-critical when determining what values will they stand for, even when circumstances force the project to morph.In conclusion, architects must communicate through their design not only with their final audience but also be in harmony with the key stakeholders in every project. With proper communication with the owners and engineers involved, Architecture can deliver its message and fulfill the designer’s intentions. To achieve this, Sebastian Deterding suggest four moral questions to be asked during the design process in order to reach ‘the good life’: What are the intentions you bring with your design? What are the effects (intended and unintended) of what you are doing? What values are you using to judge it? And finally, what are the virtues and aspirations you are expressing with your design? (2014) There is no right formula to a ‘good design’ but as Aldo van Eyck states, “What you should try to accomplish is built meaning. So, get close to the meaning and build!” (Walker, 1987)?
