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History of Architecture: Ancient | Medieval | Renaissance | Early Modern | Modern | Post-Modern | Contemporary

Types of modern architecture: Residential | Commercial

Architecture

What does it all mean?

Architecture has to do with the planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambiance that reflect functional, technical, social, environmental, and aesthetic considerations. It requires the creative manipulation and coordination of material, technology, light and shadow. Architecture also encompasses the pragmatic aspects of realizing buildings and structures, including scheduling, cost estimating and construction administration. As documentation produced by architects, typically drawings, plans and technical specifications, architecture defines the structure and/or behavior of a building or any other kind of system that is to be or has been constructed.

How to Architect?

[I highly recommend the How to Architect series on Youtube if you are interested in architecture. We'll be using this series as a sort of a textbook during the architecture unit over your 2 years of Design Technology.

"Architecture" can mean:

• A general term to describe buildings and other physical structures.

• The art and science of designing and erecting buildings and other physical structures.

• The style and method of design and construction of buildings and other physical structures.

• The practice of the architect, where architecture means the offering or rendering of professional services in connection with the design and construction of buildings, or built environments.

• The design activity of the architect, from the macro-level (urban design, landscape architecture) to the micro-level (construction details and furniture).

• The term "architecture" has been adopted to describe the activity of designing any kind of system, and is commonly used in describing information technology.

There are many types of architecture which have evolved over time. Architects typically classify them as ancient, medieval, renaissance, early modern, modern, and post-modern.

Commonly thought to be between the 15th century to the industrial revolution, renaissance architecture is characterized by adoption of symmetry roman features, but utilized in traditionally non-roman buildings/structures. Because of advances in mathematics, stonemasons and architects were now able to incorporate older roman features such features as arches, vaults, domes and columns in increasingly ornate and complex ways.

High renaissance architecture appears strongly in Italy and weakens in its influence towards the extremities of Europe. Interestingly, some elements of renaissance architecture make their way into a variety of non-renaissance buildings such as Russian cathedrals, the Capitol Building in Washington DC. More recognizable buildings here in Ottawa (Note, the Parliament buildings, designed by Thomas Fuller actually represent a Victorian gothic throwback) like the Parliament buildings and the Chateau Laurierwhile not entirely "renaissance architecture", display a lot of those features. Look carefully and you'll see overly complex arches and vaults.

For example, the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Guggenheim in NY in spirals such that it was easier for the public to more easily see the artwork therein.

In the late 1970's there was a revival of interest in the ornamentation of buildings after the 'harsh' modern movement of the early 20th century. The buildings themselves became the ornamentation in many cases. Non-orthagonal angles are often used and form is used for form's sakes, not for functionality. Seen at right is the Scottish Parliament opened in 2004. Below is the Neue Staatsgalerie (New State Gallery) in Strassburg, Gernamy. Note in the Staatsgalerie that the walls aren't vertical, nor is there obvious function to the curvature to the wall.

Describes the architecture of today. There are so many fractured components to it that it is hard to categorize any handful of elements as being contemporary by themselves. Typically architects have opted to move away from having building elements that glorify the element, rather than having functionality, but that is all that can be said about it in general.

Examples of contemporary architecture include:

The two main disciplines of architecture are residential and commercial. Residential architects aim to design a space that provides the homeowner a place in their community while at the same time making a statement about the homeowner themselves. Classic residential designs include:

Residential Architectural Design

The residential design process begins with the architect and continues with the interior designer. The architect must ensure the safety and integrity of the home, its conformity to building codes from basement depth to stair tread height, and the correct functioning of its infrastructure from plumbing to electricity. The interior designer provides the textures and colors of the space to create a safe, comfortable and harmonious living environment. Both the architect and the interior designer can also work directly with clients who purchase a custom-built home to develop a truly unique living environment. They in turn must build a working relationship with engineers, building contractors and construction trades people who will turn their designs into real, livable, functional spaces.

Commercial Architectural Design

Commercial design is not unlike residential design in that you are designing for a client that has specific needs. Fundamentally commercial architects perform many of the same tasks as the residential architect. However, their responsibilities are increased many-fold by the size of the building envelope, its location and the myriad infrastructure services it must provide to the tenants. A commercial office tower may look like a condominium, but it has significantly different infrastructure needs, such as passenger and freight elevators, loading docks, washrooms, meeting rooms, cafeterias, and parking garages, among many others. Only after all these are in place does the commercial interior designer join the team. Commercial architects must also work with engineers and trades specialists on factory construction, meeting needs for security, safety and cleanliness to the point of sterility, in addition to all the issues mentioned above.

