Alert icon
We're changing our privacy policy. This stuff matters.  Learn more  Dismiss

How to design like an architect

Loading...

Sign in or sign up now!
350,023
Loading...
Alert icon
Sign in or sign up now!
Alert icon
There is no Interactive Transcript.

Uploaded by on Sep 19, 2008

http://howtoarchitect.com/ Hi, Im Doug Patt and this is How to design like an architect. I thought the best way to talk about design would be to create a dream home for someone, but first, lets talk about the design process. An architect, like any design professional draws on a wellspring of information. How we design is based to some extent on what we know. What we know can be based on the school we went to, the books weve read, the magazines we like to look at, where we grew up, our friends and relatives, the occupations weve held and in general, our life experiences. A professor named Edmund Bacon (actually the father of the actor Kevin Bacon) told me something once that I will never forget. He said, Its in the doing that the idea comes. That is, we must sit and work through something before we can find the best way to solve a problem. Solving a design problem is essentially taking what we know and putting it together with that particular challenge. When an architect sits down to problem solve they frequently sketch. Sketching is one of the best ways to work out the solution to a problem. And I believe that its exactly what Edmund Bacon meant when he said its in the doing that the idea comes. Before we design our dream home I need to give you a little insight into one of my favorite architects. Le Corbusier (October 6, 1887 August 27, 1965) was a Swiss born architect, writer and painter among other things. He was well known as a modern architect and for his theories & approach to architecture. Ill save his story for another episode, but would like to reference one of his most well known buildings. The Unite dHabitation in Marseilles France is a very modern looking, long, narrow building that incorporates a number of Corbusiers design principals. The building is set on large concrete pilotis or pillars. It also incorporates a roof garden and sculpture. Although the style is seen as brutalist, it was Corbusier and his teams intention to create more suitable living accommodations for people who lived in congested cities. They did this by stacking narrow two story apartments rather than spreading them out over the landscape. The buildings compact, lifted form was also seen as opening up the ground plane and providing the residents with a place of recreation on the roof. So, keep those things in mind as we look to design our dream home. This is Kelly. Kellys dream home is a house on a cliff overlooking the ocean in California. She loves modern architecture. Now for purposes of time constraints Im only going to design a small portion of the house and Im going to do it quickly. So, It goes without saying that any architect worth their salt should be using a lot more information & spend a lot more time problem solving than Im sharing with you here. Now, I assumed the site was narrow because of the scarcity of build able land in say Laguna Beach, CA. In that case I decided the home would be long and narrow, but tall. Every area has zoning ordinances that would probably affect the height of this building but Im going to ignore them for this exercise. The house will be essentially a four-story window that points directly at the ocean view. Kelly wants to be a counselor so we know there should be some kind of space dedicated to having discussions and being inspired. A cantilevered deck is perfect for this. Now, an architect gets all kinds of useful information when interviewing a client for a job. Kelly's favorite building material is stainless steel so I decided to clad the whole house with it. Kelly also told me she had been born on an Indian reservation so I added this conical shape to the roof. A reference to the traditional American Indian tee pee. And there you have it. I put what I know together with the challenge of creating a dream home. SOME of what I referenced was work by Le Corbusier.

What weve ended up with is a four story building set on pilotis. A home with a roof garden and roof sculpture that doubles as an observation deck. And finally a long narrow building with stacked living accommodations and a breathtaking view. All put together, a dream home for Kelly. So remember. There's no one formula for design & this has simply been one way to get to a quick solution. Thanks for checking out how to design like an architect. Im Doug Patt. If you want me to design your dream home just subscribe to my youtube channel, then send me a message in the connect with section. If I get enough interest maybe Ill pick you & design your dream home in an upcoming episode!

Link to this comment:

Share to:

Top Comments

  • thumps up for kelly

  • @Peterbilt370

    i am 16 ,a girl and i want to be an artcitect.... i thought i was addicted to facebook...now i am addicted to his videos!!!

see all

All Comments (388)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • @hoggg11 changing the centre of gravity will not mean its structurally unsound as youre implying,

  • @Montops The client hires the engineer, in this case the Architect will give the requirements and what they feel best suits the design of the structure, the structural engineer will calculate loadings of all shapes and forms i.e from foundations to the finishes and work out whats best practically and financially for the client, in a very very small microscopic even nut shell. hope this helps

  • WHAT?

    THIS IS NOT ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN IS BASED ON IDEAS FAST, A REAL SOLUTION ARCHITECT TO ANALYZE

  • hi.. I am going to college next year and I haven't decided yet what to study.. I love architecture but I suppose you all know about the huge problem with the unemployment these days.. I do have other talents other than architecture but I've always wanted to do architecture so I don't really know whether I should risk and do architecture or study mathematics.. I'd appreciate it if you could give me some advise on this:)

  • I want to be an architect so bad he has really gave me inspiration and he told me amazing info!

  • @orgasmmakeyahcum lol people change sometimes we don't explain it ourselves but it happens cause our strong character who knows probably you will be an architect....thats a my next step after graphic design!

    I'm 24 a guy and still I haven't graduated but just need the 6th semester and then I'm ready to explore more

  • When do you calculate the load bearing capacities of the materials, or the stress points? Or do you even do that? Do you (or architects in general) hire engineers for that?

  • i will quit my faculty 6 years is a waste of time ....i'l watch those short videos..tnx

View all Comments »
Loading...
0 / 00Unsaved Playlist Return to active list
    1. Your queue is empty. Add videos to your queue using this button:
      or sign in to load a different list.
    Loading...Loading...Saving...
    • Clear all videos from this list
    • Learn more