ARCH 16: Introduction to Architeeture

CHAPTER 9 of Introduction to Architecture

C oncepts i n Ar chite cture

by Tim McGinty

A simple definition of a concept ,.r**.",rffi1). ideas that iritegrate various elements into
awhole-Inthecontextofthistext,t}reseelementstanbJia"u',ffivations.In
a concept suggests a specific way that programmatic requirementi, context, and beliefs can
lrc$Eture
be brought together. Thus, concepts are an important pait of architechriffiGisign 4
This chapter explores the place of concepts in architecbural design, including the five types of
concepts: analogies, metaphors, essences, direct response (and problem sclving), ancl ideals.

Concepts

Concepls do not have to be invented by the architect. Probably the best example of a response to a
concept afrqady stated in the client's program is Le Corbusier,s 6*,* for the Carpenter Center of the
Visual Artsat Ffarvard University. The Center for the Visual Arts is an undergraduate division of the
*niversity and is open to all students, not iust art majors. The concept in the program was that if more
students w€r€ ?w?re of the programs, and if they could seethe activity and tiie oithe Center, then they
would be more likely to enroll in the Center's classes. Le Ccrbtrsier's response was to make a ramp our of
a pedestria,r tirculation path that already passed through the sitg to have ir iumel thro.rgh the middle of
the truilding, providing views into many of ihe studios and workshops.

| 3.{z ? dd'l'f

'a-u!tltl 9TKZi-i
jragiamnlatic plan: Carpenter Cenler for the Visual
Arts, by Le Carpenter Center, b1r Le Gorbusier- {Balthazar Korab)
)ltb<tsier

'Itre followinq six synonr''rns have be.en rrseii bv various desisners to descnbe their search for
t"::!tt t$s, t"Fggl1,r:IilgJas, pffi ard etq*is*e, *d
ideas, *ggl3se"r.
1.:hitectural IBI
G.hri*Eli6l- A-c} are concepts that have been reduced to a formal "..tiilIf concern like
daylig-hq-spaeq@Gnces of spaces, integration of stru . Each
inlluence the
ctrn rruruerrLe
L.{rr ure generalqeslgn
design of
Serleral DurIqgLIThe
or a building. specific arciutectonic
he specrhc architectonic concem is then used as the basis
for the design decisions that follow. e(themls a jpgs4g pattern or idea that recurs throughout the
designofaproject.ItcanbenarrowininiEiiflon,Uk@methataPPearsthroughout
the proiect, or it can be more general. Charles Moore sug,gests that his work is a search for the parttulor

L7
@ncepts in Architecture
 4BCH 16: Introduction to Architecture
way in which each of themes or principies that interest him can be developed.l
booklet on Louis ."ut'."t3-l The title of a
I' Kahn's Kim-beu Art baflery in Fort worttr, Texas, is ,,Light
is the Theme.,, Kahn
::ffi*:::""T:g:t^::i:^r
complementing a great work of art. iy,q1."":.il: rcasons, during 4
a rut.rE ;;Ji",
singre qdy'
day, rs
is thc Key
key to
in Iesigning tne con<
ganery he concent'qE9-g-ll1qlg
the gauery that
'rrc
quarity of daytight into the building.z 'rg changing

to
the general geometric configurations
or hieffiffii that th1 parts of a

r p6Ef:ho{ -U?8""
ena campus plantung provide some
clear examples in which an overall
desisn

I organizing pattern is established and

the pattern fiIled in.
superorganizing idea
variahions ,unong the parts,
iust as
allows
A

long as they reinforce the overall

T pattern. Thomas Jeffetson,s plan for
the campus of ,the University of
Vtuginia is a good,.sxample. The goal
of the superorganizing idea *ui to
give enough strucfure to the pattern
K im be,t A rt G a i i eryE;Iw6? r h
Louis l. t(:hn. (lrlarshalt D. Meyers)
=xa-fi;
so that the inorvrtiual parts
could be developed with ther
own idioqmr:rasies and stiil
support the wirole. This was
true in Jefferson's <lesigrL
where there is a dear overall

I 6ntiern yer the individual

houscs have their own
identitie,s.