We will examine Commercial Design in much more detail in Grade 12.

Things to consider when designing a residential single-family house:

Step 1) Client interview & site considerations

- What type of house (1, 1.5, 2, split)

• • Mobility

  • Traffic circulation - how you want flow between bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, family area

  • home business considerations

- Site consideration (both on the lot and as a part of the larger community)

• Cost and restrictions (deed/title/liens/easements/restrictions)

• Zoning and codes (type of building, single family, multifamily, how tall, how far from road).

• Topographic features (rock in ground, relief) determine lot layout.

Disadvantages:

• Impinging ceiling on 2nd floor - any space under 5' in height is not considered to be living space.

• Not suitable for the elderly. Often 1 1/2 story homes have steep switchback stairs.

• If dormers are present, they increase the cost associated with roofing.

Disadvantages:

• Exterior maintenance is more costly.

• 2 stories means staircases.....which are a drawback for elderly or the infirm.

• basement is smaller than the equivalent area ranch home.

• laundry facilities are usually in the basement, which means that laundry must ascend/decent 2 flights of stairs.

• In the case of emergencies, you may have to exit a 2nd story to the ground.

- Shows location and orientation of house on site.

- Shows survey lines

- Shows topographic features as well as lot size/dimension.

- Shows setbacks for construction as well as municipal or residential infrastructure (e.g. well locations, gas pipes, septic/sewer)

- Shows any large landscape features

- Scale can be anywhere from 1:80 to 1:800

- Compass "rose"

The big question is where do you start in an architectural design? First off, you think of who it is for. Next ask yourself what does it need to accomplish. Finally, you look at how you're going to get there. To that end, start your plan with a bubble diagram.

Bubble Diagrams

Bubble diagrams are free flowing concepts to help you start getting ideas for your design. You can represent ALL aspects of a design with a bubble diagram from the site plan, to the building itself.

Begin by taking your base floor plan and laying your tracing paper over the top of it. Keep your site programming and any notes and photographs you've taken handy as you may want to reference them throughout the process.

To start designing you begin with a “bubble diagram”. This bubble diagram defines spaces within the base plan. Later on, these spaces will be further developed to include specific rooms, circulation, and designated spaces. Start by sketching various shapes and sizes of bubbles. These bubbles represent areas within the base plan. But by using this freehand type drawing you are free to be creative and not confined to any specific elements. This is the time to have fun with the design process

Bubbles can represent different areas, and any other amenities you would like to have in your building. This diagram will provide a general organizational structure for a design. It is similar in effect to what an outline is for a written report. Remember, you are not concerned about specifics at this time, but rather overall design concepts. This is a creative function; don’t over think the process; just put your pencil to paper and start drawing circles, ovals, etc. and get some ideas flowing.

These diagrams are very critical to the overall design process. The reasoning behind doing several bubble diagrams is that they encourage you as a designer to explore various design solutions. This is an excellent time to experiment with overall shapes and decide things such as whether you want the design to be formal or informal. One common mistake people make is to get too specific while drawing the “bubble” diagrams. Getting too specific too soon makes you forget that there are other design possibilities available for the design.

As you are playing with your design, label your “bubble areas”. If you like, use colored pencils to distinguish your different areas. Compare the various sizes of your “bubbles” to make sure your areas are proportional. It is important to keep the appropriate scale of features and areas as you will transfer these ideas over to your final drawing.

Interior Home Planning

Home Zones

The home is generally divided into three areas or zones:

1. The public or living zone would include the entry hall, living room and/or family room, dining room, and perhaps the kitchen if family and friends tend to gather there. This area requires more natural light so is best placed to receive such.

2. The working zone would include the laundry and utility room, kitchen, and perhaps garage. This area requires more artificial light, more plumbing, and more storage space.

3. The sleeping zone would, of course, include the bedrooms and bath areas. It is important to separate this quiet zone from the public and working zones.

The first step in planning the interior of the home is to determine the amount of space needed for each of the areas above. More detail on space requirements will be covered under the study of floor plans.

