This post will guide you through researching and developing an idea, then reviewing your idea within a context.
The starting point for any investigation is research, research gives you a better context within which to work and better your understanding of the issue at hand. Research allows you to be thorough, to increase your knowledge, and to use methods and processes that lead you to make discoveries as well as solve problems.
Before you embark on designing your own ideas, it is important to have an understanding of your immediate environment. Your own likes and dislikes are often generated and shaped by the experiences around you. Until now you may have experienced your environment as a backdrop or as busy wallpaper set against everyday routine. Now take time to notice the wealth of exciting design ideas that surround you. Site research opens you up to a world of observation. Buildings, like people, can embody personalities, values, qualities, beliefs and ideas. Experiencing architecture means exploring and tapping into these qualities.
To complete an architectural project, there must be a beginning. This can be the most difficult task in designing a building. Architects sometimes invent a strategy before beginning a project. This is called a parti. This word is from the French language and is a derivative of the verb for departure. In other words, a parti is a beginning. These beginnings can take many forms. They can also be a written statement of an idea. However, architects generally make a graphic representation of the parti. Once a parti is established, it serves as the organizing idea behind the rest of the project. This can include everything from the organization of the spaces to the elements used as decoration. When researching the site that you have chosen try to discover the parti the architect used to execute the idea. What is this building supposed to make you feel?
The Project
Choose a building that you find interesting and can easily access. Before you start drawing, take time to consider the geometry of the building. Begin by studying its form, scale, proportions, details, materials and function. Use a camera to record different views, as well as close up details and materials. Try to capture the essence and feel of the building and focus on what you wish to explore.
The Process
Use the architectural check list below to break down your study. Once you begin drawing, try to vary the time you take to make your sketches. Timed sketches allow you to produce different types of drawings. A five minute sketch is expressive and lively, for example, recording only important ideas and features. Use materials such as charcoal and soft pencils for speedy mark making. An accurate drawing takes more time and can provide more detailed information. The latter can be made with harder pencils for line control or ink for detailing.
Case Study:Casa Malaparte Check list:
 | Solids and cavities: Study the geometry of the whole building, including facades, doors and window openings – take pictures of architectural details that you may not be able to capture in your sketches. |
 | Scale and proportion: Study the scale and proportion within the building as well as its relation to the surrounding area. |
 | Rhythm: Look for repetitions, ornamental details, or any lines that might suggest movement or rhythm. |
 | Texture: Explore the use of materials and the contrasts that these might suggest. |
 | Light and shade: Patterns of light on the building may enhance or change design elements, so look for drama. The drama comes in the shape and location of the building |
 | Color: Explore the use of color and its effect within the building. This building while secluded was not meant to blend into its surroundings. |
 | Parti: The BIG Idea – many designers may look at Casa Malaparte and see a boat lodged into a rock. I see an aerial birds nest. I think that the owner wanted complete seclusion and built his house on the edge of a cliff to discourage unwanted visitors. Your idea of the parti may be different the point is to set a tone for your design. |
Site Considerations
Survey the context within which the building stands. The immediate area around your chosen site will provide you with valuable information. Create your own checklist of questions to identify important site forces. Look at the way in which the building is positioned within the street. Does it sit in a good relation to the other buildings? is it sensitive to the surrounding architecture and if so how? Does it work and function well? Are there any other interesting features that may affect the way in which the building is perceived or experienced? This could be the relationship of the building to other site factors, such as a busy road, a river, a park or a market.
Aerial Perspective
Aerial views of a public site establish the relationship between the building and its surrounding context. Public and private spaces are depicted with color and with arrows showing public circulation.
 Casa Malaparte: Aerial Perspective |  Roof circulation – Green arrows public circulation –Purple arrows private |
 Entrance Level Circulation |  Living quarters circulation |
