THE FRESHMANS

GUIDE TO
ARCHITECTURE

01

THE FRESHMANS GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURE

STUDENTS INTRODUCTION PG.03

PARTI PG.48

DIAGRAM PG.82
CONCEPT PG.6

CONTEXT PG.114

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STUDENTS INTRODUCTION

THE FRESHMANS GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURE

This is the forum that started it all. . . We were
wowed at the indiscriminant stupidity of the design
community as a whole. I mean, . . .having a
guide to something could mean having someone
or something who has experienced it before and
will lead the way,. . ., what third-rate architecture
school did they go to? That is clearly precedent.
Though some of the commentators were doing
their best to rectify the misunderstanding, none of
us felt anymore comfortable letting freshmen at
our university struggle to interpret the contorted
gob of information being thrown at them which
supposedly describes concept, parti, diagram, and
context. To the upcoming freshmen of architecture
schools everywhere, here is your guide to good
architecture.
-Disgruntled Architecture Students of LaTech

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DIRECTIONS TO READ BY:

I ALSO FEEL THE HUGE NEED TO WARN

WHOMEVER IS ABOUT TO READ THIS. THIS
IS NOT A REGULAR BOOK AND SHOULD NOT
BE READ A SUCH. THE NOTECARD SECTIONS
OF EACH BOOK WERE UNCENSORED AND
UNEDITED (EXCEPTING THE OCCASIONAL
RESIZING). WHICH I FEEL ADDS A REALITY
TO THE BOOK ITSELF. THE NOTECARDS FOR
EACH SECTION ARE ARRANGED SO THAT THE
FIRST FEW YOU READ ARE FROM SECOND
YEAR AND ASCEND IN CLASSIFICATION UNTIL
THEY ROUND OUT WITH THE GRADUATE
STUDENTS. TAKE EACH ONE WITH A
GRAIN OF SALT, I DONT TAKE EVERYTHING
SAID IN THESE SECTIONS AS ABSOLUTE
TRUTH. THESE THINGS ARE QUITE OPEN TO
INTERPRETATION AS YOU WILL FIND OUT.
FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS, BUT MAKE THEM
INFORMED OPINIONS. . .
ALSO, THE NOTECARDS ARE PRINTED SO
THAT YOU, THE READER, COULD RECREATE
THEM BY CUTTING THEM OUT WITH A HANDY
PAIR OF SCISSORS. IN RETROSPECT, THAT
WAS NOT REALLY A GREAT IDEA, HOWEVER
IF YOU WANT TO CUT UP THIS FAIRLY PRICEY
BOOK, FEEL FREE TO. IN FACT HAVE FUN.
NO SERIOUSLY, NOW THAT IVE MENTIONED
IT TO THE EDITORS WE MIGHT CHANGE THE
NAME TO CUT THIS BOOK UP.
BUT I DIGRESS, THE SIMPLEST WAY TO
EXPLAIN HOW TO READ THE NOTECARD
SECTION IS EXPLAINED IN THE DIAGRAM ON
THE FOLLOWING PAGE.
-EDWARD LAMB

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PG.05

CONCEPT
INTRO PG.08
NOTECARDS PG.09
CONCLUSION PG.27
PRO EXAMPLES PG.28

THE FRESHMANS GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURE

Concept
[kon-sept]
-noun
1. a cognitive unit of
meaning -an abstract
idea or mental symbol
sometimes defined as a
"unit of knowledge,"
built from other units
which act as a concept's
characteristics.
PG.07

WILLOUGHBYS
INTRODUCTION to concept
A design usually begins with an inspiration, a
moment where thoughts and feelings converge
upon a specific problem. As we become inspired,
a concept about the problem at hand usually
takes shape (I believe it will inevitably if a person
is creative). Concepts can be visual and ideal
either way, a concept should serve to inspire the
representational act of design. Our inspirations must
coalesce into simple concepts about a more complex
problem. Determining a concept is part of the initial
phase of developing a solution to a design problem.
Inspiration is never immediateit is continuous. A
concept is an unfolding of possibilitiesa mental
conversation about what is a good, coherent, and
appropriate solution. A concept crystallizes from our
critical thinking when considering the contextual data
associated with the problem at hand: program, site,
a clients aspirations, and a world of other concrete
and abstract considerations. A good designer
mistrusts their first inspiration and pursues the
problem further, exploring the full extent of whats
possible before narrowing in on a single concept.
A concept is an initial synthesis of various elements
of a design. A concept sets forth a comprehensive
approach for further design development, leading to
something real. In some ways, a concept is the not
yet materialized essence to a design circumstance.
A concept is a way by which we as designers
draw order to the diverse decisions that must be
made throughout the course of design. A concept
is a coherent statement that coalesces the varied
impressions we feel about a particular building
program into one idea. Establishing a concept
is the initial step for expressing an idea through
architectureand to be a work of architecture, it
must be expressive.