Secondly arrange these areas in different ways within the basic rectangular shape plan. With each different arrangement analyze each room with regard to windows and doors, light requirements, and how it will relate to other rooms in the floor plan

Third – remember that any home plan must incorporate compromises, but these can often be used to an advantage in another respect such as a noise buffer.

Room Layout and Traffic Flow

Traffic flow through the home should be as easy and simple as possible. Centrally located entryways and stairs help in simplifying overall traffic flow. Traffic flow within individual rooms should reflect this simplicity. Consider each room carefully with regard to functionality.

Note: Much more planning and detail should be given to room layout and traffic flow once the basic floor plan is established.

Some notes to traffic flow:

• The distance from the garage to the kitchen is direct and short.

• The foyer is centrally located and convenient to all parts of the house.

• All bedrooms are close to a bath.

• Few rooms have traffic planned through them.

• Pay attention to space relationships. Dining room in relation to kitchen).

• Try to separate the living room from the kitchen if there is a family room.

• It is usually advisable to locate the laundry near the kitchen so you can do laundry while working or relaxing in the kitchen.

• In recent years it has become quite common to locate the laundry on the second floor, near the bedrooms.

• There should be a closet near all entry doors.

Block Diagram

A block diagram is nothing more than a refinement of the bubble diagram. In the bubble diagram the intention is simply to outline the areas you want in a home, then show their inter-connectedness. Positioning isn't critical in a bubble diagram.

Conversely - in a block diagram, positioning becomes important. Room sizes and relative locations are put down on paper. Inter-connectedness is brought over from the bubble diagram.

The block diagram however still doesn't show furnishings, door positions (though roughly), or interior/exterior walls.

The block diagram SHOULD however show rough room sizes (not listed on the image below) and connectedness

Closet

- All rooms to be considered to be bedrooms must have a closet. It must have at least 4 linear feet of rod for a male or 6 ft. of linear rod for a woman.

- If a bedroom room has 3 outside walls for some reason, one wall should be taken for closet to minimize breezes.

- Closet doors can be standard, sliding, bifold, pocket or accordion depending on appearance desires and space constraints.

Windows/doors

- Wide short windows (called ribbon) may be desirable if windows are on ground level if privacy is an issue.

- 2 windows are ideal, but breezes should not cross the bed area.

- Doors should swing into the bedroom and typically be located in corners of the room to maximize wallspace.

- Again, doors can be standard, sliding or pocket depending on space considerations.

Kitchen

- plugs mounted in kitchen must be GFCI

- no code for size, but typically no less than 75 sq. ft.with the average creeping higher as kitchens become increasingly centers of guest entertainment and focal points in the house

- account for traffic flow and the 'golden triangle' of kitchen design (stove/sink[counter]/refrigerator)

• Each leg of the triangle should be between 4 and 9 feet

• The total of all three legs should be between 12 and 26 feet

• No obstructions (cabinets, islands, etc.) should intersect a leg of the work triangle

• Household traffic should not flow through the work triangle

Bathrooms

- Often designs for houses will indicate the minimum number of baths needed, but the rule of thumb is that you need at least 1 ½ baths for a 2 story house. (full bath means tub/shower, ½ bath are toilet/sink)

- Splits are considered to need the same as 2 story houses, as are large ranches (often ranches should have 2 full to accommodate the potential large footprint).

- ¾ occur and are shower, toilet, sink

- locating plumbing pathways near to each other minimizes cost.

- Minimum size of bathroom is about 5’x8’ where a large bathroom is >10’10’

- It must have ventilation & GFCI’s by code.

Living Rooms

- It should be a functional part of the home, but at the same time be beautiful and charming.

- Average sized is about 250 sq. ft.

- Natural traffic patterns in the house should not pass through the living room.

- Furnishing and orientations should reflect use (e.g. tv or not)

Windows and doors

- living rooms should be oriented for comfort and energy (e.g. good sun exposure in northern climates, northern exposure in southern climates)

- décor should be used to reflect and complement the existing natural materials and hide flaws or weak aspects to the room.

- If space provides it, separate TV viewing area from living room (2 separate rooms).

Dining Rooms

- plans include open or closed (an area vs. a room)

- temporary screens or partitions may be used if you are looking for a closed feel in an open room.

- Sizes are in the order of 120 sq.ft. For seating for 4 with a buffet. 12'x15' for 6-8 people while 14x18' for more.