The design of circulation

in Iargp projuts somctinres
T constitutes the
sunerorganizins idca- In the

t case of tl..e Air and Space

Museum in Washington, D.C.,
by Hellmu*U Obata, and
Uniwrsity ot Virqinia Campus,
Jeffssn fEd Ro3etlerry)
b,y Thomag

Nelional Air€nd Space

.lriuseum. Wast in'gton_ D. C_
.Hellmuth;Obata. and
.v
Kassabaum, the derision to .Xa>saltufiL (Kiku Onata)
develop the scheme around a
T circulation pattern proved to
be a wise one, because the

I number of
exceeded peak predictions.
visitors

:e)
has

arnd
n) are the
T ptual and gpaphic
products of a particular
method of instruction
developed in the Beaux Arts
T Schools of France during the
nineteenth century. This
I 1

2
Charles Moore, 'Self portra tt,,, L,Architeture
Louis I.
DVujanrdHui no. 1g4, March,tAp,l 1976 p-XLV.
Kahn, Light Id the Thenc (FortWorth: Kirnbell Art
toundation, 1975), p.15.
18
T Co.ne'pts in Architecturc

I
I method demande<i that students develop their concepiual skills
to a high level. They were expected to

t
develop a concept and preiiminary sketcir of tlre builiing
configuration in the fust few hours of work on
a project and to hold to that parti throughout the
proiecl
Literal translation is a phrase used by Edward Larabee Barnes to describe
the goal of developing a

I
concept and diagram that can become the simplified plan
for the project. To Barnes, the concept for a
p.rofect should be expressible in the kind of st<919r one mrght
do on a napkin. presumably, that original
diagram would be just as visible and identifiable in the dnished
building as it was on the napkin. Ac-
cording to Barnes:

I - A-building must trave a strong idea that is architectuml rather than sculpfural or painterly-one that is
related to the activity in the building.... when orre architect asks
another: 'what kind of uuiiahg are you
doingT, orre should immediately be atle to draw an abstractiory or a diagraru
of the architectural idea.3

antithesis of ?N6L'd9E' oArt&,?t***

T which do not make any
notions,
+_--!.+

pretense about bui.g

appropriate. A notion
T for the design of a bird
cage at a zoo might be

I that of a bird in flighl

The fact that the design
might not have enough

!
unobstructed space in it
to actually allow the
birds to fly and get the ,t
exercise th.y need -?-' STdF* .uaruatua' et.LLbruEe
would be of no concem. Diagrarrrrnaiic pian ci Natlcinal Ai; anj Soace
ivluseum, glashington; D.C.
As a notion the
T idea
would be acceptable and, periraps, amusil8, as a concept, it would not
bc appiopriate- A concept implies
appropriateness; it supports the main intentions a,id goals of a
pro;ect trnd respects each proiect,s unique
charactenstics and restrictions.
T
Concepts and Architectural Design

T -*','*#$isnotanautoma[cactivity.IttakesaconcentraterletTorttodevelopaConCePl
tnat apProPriately inte3rates things not previousiy brought together. Bringing things together is a
creativ'e act-one that critics, ertists, mi*ciar.., and rvriieis #ve iritriified as being
designer-<,= arch.rtects,
irrspiration or genius and x) percent hard work. Concept formulation is
T ryTTtrrcent
activity fornost people, and students of architecture have as much trouble mastering it as
an unfamiliar
they do other
aspects of design. Three problems block skill development
in conceptualizing. 'ltre 6ist bl.,ck deals with
problems of communication, the second with _inexfer.ienle, ura ,f," third with the problems of
T generating hibiffihiil-
The fust problem the student encounters is communication. Surprisingly, the
most difficult
communication problem is not in explaining our concepts to others, but in
explaiJng our ideas to our-
T selves' Desigrrers learn to develop a dialogue lsithin their ow,n
minds as a prelude to explaining ideas to
others' Another communication problem [hat influences concept formulatitn
is graphic communication.
Ironially, many students aie l-.esitant tv sketch. as part of ih.eir process of developing
concepts. In
architecbure, everything must get drawn if it is io irc built, anci
drawings comprise t"ri;rirr"l;;r.;;
T documents for building. The process of sketching should begin
early so that the proposal and its concept
can continually be criticized and improved.