If a concept serves as the essence of a design where

all the parts serve that essence, then nothing in the
composition should appear accidental. A design
where the removal of any element would disturb
its overall composition works when all parts serve
a coherent and appropriate intent. Thus a concept
is essentially an abstract image, a thing (reasoned
or imagined) that draws forth coherence and order
where none existed before; it is a realization we
have (sometimes visual, sometimes verbal; usually
both) about inseparable characteristics in a design.
(adapted from my 1999 paper On Parti)

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YOU JUST CANT COUNT ON THE HARD WORK

OF SOME PEOPLE CAN YOU?
FILLING OUT ONE SIDE OF THE CARD AND NOT
THE OTHER, HOW DARE THEY?!?

THEYRE LUCKY THESE NOTECARDS ARE

ANONYMOUS.

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STUDENTS
CONCLUSION to concept cards

THE FRESHMANS GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURE

There seems to be a general misunderstanding of
concept present in todays architecture students.
Some seem to think that since a concept is purely
verbal, they can ignore it. Sometime concepts are
put off until the end of projects and then the student
ends up with a project riddled with ambiguity. This
is not desirable. It is a feeling that Ive though out,
that the best buildings are the ones that you can
sink your teeth into. Anyone can go into rhino or
cad with the intent of creating a trendy building or
a sexy form, but at the end of the day your mind
starts to wonder: What am I leaving the viewer or
occupant with? If it is just a nice visual then you
can dive head-first into the sea of anonymity that
is the Architectural world of today. People always
enjoy the thought of a building just as much as (if
not more than) the visual aspect of it. They like
having something to let thier minds run loose on
at the end of the night. One student when filling
out the notecard that the concept, an. . . idea that
dictates the essential form of the building. I agree
very little with this statement. It seems that the
most shallow buildings arise out of a embedded and
narrow-minded concern for what the thing looks
like. I recall a great architect and speaker saying
something like, In the beginning I make a concept
and all design is informed by it. I pay no attention
to how it looks, but only to how it functions and how
its functions tie back to the concept. When I finally
finish, then I look at the building. If it is ugly, it is
wrong. The architect should not pay attention to the
form as a thing unto itself. Only if it is an avenue
to explore the concept in a metephorical sense can
it be deemed as a worthy point of focus. I feel the
need to point out that all of these words and ideas
(concept, context, parti, and diagram) are hard to
define without talking about the others. This one
seems to be influenced by the context and informs
the diagram. It goes hand in hand, however, with the
parti. The parti is simply the visual representation
of the concept with attention to other ideas melded
in. So while it represents the concept, it is not the
concept. It is a concept in a diluded form.

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THE VW FACTORY IN DRESDEN BY GUNTER HENN

EMPLOYS AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT WHICH IS TO SAY IT
IS NOT EVIDENT BY LOOKING AT THE BUILDING BUT IS
EMBEDDED IN HOW IT IS UTILIZED. THE CONCEPT FOR
THIS BUILDING IS THE CAR AS ART AND THE BUIILDER
AS ARCHITECT. FOR THIS REASON THE ARCHITECT
CHOSE SLIDING HARDWOOD FLOORS, FLOOR TO
CEILING GLASS WINDOWS, AND USED LARGE GYRATING
MACHINES TO ALLOW THE ARTISTS TO ACCESS THE
CAR FROM ANY ANGLE. THE OWNERS OF THE CAR-TOBE WALK THROUGH THE FACTORY AND CUSOMIZE IT.

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PG.31

LHEMISFRIC, THE DISTINCTIVE EYE-SHAPED

CONSTRUCTION DESIGNED BY SANTIAGO CALATRAVA,
WAS THE FIRST ELEMENT TO BE OPENED TO THE
PUBLIC IN THE CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, IN
APRIL 1998. THE BUILDINGS UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE
COMES ALIVE AS THE LIDS OF THE COLOSSAL EYE OF
KNOWLEDGE OPENS UP TO REVEAL THE FASCINATING
SETTING. THIS REPRESENTS A FORMAL CONCEPT
WHICH IS TO SAY, IT UNDOUBTABLY LOOKS LIKE AN EYE
AND IS POSSIBLY THE EASIEST CONCEPT TO IDENTIFY.
MOST LITERAL FORMAL CONCEPTS ARE DISCOURAGED
DURING SCHOOL AS THEY ARE FAIRLY UNIMAGINATIVE
HOWEVER CALATRAVAS BUILDING IS A SUCCESS.

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PG.33

THE MUSEUM'S DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SERVE

AS AN OBJECT LESSON IN GEHRY'S STYLE AND
METHOD. LIKE MANY OF GEHRY'S OTHER WORKS, IT
HAS A STRUCTURE THAT CONSISTS OF RADICALLY
SCULPTED, ORGANIC CONTOURS. THE BAY AREA OF
BILBAO HAS BEEN BARREN OF SHIPS AND GEHRY
INTENDED TO BRING THEM BACK IN THIS BUILDING. IT
IS REFLECTIVE OF THE SHIPS THAT USED TO SAIL IN
BILDAOS PRIME. ITS BRILLIANTLY POLISHED TITANIUM
PANELS RESEMBLE FISH SCALES, ECHOING THE OTHER
ORGANIC LIFE (AND, IN PARTICULAR, FISH-LIKE) FORMS
THAT RECUR COMMONLY IN GEHRY'S DESIGNS.