- Typical furnishing includes table, chairs, buffet, china closet and some sort of server or cart.

- Outdoor vantage points are considered desirable.

- 32” of space between table and chairs are considered to be optimal for wheelchairs.

Location and decor

- located near to the family room as well as proximity to the kitchen to allow natural movement.

- Décor and lighting reflect a happy environment. Colour schemes are important.

Comparative House Areas

• Small 800-1400 sq. ft.

• Medium 1500-2200 sq. ft.

• Large 2500-4000 sq. ft.

Bathroom Sizes

• Small 9’-0” x 6’-0”

• Medium 11’-0” x 7’-0”

• Large 14’-0” x 9’-0”

Washroom Sizes

• Small 6’-6 x 3’-0”

• Medium 7’-0” x 5’-0”

• Large 9’-0” x 6’-0”

Powder rooms can be 4 x 4½ ft.

Major Room sizes

Bedroom

• Small 8’-0” x 10’-0”

• Medium 12’-0” x 12’-0”

• Large 12’-0” x 16’-0”

Bedrooms - minimum 100 sq. ft. - recommended 125 sq. ft. with at least a 4 foot closet 2 ft deep - recommended 6 to 8 ft . Placing a closet on the interior wall will provide a noise barrier between rooms. (Larger closets are very desirable.)

Living Room

• Small 10’-0” x 12’-0”

• Medium 14’-0” x 20’-0”

• Large 18’-0” x 28’-0”

Dining Room

• Small 9’-0” x 11’-0”

• Medium 12’-0” x 14’-0”

• Large 14’-0” x 20’-0”

Living Room - minimum 150 sq. ft. - recommended 250 sq. ft.

Dining Room - minimum 120 sq. ft.

Family Room - minimum 220 sq. ft.

When determining the size of any of the main rooms of the house, it is important to consider standard widths of floor covering in order to avoid purchasing extra lengths of costly materials. Most floor covering materials are 12’-0” in width.

Elevation sketches should also include items such as rough landscape features as well as trees/shrubs (below left).The sketch may also include hints of cladding (what the finished exterior will look like) as well as shading effects (below right)

- shows foundation size and material.

- Give info. Relating to drainage, excavation, supporting structures (I beams, floor support etc…)

- Could include basement info. If applicable.

- Foundation plans show joists (usually 12" or 16" centers) supported by beams (usually 3 laminated 2"x10" but you'd have to look at span tables to find out the specifics for the space). Beams then are supported by posts (which for the purposes of this course can be spaced at roughly 15' spacing, but again, would be determined by span tables).

- Supporting posts are poured concrete pads (typically 1'x1') - seen at far right supporting the porch posts in the diagram below.

Relevant dimensions for designing houses:

Door openings: 30"x80"

Window openings: usually no smaller than 24"

Kitchen:

• counter top heights: 36" above ground x 24" depth, 8" toe kick space

• stove/fridge 24" - 36" depth (24" typical)

Wall thickness's:

• interior - 2x4 framing which means 3.5 inches. Drywall is about 4" (actually closer to 4 1/8")

• exterior

  • foundation

    • 8" concrete - footing extends an additional 6" to 8"

  • ground floor

    • 2x6 or 2x8 framing which means 5.5 inches or 7.5 inches thick

  • cladding

    • vinyl siding is 3/4" finished

    • brick 1" air space - brick thickness is 2.5"

      • cultured stone varies between 2"-6"

      • stacked stone dry varies between 1"-5"

      • wood - no air space, wood typically 3/4"

Notes about relevant dimensions:

Bathroom Equipment

• Bathtubs 5’-0” or 6’-0 x 2’-10”

• Shower Cabinet 3’-0” x 3’-0”

• Toilets 20” wide

• Vanities 17’-22” deep

• Space Allowance (Minimum)

• Edge of Bath and Other Fixtures 2’-10”

• Center of sink or mirror to sidewall 18”

• Center of toilet to sidewall 15”

show detail of house walls or floors or roofs.

Bed

• Single 36 3/4” x 76”

• Double 54” x 76”

• Queen 60” x 85”

• King 73” x 85”

Dresser

• Small 46” x 15 1/2” Night Tables 24” x 15”

• Large 65” x 18” Desk 49” x 18”

Drawer Cabinets

• Small 24” x 16”

• Large 35” x 19”