Louis Kahn offers an anecdote suggesting that the communication

problem between the imagined
T buitding and one's fust sketches is a rniversal'prolrlem for students:

I
A young architect .uT" to ask a questiorr 'l-dream of spaces full of wonder-of
spa.es that rise and
evolve flowingly without ueginning, without end-of a pintiess
material whibe and g"ia wr,y is it that

3
Edward Larrabee Barne, in Paul Heyer, Archit*E on Archituture(New york: walker ancl co., 1g66) p.330.
19
T @n@Dts in Architecturc

t
I when I place dre first line *
4R.CH 16: Introduction to Architecture
P.].p.. to capture the dreanl the dream becomes less7.... This is a good
;;;;;#;..:il "*p,"""
o:T,"fabre and ,r,,.
llf;,f*;;"T:::"::::y:.:i
I *,tf"*ploy the measurable muu* or compositio..o.;";*]ffidl?;
architecture ottu onese, in music or
already a measure of whaicannot be expressed
full1r-a
T"T:[1::
The second problem area of unfamitiarity
is an extension of the first. Concepts are difficult
if to invent

I
they are an rlnfamiliar aspect of architecture.
since many builrtings are built without the benefit
concept' and since most critics and many arlhitects of a
-.rlti"g about them, it is relatively easy for the
to have no ambitions for concepts ^"uaand no unrlerstanding
i:fl'#i"1iff""r of the rJe-they play in

t The third problem area can be simptified as the

problem
is especially a problem f3L the beginning student who, of identifying appropriate hierarchies. This
deciding if an idea is a brillialt concept or an awful
because of lack of experience, has difficulty
onc. The architect must be .bl" to make discerning

I judgments' An understanding of the relationships

alI tfuee problenls.
among ia".r, .rouor,s, and concepts can help resolve

I Ideas

Ideas zue specific, concrete tiroughts we have

as the result of an understanding insight, or
observation' In architecture we have ideas about
*1ry-ttr'.rg, i.Joai.rg ways to orient a building, the
I placement of a kitchen, the best means to
h.nefit from"nafurat ,entlaton, the value of energy
conservatioii, tt'.e importance of durable materials,
spatial sequence, and the like. Buildings and
transitions b.tween forms, the best way to develop
a
building design *" .or,po*d;;;;;utia".irior.*,
it is important to develop skills in generating ideas and'concepts u*,d
I issues that emerge.

Frank Lloyd lvriglt.ls.a.good exarnple of an

that respond to the wide variety of

architect vrho had many i<leas about hor^., things shoul<l

be done' In fus book, wrig,ht'i [Jsonian Houses,
I magazine primarily
]ohn s_tewart reprints an arbicle from Flouse
for builders) that ldentifir.,d 35 icleas tirat wright hacl about
consiruclion of small hcmes' Likewise, Chnstopher the
a.d Home (a
design and
Alexander and hls colleagueg in A pattern l^an-
Suage' have identifierl more than 1,000 ideas, mostly about human behavior
and reactions to
I environments, wtiich they call Patterns. These are collecred as an "ideas
Neither the ideas listed by wright nor the patterns bible,, for building designers.
devised by Alexander are unified. ltrhile wright
shows how his ideas could go together in
his completed truildings, the ideas are offered as individual
are not linked together. In eacr, case the conceptual
].Tffi:: l:nirng are left to the indiviclual desigger

