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The early drawings that are prepared before the plan is produced are called as, design drawings, preliminary drawings, presentation drawings, schematic design drawings or design drawings.
The design drawings that are done for the sole purpose of conveying the design are called as schematic design drawings with the objective of
- Coming up with a feasible design solution to the owner / client needs
- Presenting the design in a manner that is easily understood by the owner / client
- Getting the approval of the owner / client to the proposal
To meet these objectives, the architect explores as many solutions as possible and makes a rough sketch of each. These are later refined and included in the set of drawings.
The objective of design development drawings is to define and describe all important aspects of the project so that all that remains is the formal documentation step of construction.
Figure – 5 Design development drawings
Design development drawings may still be freehand but are more commonly drawn with equipment
To plan a building the designers would have to study the site selected and determine the needs of the occupants and other related activities. The solution to an architectural design problem begins with the general and then moves on to specifics. The first step is the development of a vicinity plan or in general terms determining the borders and identifying the neighbours.
- Preparing a vicinity map
This is done by beginning to study the site and noting the access routes, topography and orientation features. The vicinity should show the proposed building site and the surrounding area and the relationship between the site and its surroundings. The prevailing winds, direction, slopes etc should also be noted
- Access to the Site
One of the first problems to consider is access to the site either only on one side or two sides Eg Corner plot, central plot etc.
- Study the site
Next study the building site. Mark off set backs and then determine if the site is large enough to accommodate either one – storey or multiple storied buildings. The occupants’ needs have to be analysed.
- Orientation Factors
Now examine the factors that will influence the orientation of the building. The effect of neighbouring buildings / feature that may either allow or block wind, sun and view should be considered
- Establishing the scale of the spaces
Each individual space can be drawn to scale so that relative size relationships can be seen. These can be simple rectangular shapes that represent area and not the actual shape of the room. Entries / lobbies / corridors are usually figured in as 15 to 20% of the building area
An examination of these areas enables the designer to realize the relative size of each. The bedrooms and living room may be largest single space. It is helpful to list any other areas needed to support activities in the site like parking, outhouse, motor rooms etc.
- Determine the functional relationships
Now it is necessary to determine the relationships between activities to be housed in the building. This is accomplished with a concept or bubble diagram. Each individual space is represented by a circle or oval. The actual size of these is of no great significance. These will be arranged and rearranged to see how well they fit into the plan without compromising on the functional relationships which are denoted by arrows.
For example the entry has a direct connection to the living room while the dining room needs to be connected to the kitchen and also to the bedrooms. As this diagram is being prepared analyse what activities occur in each space and note the relationships. For example, the dining room may also be used as a study for children which the mother may be required to supervise. Hence this area needs to be near the kitchen and also the bedroom.
- Refine the design
Once the areas needed for activities have been determined and the functional relationships between the major clusters of activities have been established, the design can be refined to show the individual areas needed in each. As the final design is developed one should not forget to check that no needed aspect has been overlooked and also that the relationships between rooms reflects the relationship in he bubble diagram. A fit plan and a block diagram can also be developed before the final floor plan
- Other considerations
As the final plan is being developed other decisions like ceiling heights, structural designs, designs for mechanical systems etc are also made for which a simple perspective or a section may be of help.
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