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preface Architectural Design Portable Handbook is primar-ily intended to assist professionals in creating excellent designs, particularly in the early phases ofprojects. This highly focused tool offers explicitguidance on how to view, attack, or accomplish specific tasks to facilitate optimal design solutions.The book also promotes critical reflection aboutthe meaning of architecture beyond function andbudget—although those issues are carefully analyzedas well; theoretical and practical concerns are intertwined. This is achieved without excessive ideological narrowness or zeal, so that practitioners (andadvanced students) with diverse backgrounds anddegrees of experience will embrace the book andbenefit more fully from its use.As with any of the great professions, valuablecontinuing education in architectural design mustrest upon a foundation of specialized knowledge,acquisition of focused skills, systematic development of talent, and practice. Architectural DesignPortable Handbook should augment this foundationand at least serve to bridge the various componentsinvolved in making sense of ongoing progress inarchitecture.Approaches to various aspects of the designprocess are illuminated in supplements contributedby nationally recognized academicians and practitioners in their respective areas of expertise. Thecollective effort provides capsules of wisdom andenlivens the text with energy, pragmatism, and idealism. The result is a rich and varied mixture ofinspirational, provocative, and at times even contradictory statements—all geared toward infusing acreative spirit within the controversial realm ofmeaningful design. I have specifically solicited,linked, and interpreted the material with a singlexiiiCopyright 2001 by Andy Pressman. Click Here for Terms of Use.

voice and perspective in what I consider a rational conception of practicing architecture.Topic coverage is tailored to the needs of workingarchitects. Practitioners will find the bulleted summarylists and blank sketch pages—a sort of personal sketchbook on steroids—especially helpful when thinking aboutprojects on an airplane, in the office, or while waiting fora client.Key elements include: Critical thinking in architectural designInfluence of the vernacularOrchestrating client involvementArchitecture and sustainabilityExamples of site influences on designAesthetic issues, organizing elements, and brainstorming tipsDaylightingBuilding codes and universal designComputing, drawing, and physical modelingStructures, mechanical systems, lighting, andacousticsMaterials, tectonics, construction, and systems integrationConceptual design cost estimatingPresentations and engaging the clientTime managementProfessional development, internship, and theArchitect Registration Examination (ARE)Demarginalizing practice, ethics, and awardsFinally, I hope Architectural Design Portable Handbooksuggests something about the impact of our profession.Our collective professional morale and our very passionfor the work of architecture have likely suffered in recenttimes. With ever increasing economic pressures, togetherwith the seemingly ever present confusion about whatarchitecture is or should be, it is clear to me that recogni-xiv

tion and discussion of genuine architectural achievementcan only be positive. At its grandest, architecture (andarchitects) can have enduring effects on society. At itsmost mundane, architecture can have an influence on thequality of a day—and, to paraphrase Thoreau, that maybe the highest of arts. I trust that this book has marshaledsufficient evidence to support these assertions and remindus of the really noble possibilities intrinsic to the profession.In sum, Architectural Design Portable Handbookattempts to unravel some of the mystery of creating themost beautiful, responsive, and responsible architecturaldesign possible.Andy PressmanAlbuquerque, New MexicoJanuary 2001xv

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acknowledgments Wendy Lochner, Edward Allen, and Norman Rosenfeld, for recognizing the value of theundertaking.Amanda Miller, for unconditional support.Iris Slikerman, Aldo Coppelli, and BobDeschamps, for graphic wisdom and insight.Marlene Stutzman, for keen editorial advice andguidance.Peter Pressman and Eleanor Pressman, as always.The many contributors to this book, who, over along period of time or just recently, have helpedshape my constantly evolving views about architectural design. I’m especially grateful to thisgifted, unique, and generous group of individuals, whose expertise dramatically enriches thecontent herein.xviiCopyright 2001 by Andy Pressman. Click Here for Terms of Use.

