What is an Architectural Concept?

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Definition

An Architecture concept is an idea that forms the backbone and the foundation of a design project and drives it forward. Architecture concept is the identity and the force behind architectural projects progress and is consistently consulted throughout every stage of its development.

The very first part of the product design process to be developed and realized is the architecture concept. Everything starts with the architectural concept, then a huge amount of variations and outcomes is derived.

It is also one of the only consistent elements that follow a project from beginning to end and remains as important at the start as it is at the finish.

An architectural concept can be described as an: idea, notion, opinion, abstraction, inspiration, thought, image, or plan.

Where do they come from?

Primarily architectural concepts should be generated from the following key areas.

• The Site – climate, orientation, views, access, context, history, site analysis
• Design – client and building requirements, accommodation, and construction budget
• Building typology – Building type and use

Site analysis plays a huge role in the architectural concept generation and development because a good piece of architecture will always be well rooter and relate to its site and context.

How and what do architecture concepts influence?

Architecture concepts will and should influence the whole project, and include the:

• Exterior & interior – form, orientation, massing, apertures, height, light, etc.
• The landscape – arrangement of planting, hard and soft surfaces, types of planting, scale of painting
• Finishes – colors, styles, textures, materials
• Fixtures and fittings – style, genre, scale, amount, material
• Structure – light, heavy, traditional, modern, vernacular
• Materials – hard or soft, weathering, types, colors, styles, locally sourced, vernaculars

Concept is where each aspect of a project is derived and driven; this could be a singular global conceptual approach for the whole project, or individual conceptual approaches applied to each aspect.

Why generate an architecture concept?

An architecture concept is a type of rule book, it gives the architect or designer a clear direction and framework when making design decisions.

The concept is used to provide a solution within its own parameters to maintain the clarity of the design intent whenever there is a question to be answered or a decision to be made.

Without an architecture concept, the architect could branch off into never-ending directions, which will only hinder the architecture’s legitimacy. In academic and professional terms, the difference between a successful project and an average one is judged by the strength of its concept and whether its clarity remained and was kept consistent throughout.