Clic The Technology

Archive for the ‘Backgrounding’ Category

The forces of nature are ever changing, and an architecture that responds
to these forces with intelligence will exhibit “purposeful differentiation.” The resulting forms and surfaces will not be the same on all orientations and will usually have the property of variation over time built into them. This may be as simple as an adjustable sunshade or louver or as intriguing as a material that changes its properties over time in response to heat, radiation, or air pressure.

Some architects have expressed the opinion that sustainable or green architecture inherently results in a recognizable style or aesthetic and
either limits or contradicts their personal expressive tendencies. However, many basic environmentally sensitive design decisions, such as building orientation and massing, are independent of style. Many others, such as shading, can be dealt with expressively through exterior features or subtly through glazing technology. Even the selection of products for their environmental characteristics has become much easier and less limiting over time.

Designs will be layered because there are multiple issues to be resolved in responding to and using to maximum advantage the environmental forces of solar radiation, air motion, temperature, humidity, precipitation, and light. No single material or detail can heat and insulate a passive solar building, generate power, collect and recycle water, and provide natural ventilation as needed. Responding to variable climatic forces almost invariably leads to solutions that are not singular and are not fixed.

Designing buildings involves consideration of a potentially enormous number of factors; each weighted differently, and of course artfully integrated, according to the project. Those factors deemed relevant must be explicitly determined and addressed from project inception. While teamwork and collaborative effort have been stressed, the architect is still the leader. The architect’s conceptions must remain true, without undue compromising. It is in the development of those conceptions where input from and management of consultants reinforces, informs, or in some cases establishes the means for implementation. That is why it is so important for architects to have a broad knowledge base. The architect is the direct liaison to the client; in most situations, he or she alone has the opportunity and privilege of learning about the client’s issues—often in a personal manner—and has the ultimate responsibility for translating these issues to an architectural solution. All architects view collaboration as an essential part of the design process; some regard concept development as collaborative, while others see collective effort as diluting the strength of a solution in some instances. The way in which consultants (and colleagues, for that matter) are worked into the design process is part of the architect’s personal philosophy. Just as there is no single right way to create a concept, it must be clearly and absolutely stated that there is no disputing the value and importance of consultants’ participation during the design process.