For example, a simple diagram could support complex HVAC systems or sustainable practices that a student may have proposed for their project that never shows up in any plan, render, section, or drawing. This is a mistake that can be simply corrected with proper diagrams. Sometimes a student’s project may have several very technical details that have been explored and even designed on some level, but it is only spoken about during the verbal presentation. This last set is mainly about conveying possibly highly technical information in a simplified manner. Of course, these should be layers of information that have been in the project solution all along, but this is the opportunity to convey them succinctly while also thoroughly enough to prove the point. So one creates these types of diagrams after there is a solution. I tend to prefer simplified diagrams as my goal for any diagram is to convey the information as quickly as possible. They can be simplified or highly detailed. So they are created over floor plans or sections of the project. The thing about these diagrams is that they are typically based on the final proposed work. It could be about proposed activities or give some ideas about usage schedules or the flow of the masses. They provide information about the various “things” that will happen in the project. They can be programmatic, safety, circulation, volumetric, or any other type of spatially oriented diagram. This means they help explain the proposed project in some way. These are applied once the project is near or at completion. These types of diagrams can vary widely, but they are usually simple in their nature and are not always an indication of the final proposed work. Showing the best representation of your conceptual ideas is critical to success. Often it is a miscommunication of ideas that can cause trouble in the design process. This can also be applied to the world of practice when we speak about clients. So therefore, for the sake of clarity, it needs to be shown. What a student imagines in their mind versus what another person imagines will be most likely different. By this, I simply mean that the ideas should be visible. If a reviewer has to imagine the project in their mind, then the proposal has already “failed,” so to speak. This is when diagrams are essential to understand the proposed project properly. They can be concrete and direct or also extremely abstract and fluid. Conceptual diagrams help someone else understand the intentions and design ideas. So if the words are the only method being used to convey the project concepts, it is often difficult to determine the desired outcome. We want to see things, and that is often how we best understand them. For me, the main goal of any diagram is to provide the most crucial information about the content quickly.Īs architects, we are visual people. Diagrams can be complex or straightforward, 2-Dimensional, 3-Dimensional, or anywhere in between. But I can simply say that it is crucial to the educational presentation of ideas and projects. This may be specific to my school of architecture, as I do not yet participate in other studio reviews at other universities, so I cannot claim this to be a substantial systemic lacking. As I sat through multiple reviews this past week, only one of which was my own studio, I was almost slapped in the face by the overall lack of diagramming that is occurring. The intent of these varies by year level, but I still require them. So I typically make all of my students at every level create some type of diagrams during the semester. While they may not hold a large place within the practice of architecture, they are certainly critical to success in the process of architectural education. After a week full of various studio reviews, I have realized how essential diagrams are to the presentation of one’s architectural ideas.
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