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ARCHITECT STEVEN HOLL CHOSE A GATHERING OF

DIFFERENT LIGHTS AS THE GUIDING CONCEPT FOR
THE DESIGN OF THE CHAPEL OF ST. IGNATIUS. THIS
METAPHOR DESCRIBES SEATTLE UNIVERSITYS MISSION
AND IT ALSO REFERS TO ST. IGNATIUS VISION OF THE
SPIRITUAL LIFE AS COMPRISING MANY INTERIOR LIGHTS
AND DARKNESSES, WHICH HE CALLED CONSOLATIONS
AND DESOLATIONS. HOLL CONCEIVED OF THE CHAPEL
AS SEVEN BOTTLES OF LIGHT IN A STONE BOX, WITH
EACH BOTTLE OR VESSEL OF LIGHT CORRESPONDING
TO A FOCAL ASPECT OF CATHOLIC WORSHIP. LIGHT
PASSES THROUGH EACH BOTTLE IN A SPECIFIC AREA
OF THE BUILDING TO DEFINE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL
SPACES WITH POOLS OF CLEAR AND COLORED LIGHT.

THE FRESHMANS GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURE

IT IS ALSO NOTEWORTHY THAT HIS DESIGN CAME IN A

LITTLE OVER BUDGET BUT THE CHURCH, SO MOVED BY
HIS CONCEPT, PUT FORTH THE EXTRA MONEY TO PAY
FOR THIS CHAPEL.
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THE LUDWIG ERHARD HAUS IS A UNUSUAL AND

FUTURISTIC BUILDING LOCATED IN THE BERLIN; IT
HOUSES BOTH THE BERLIN STOCK EXCHANGE AND THE
BERLIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. IT WAS DESIGNED BY
THE ENGLISH ARCHITECT NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW IN 1997.
FIFTEEN TREMENDOUS ARCHES CREATE THE BUILDINGS
SIGNATURE RIBBED STRUCTURE THAT ADAPTS TO
THE SLIGHT CURVE IN THE IRREGULAR PROPERTY
AT ITS BASE. GRIMSHAW SAYS OF IT, WELL OVER A
THOUSAND PEOPLE WOULD WORK IN THE BUILDING AND
THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE PUBLIC WAS VITAL. WE
CREATED A PEDESTRIAN SPINE WHICH LINKED ALL THE
MAIN ACTIVITIES TOGETHER. THE CONFERENCE HALL,
EXHIBITION SPACES, STOCK EXCHANGE, RESTAURANTS,
THE DESIGN CENTRE, THE ENERGY ADVICE CENTRE
COULD ALL BE SEEN FROM THE SPINE.

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THIS BUILDING REPRESENTS MORE OF A STRUCTURAL

CONCEPT, THE 15 COLOSSAL ARCHES RESEMBLING
A RIB CAGE. IN THIS WAY IT ALSO REPRESENTS A
FORMAL CONCEPT. USE OF METAPHOR IN THE WAY
THE ARCHITECT REFERS TO IT AS A PEDESTRIAN
SPINE SUGGESTS THAT EXEMPLIFIES THREE OF THE
FOUR CONCEPT TYPES: FORMAL, STRUCTURAL, AND
PG.41

UNSANGDONG ARCHITECTS WANTED TO MAKE A

BUILDING THAT RESEMBLED THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN
WITH GREEN SPACES AND TERRACES PEPPERING THE
SIDE OF IT. THEY ACHIEVED THIS BY SHIFTING THE
FLOOR PLATES BACK AND FORTH GIVING THE BUILDING
ITS DANCING MOTION.

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THE DANCING HOUSE EXEMPLIFIES THE

TRANSFORMATIVE CONCEPT IN THAT IT WENT FROM
BEING A VERY RIGID HIGHRISE TO A FLUID ONE THROUGH
A PROCESS OF CHANGES. THIS BUILDING ALSO UTILIZES
A FORMAL CONCEPT, THOUGH INADVERTENTLY.
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THE FRESHMANS GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURE

THE OXYGEN HOUSE BY DOUGLAS DARDEN IS

PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF A
CONCEPT RICH PROJECT. THE CONCEPT IS NOT
REALLY ABSTRACT, STRUCTURAL, FORMAL, OR
TRANSFORMATIVE, BUT THE CONCEPT FINDS ITSELF
ENGRAINED IN ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF THE
BUILDING. THE CONCEPT IS A NARRATIVE BETWEEN A
MAN AND HIS TREE. THE BUILDING ITSELF IS SHAPED
LIKE AN TANK AND FEEDS OXYGEN TO HIM. WHEN
HE EXHALES HE CREATES THE CARBON DIOXIDE
NESSECARY TO KEEP THE TREE ALIVE, AND VICE
VERSA. IF HE DIES, SO THEN DOES THE TREE. WHEN
HE DIES THE TREE WILL WHITHER, DECOMPOSE, AND
COLLAPSE ONTO THE BUILDING CREATING HIS TOMB.
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