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chapter 1Inspiration“A journey of athousand miles mustbegin witha single step.”—Lao-tzuArchitectural Design Portable HandbookCopyright 2001 by Andy Pressman. Click Here for Terms of Use.1

Inspiration This initial chapter must begin with a general caveat regard-ing the presentation of material throughout the book. At firstglance, the contents may seem to advocate a linear approach tothe design process. My interview with Antoine Predock indicates explicitly why nothing could be further from the truth. Thelinearity inherent in the format of this text may be viewed as anecessary evil; it makes it possible to discuss an ambitious volume of material with some semblance of rationality, organization, and clarity. However, the very essence of this book lies in adeparture from algorithms, easy solutions, and a businesscentered culture. At its most idealistic, perhaps this work willhelp to rekindle the creative fire and the will to be excellent.A note on the patchwork style and content of the contributions: because design is such a daunting and elusive concept, Ihave approached it with a shotgun and without apology. Somemay say that a unitary and even dogmatic approach is the mostilluminating, and I appreciate this line of reasoning. I also disagree with it. I believe that in trying to make practical sense outof such a difficult and multifaceted subject, one should examineit from as many angles and in as many varied lights as possible.Hence, I’ve tried to recruit as many specialists and stars whoexpress themselves in as many different ways as I could find. Ithen tried to weave their input together with mine and place theresult into some accessible, valuable, and I hope generally entertaining fabric. I expect you will find some collective wisdom andeven synergy that may be of real value in your practice of architecture.Kevin Lynch has written that “Design is not restricted togenius, or separate from practicality, or a sudden revelation. Fineplaces develop out of an intimate understanding of form possibility, which has been gained by constantly reframing the problem,by repeatedly searching for solutions.” This book endeavors tocultivate understandings of form possibilities.Architectural design is a blend of good science and genuineart. The way the blending occurs to produce a wonderful building is tempered by intelligence, experience, and sensibility. Ifthere is an algorithm, it is based on a background of standardizedknowledge, discipline, and accepted method, and then the talentkicks in. The Architectural Design Portable Handbook will at leastArchitectural Design Portable Handbook3

Inspirationshore up the background components and allude to ways inwhich method and data can be titrated with talent.This chapter focuses on inspiration and how to amplify talentor that which drives creativity and innovative thinking. Thisincludes curiosity, playfulness, spontaneity, appetite, and acapacity to see—to observe things, people, and behavior in fullcolor and at high resolution. Going against the grain, embracingthe unknown, or looking at life in a manner different than thatof the majority is crucial.Later in this chapter, I elaborate on the mechanisms of peerreview and self-criticism to elevate the quality of preliminarydesigns. Christopher Mead discusses the role of critical thinkingin architectural design. Jean Pike demonstrates how the act ofdrawing allows us to reconnect with the physical world and workwith what is revealed in personal ways. Chris Wilson writesabout how to “search for solutions” through an analysis of thevernacular. Roger Lewis talks about both the appropriate use andthe pitfalls of architectural precedents. Melissa Harris’s comparison of bread baking to designing is pure poetry: take pleasure inthe doing and see each step along the way as a creation in and ofitself. The chapter concludes with a section on time management, so that all this reflection and thinking about design quality doesn’t diminish those billable hours.4Architectural Design Portable Handbook

The Goose Bump FactorA Conversation with Antoine PredockA major component of the “magical” experience of many of AntoinePredock’s buildings is derived from his rigorous and very deep understanding of site and place. Place becomes driver for determining form,materials, spatial qualities, and meaning. (Refer also to Chris Wilson’sSupplement 1.3, later in this chapter, for specific ways to translate thisnotion to physical design. Also, Chapter 3 is dedicated to site and context issues and their influence on form making.)Andy Pressman: I’m asking a number of people to definegood design. My hope is that the diversity of definitions andaccompanying images that embody those definitions will inspirereaders. Why do you think this is such a challenging question?Antoine Predock: I don’t think of my work as purelydesign work. You could take a motorcycle and talk aboutgood design, for example. But to talk about it in relation tomy work is difficult since doing architecture, to me, doesn’tfeel like a design process. Projects coalesce both from rigorous research and pure intuition, at all stages.Pressman: So you can’t really quantify the process. Whatabout the outcome? What is your perception about some of yoursuccessful and beautiful buildings?Predock: I think the best ones embody spirit. Then weget into realms that are difficult to articulate; of not onlyresponses by people who use or see the buildings, but in discussing it with you. There is an emanation from the bestwork; it’s hard to analyze and say, “Hey—I like that designArchitectural Design Portable Handbook5

