10 Types of Architectural Concept
Nov 13, 2024
Category: Others
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Extensive knowledge of architectural concepts is crucial for an architect to build extraordinary structures. However, it is a challenging art. Developing architectural concepts for design is a challenge for many people, especially students. While there is no right or wrong way to approach the assignment, it takes work.
Many architects are yet to fully develop their concepts due to the process’s challenges and a lack of creativity. It is crucial to create architectural concepts that best suit the requirements and site environment of the design.
In this article, we will explore the different types of architectural ideas that architects employ to craft remarkable and functional designs.
What is Architectural Concept?
A building’s or design’s architectural concept is its overarching idea or vision. Everything about a structure, from its appearance to its functionality, is dictated by its creative plan. Imagine it as the project’s master plan; it dictates the overall aesthetic, structure, and goal.
One idea can be to build a place that encourages people to meet and talk to one anv other, while another can be to combine modern and natural elements. Incorporating these ideas into their plans, architects ensure that the building is more than simply a structure; it is an artistic creation with a function. The adoption of BIM technology facilitates bringing these concepts to life.
10 Types of Architectural Concepts
Contextual Harmony
Building in Frame – Dancing House | Frank Gehry
Contextual harmony is a type of architecture that has influence of local culture and history. This design has a unique identity and sense of belonging to a particular place.
For example, the Dancing House is one of Prague’s most iconic structures. The structure has a distinctive sensation of movement since its core pillars stand in for dance partners. Another example is Buckingham Place in London depicts the history and culture of England through its architecture.
Form Follows Function
Building in Frame – Guggenheim Museum | Frank Lloyd Wright
Form follows function is an architectural concept that emphasizes determining a building’s shape through its function. In other words, one should design a building considering the purpose it will serve, instead of focusing on aesthetics.
Louis Sullivan made this term popular, who set the benchmark for modernist architects. Many architects follow this architectural concept. However, according to Frank Lloyd Wright, form and function can be combined.
Building in Frame – Guggenheim Museum Inside View | Frank Lloyd Wright
The form of Wright’s Guggenheim Museum is a spiral. After taking the elevator to the summit, visitors descend the lengthy, uninterrupted slope that passes the enormous collection of contemporary art.
View
Arch Concept – View
A building’s indoor and outdoor views can offer a better perspective on its form, interiors, and exteriors. This architectural concept focuses on offering the outside view to actively connect the occupants with the surroundings.
Views within or towards a structure should gather our attention. Inside views of a building might influence the placement and arrangement of the private areas.
Harmonizing Light and Space
Building in Frame – 13/4 Farm House | Very Studio / Che Wang Architects
Light, especially daylight significantly affects architectural spaces. This architectural concept defines that light is not merely a utilitarian component, it is a crucial design tool that creates atmosphere, forms environments, and stirs emotions.
Architects incorporate natural and artificial lights to create engaging and dynamic spaces. You can find adaptive and smart lighting systems that ensure energy efficiency and complement a space well.
Circulation or Movement
Building in Frame – National War Memorial | Yogesh Chandrahasan
The spatial configuration and vice versa strike circulation. The main focus of circulation is how people move around the area and engage with one another.
It includes the site’s entry and exit, the building’s access, and the moving paths inside the structure, both vertical and horizontal. Circulation is among the most widely used architectural concepts in museums and galleries.
The Site
A project site offers the architects an excellent opportunity to develop architectural concepts. Monitoring a site’s physical attributes can help you consider hurdles such as a tree, rugged rock, or uneven terrain. You can use or remove all such physical features of the site to build an aesthetically pleasing and functional structure.
Undiluted terrains, water features, greenery, and commanding heights, etc. are the elements architects like to leverage to create a masterpiece of a design.
Biomimicry
Building in Frame – Lotus Temple | Fariborz Sahba
Nature has always inspired architects to create architectural marvels. Studying nature’s forms, structures and systems is the key to learning how durability is the most sustainable element.
Delving into biomimicry is essential to discover that it offers flexible and environment-friendly solutions. For example, termite mounds have inspired self-cooling buildings and leaves guided architects to create self-shading facades.
