The Flow of Design

At PKA. Architecture, the process of creating a building is split into 4 primary phases: schematic design, design development, construction documents, and finally construction administration. This post will be discussing the first two phases, which concern design. 

To begin the process of designing a residential space, Pam or one of the managing architects take a prospective call. At a firm like PKA, details as minute as voice intonations guide the conversation. Ultimately, however, the conversation with the client flows naturally. For most, its their first time working with an architect--many don't know what to ask or share. Rather than go through a checklist of prescribed topics, they build a rapport with the client. After taking notes, a second meeting with an architect is scheduled. PKA does this even if it seems that hiring an architect is not the clients goal. Neither of these two calls are charged, and the second one with a principle architect can last around an hour. 

A wall of past PKA projects hangs in the meeting room

The schematic design process truly begins when the clients fill out a programming guide. Couples are encouraged to fill it out independently since they typically have slightly (or drastically) varying ideas about where to start. Using a combination of questionnaires and Pinterest boards, the team at PKA gathers a general idea about the direction of a project. They then create a special allocation matrix based on the rooms the client wish to include. Each room's estimated length and width is compiled so that PKA knows what size rooms to create--from there, they can begin organizing the rooms to create a practical design. Prior to this experience, I struggled to understand the beginning of the design process. I often wondered how an architect can ideate a house from nothing but vague notions of what the client desires. Though architects are still challenged to be creative and innovative, I now see they use strategic steps to create a baseline for their ideas. 

VR headset for house models

I attended the third schematic design meeting for a couple constructing a   home for their family. Though I cannot share specific details or images of the property, it followed a contemporary farmhouse style with cape cod influences. The meeting was split into multiple phases, beginning with scheduling future meetings, then going over design updates, followed by reviewing the main and lower level plans, and finally going over different exterior themes. By this meeting, the floor plans had be reworked multiple   times by PKA. The couple approved the final floor plans, which in this phase slightly reworked the stair placement. The most exciting part of the process was reviewing the different exterior options. Designers at PKA had modeled 3 different exterior plans: light, medium, and dark. Each color scheme also used slightly different siding. The first plan, which clad the house in white shingles, was the closest to what the clients had wanted. However, they did not instantly like the metal roof or windows in the plan. 

Sample of marbles in material room

The design development phase involves the grueling task of choosing specific finishes from massive catalogues. PKA's material room has shelves upon shelves of woods, stones, windows, tiles, and paints. By some small miracle, the designers and architects and PKA sort through these materials and create design boards with clients. PKA manages the client's options while giving them enough freedom to create a beautiful home with the client's own tastes. As I was told, PKA is responsible for designing everything that wouldn't fall out of the house if it was turned upside down. The details become extremely minute, down to door handles or lightbulbs. The design development phase is also usually when an interior designer is brought on as a subcontractor of PKA. They are responsible for choosing the furnishings in the house, thought PKA completes many residences without the help of one.

Sample of tiles in material room