because it has certain proportional relationships, or it has acompositional imperative.” There is something else that’smore mysterious—I’m sure you’ve felt it—you get goosebumps every now and then from certain buildings. This isthe outcome I hope for, but can’t always predict.Pressman: Hugh Jacobson calls that the “Jesus Christ phenomenon.” When you walk into a space that knocks your socksoff, you say, “Jesus Christ.”Predock: That’s exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a subjective area. I think my best buildings possess that quality.For example, during a special function for Arizona StateUniversity, a woman came up to me and said, “Oh, you’rethe architect who designed the Nelson Fine Arts Center atASU [see Fig. 1.1]. I just want to tell you that when I enterFIGURE 1.1Nelson Fine Arts Center at Arizona State University. (Courtesy ofAntoine Predock Architect.)6Architectural Design Portable Handbook

the place, something happens to me, but I can’t quiteexplain it.”To me, that’s the essence of architecture. When the character of space moves someone, outside the analytic discussion of design work, or sustainability, or the myriad otherelements that can be articulated and quantified, that’sarchitecture. It’s a real mystery to me.Pressman: This mysterious quality is one that elicits emotion—would you say that’s accurate?Predock: Yes; there is an emotional response. Concurrent with that response, however, there can also be a clinical or rational take on a building. I’m not suggesting thatone precludes the other at all. For example, in much of[Louis I.] Kahn’s work, there’s absolutely a goose bump factor—whatever you call it—and simultaneously there’s anorder, a highly rational order that is operative. A mistake forstudents or others is that sometimes there is an assumptionthat the aura can be generated from order, almost by willingit. I don’t think it works that way; process and outcome aremuch more mysterious.Pressman: That aligns with my feelings about teachingdesign—you can’t. You can set forth some of the ingredients tofacilitate good design, but it’s impossible to really teach it. I enjoyyour phrase, “the goose bump factor.” It’s an accurate description of the excitement of being in great architecture.Predock: It leaves us with a difficult discussion becausethe experience is in the eyes and feelings of the beholder.Some buildings move people, some don’t. The discussionthat is not so difficult relates to content and meaning. Forme, content and meaning in architecture arise from a deepsense of belonging somewhere. Attaining that senseArchitectural Design Portable Handbook7

involves pinpointing the spirit of a place and empathizingwith it, and then developing architectural responses to thatunique spirit.Pressman: Much of your process, then, relies on somethingyou said in an interview a long time ago: you’ve got to put yourbutt on the site and hang out for nine months or more.Predock: Either physically or metaphysically, one way orthe other. It’s hard to do that working all over the country asmuch as I do. But that is the point. It’s okay for an older guylike me to talk like this. When I was younger and fishingaround, credibility was an issue because this is a subjectivearea. I hope I’ve built examples of how this works. I thinkthere are buildings that do have some of these qualities. Butfor a student to say, “I just put my butt on the site and kindof felt it, and here it is”—sometimes it wouldn’t be appropriate.Pressman: From whom are you trying to elicit this emotional reaction to your buildings? Is it a typical user? Otherarchitects?Predock: Anybody. Above all, the users, sure.Pressman: So it’s accessible to everyone.Predock: Yes, I don’t think there is a secret code; themessage should be totally accessible, the way great buildingsthrough time move the layperson. In terms of usage changethrough time, the Pantheon is a classic example. Who isn’tmoved by that building? People keep coming back for more.You can call it a church, or pagan temple, or tourist crossroads—doesn’t matter. It just has that “stuff.” You can perhaps dissect it compositionally and examine the oculus andthe way light is admitted, the proportional relationships,8Architectural Design Portable Handbook