Biophilic
Building in Frame – Fallingwater | Frank Lloyd Wright
The biophilic concept encourages designs that connect people with nature. Adding various natural elements such as water features, plants, natural light, and terrain can be enriching for a building.
Embracing the natural landscape surrounding a site offers the opportunity to create a sustainable structure. Do not confuse the biophilic concept with biomimicry as exploring biophilic design will help you learn that it offers direct and indirect experience of nature.
Sensory
Building in Frame – Vertical Panorama Pavilion | Sebastian Behmann
Another architectural concept on our list is sensory design. This new type of design has gained the attention of architects as well as users. They have learned the ways senses affect architecture.
This concept emphasizes that a building is more than a form and function. A spatial experience is formed through the smells, views, and textures it has.
For example, Vertical Panorama Pavilion. Another example is people use wood as a building material in colder climates. On the flip side, people living in warmer areas use concrete to build structures.
Vernacular
Building in Frame – Green School | IBUKU
You may get the notion of some old place while shedding light on vernacular architecture. However, existing buildings and materials inspire modern architects to develop architectural concepts.
Vernacular architecture encourages the use of locally available construction materials such as wood, bamboo, huge rocks and mud, etc. Hence, this type of architecture is still popular among architects.
How to Develop an Architectural Concept?
Study Client’s Project Brief
The first step towards developing an architectural concept is to analyze the client’s requirements and budget. A client may have several types of concepts in mind or might not be sure of their needs.
Guide the client in the right direction to choose a design that suits his/her vision.
Analyze the Site
Visiting or monitoring a construction site is crucial to developing an architectural concept that aligns with the client’s requirements. Analyze the site thoroughly from above, below, and adjacent. Focus on the climate, winds, orientation, views, various seasons, use, history and context, etc.
Learn about the density of an area, vegetation, or whether the locality is still being developed. A visit to the site can help you sketch to allocate the spaces considering the factors mentioned above. This way, you can build a structure that harmonizes with nature, and government regulations and also fulfills the client’s needs.
Assess Building Typology
To successfully develop an architectural concept, think about the type of building you are designing. Is it a mansion, duplex house, an apartment, or a studio apartment? You may have to work with unfamiliar typologies.
In such a case, conduct thorough research on precedents and leverage that data as an underlying framework to come up with a program and a launch point for the concept.
Take a look at the precedents from your last projects to discover ways to take advantage of the strengths and constraints of a space.
Consider User Experience
In the next step, reflect on how the client might want to live in the home, how they may want to use outer space, and what can be their way to welcoming guests. Understanding such things will help you determine the spaces building will contain and create the circulation pathways.
Create Sketches
A client might have lots of expectations from you to create an exceptional design. Hence, as the first step of this step, present loose sketches to let the client know how each area of the house will look like.
Create multiple designs and present the best of them to the client to make a choice.
Conclusion
Thus, ultimately, it is very important to be open-minded and not be scared to try anything new! You have just begun your trip, and the more designs you create, the more you will comprehend architectural concepts.
Keep in mind all the concepts we have mentioned above to improve your subject and creativity. Never stop trying new things throughout life and achieve all your goals in this field.
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TechnoStruct Academy is the educational arm of TechnoStruct, LLC, a registered design engineering firm based in California. It offers specialized BIM training programs for architecture, MEP, and BIM Management.
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FAQs
Q1. What is an architectural concept?
Ans. An architectural concept is a vision that helps AEC experts imagine how a building will function and look. Considering materials, site, weather, client’s budget and requirements, etc. play a pivotal role in the development of these concepts.
Q2. How many concepts are there in architecture?
Ans. Here are some of the major architectural concepts: Contextual harmony, form follows function, view, harmonizing light and space, circulation or movement, the site, biomimicry, biophilic, sensory, and vernacular.
Q3. How to develop architecture concepts?
Ans. Study the client’s project brief, analyze the site, assess building typology, consider user experience, and create sketches to come up with architectural concepts.
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