and so on, but that falls short. There is another kind of auraabout it.It is the totality; how it all works together. This is precisely why I felt your motivating question, “what is gooddesign?” is so elusive to answer, and even define. Just repeating it here doesn’t do justice to its true meaning, and anyattempt to respond will never approach its awesome promise.You can say, however, that a great building not only hasqualities that move you, but has the capacity to enrich by experiencing many journeys through it: rational journeys of theintellect, choreographic journeys that are very physical, journeys that have to do with the unknown—the unexpectedspatial possibilities that surprise and arrest you. Then there isthe realm of light as animator that shapes and conditionsthese journeys. So, you may begin to inventory the elements.Pressman: The problem with inventorying the elements isthat it suggests a linear path, which of course, it’s not.Predock: That’s true, it’s not. It’s anything but. This pointis one disturbing component of criticism and analysis. Sometimes, for the sake or convenience of rational discourse,thinking tends to become linear. It’s a kind of trap and possibly misleading to the potential viewer or one who wouldexperience the building. By establishing a linear discourse,sometimes a priority is implied because the discourse is linear—what you talk about first, and how the discourse evolves.Pressman: What you’re saying is that it’s impossible to writeabout buildings. Essentially, you must experience them.Predock: Yes, but I sure like to read about them. I’m notsuggesting critics should be out of work. It’s quite importantto convey, critique, and analyze one’s impressions, just as apoet does.Architectural Design Portable Handbook9

Pressman: Do you rely on self-criticism in your own work?Predock: It’s built into the process. I’m highly critical—applying it to myself and to my own work at all times. It’snot like I just design the thing and come back and say,“Oh, okay, how is it?” There seems to be a simultaneity ofcritical thought along with the process of making something.Pressman: In terms of creating the magical qualities, all ofyour ideas, including a good dose of intuition, inform the process.Are you constantly aware that every move you make should havesome sort of dramatic impact?Predock: Every move should have palpable consequences that one can sum up to make the whole building.Drama may be a by-product, but it is not the point.Pressman: Most architects are pretty good at solving thefunctional issues, so the search . . .Predock: Right away, I don’t think you can do that andsay it’s good design. As you suggest, anybody ought to beable to do it—come very close to solving that stuff.Pressman: It’s necessary but not sufficient.Predock: That’s right.Pressman: So the thing to be constantly searching for in theprocess is something that is rather elusive to define.Predock: Architects must transcend the program somehow. Honor it, but at the same time transcend it.Pressman: And look to place for inspiration.10Architectural Design Portable Handbook

Predock: Absolutely! In one area, anyway—for me, a bigarea.Pressman: What are the other areas?Predock: “Place” is the physicality of place—from primordial memory through today. All that to absorb. Thenthere is the conceptual place; there’s cultural place. They alladd up. I think it’s the architect’s, the poet’s job to reinventplace, too. Not just to accept it as it is and say, “Oh yeah, I’mgoing to interpret it.” It is our job, our responsibility to drawout unknown qualities, perhaps those that form the essenceof the place that formerly may not have been understood inthe most complete way.Pressman: That’s one means to arrive at some of the special,magical qualities.Predock: I just watched pieces of the PBS series on NewYork. They kept going to Walt Whitman. And here’s WaltWhitman’s poetry amidst a lot of people trying to describethe place—and Walt Whitman nails it. His New York. Youread it now and it’s as fresh today as it was then. His understanding of its aura, and his ability

sists among many in the profession that design is an almost magical pursuit that defies analysis or ratio-nal discussion. But every architect, from those whose work adorns the magazines each month to those who only read the magazines, can become better at design, and this is what