Notions

., Notions are very srmilar to ideas except that there is a connotarion of randomness. Notions are ideas
that- are presumed to be insubstantial unsurshntiated,
or often trivial when tested against other ideas.
still' tt'-ere is always the possibility that there is an important
germ of truth hiding in even a glib remark
Given this definition.of notiory one e*p".i that nouons have no role to play ln concept
formulation' This is not the case- one of-n'.ight
t# basicLneb of scientific problem solving. or synectics,as
called by Gordort, is random idea generation.s when it is
o.,. ir-*orr.rng on a problem that has evaded
resolutiory any idea ol notion might contain the
germ of the solution- synectics anci othe.r idea-
ge-neration techniques o:q""1 on the ability of
a smuli g,ro,rp of people to generate many icleas
them apparently absu;cl, irreleva.t, and ntHoi:.rl-." of
in" initiai ancl crihical step in a process -some
aimecl at
resolvrng the problem.
In architecture, an concept for a proiect may persistently resist
fPfropriate
be necessary to inventLilotio." articulation, and it may
u, u rt"p *tro.*ulaiing an approp.iate concept, both
concepfual blockbusting, as a Ley technique in
as a necessary result of i.,u*perlence in desigpr
.and
sfudents can expect to G inventing notions i,hen and concept formulation.
they wish they were inventing concepts.

a
Loub I' Kahn, The voice of Angrfi:a Forum Lectures:
Architecture (lhe u.s. Information service, n.d.) p.39.
s
Mlliam J. J. Gordon, Sm€ti6(ltf-jw yorn+ Fbrper
and Row, 1961).
20
Con@pts in Architecturc
t Concepts and Itieas

I
Concepts are similar to ideas, in that they are specific
thoughts we have as a rezult of ari
understanding, except that a concePt has this particular
characteristic it is a thought concerning the way
several -elernents or characteristics can be combined
into a single thing. In a..hii.ctur", a concept also
identifies how various aspects of the requirements for a buildiig

I
can be brought together in a specific
thought that directly influences the design and its
"onfigr.aiion.
ambitioi's thing, the result of a concentrateJ and imaginative
A concept in architecture is an
effort to bring apparently dissimilar things
together.

I Two American architects associated with concepts are Eero saarinen

Saarinen advi"ed:
and Edward Larrabee Barnes.

The character or exp- res,sircn of any building can orly be achieved

if it is itself a total expression- Like

I any work of art, it must be dominated by a strong. simple concept

one dominant attitude' This is hue whether theilements and
structural systerns, or later ones, like interior color and door
total exPression seems to me the highest and most difficutt
Atl of its parts must be an active part of
decisiors are big early ones, like plan and
l,nobs. This cha[Jge of making a building a
one. But it is the one that I think must oncem

I all of us mosl6

Barnes suggests a similar view:

There is an essential onerrcss abcut every
i"b. k the'best solurions there is a str.,ng central idea
t involving actvity. It may be static or mobile Uut ii has to do with
the human being in space.T

I
Conceptual Scenaios
Given that the requirements for a building can number in the
hundreds, suppiemented by adriitional
requirements and goals that the architects themselves incorporate,
it should be apparent that a sin$e
concePt statement that ties all the elemcnts together couici

I irc both ambihous and etlsive. Architects, in

their writings and lectures about the corcepts tehind their designs,
that tie together all the important factors o.d id.." that infllenced
often offer short essays or scenarios
their solution
while the goal in developing a concept appropriate to a project is to integrate

I unified whole, a designer expects the final building itself to b* th"

cepts' The name for this design strategy based on concepts
the various parts into a
i.,,"gruted. statement of several con-
for individual parts is incrementalism. An
incremelrtal attitude toward design suggests that architecfu.".oor",
from reJolving individual issues ac-

I cording to their own needg and not by searching for overall

concepts.
Another sbratef'J or resolvinq this dilemma is for the architect to lrc
a concePt shouid include- saar:nen, although known for his enthusiasm for
less demanciing
about how much
using conceptg typically

I generateci oniy very generai concepLuai statements lor his buildings.

Fo. .*
follolving conceptual image for tne lotrn Deere Company's world headquarters.
insights into the intentions behind the project, it does not help .r"
^p'1.,
ie iaentiriea trre
while it offers some
.r,r*., ;rlr.. ''d# architectural
questions about why the building is broken into parts or straddles
a valley. .',,,
,
Deeig and Company is a secure, well-established surressfrrl
T Midwestern farnr'belt location Farn machinery not
furm machinery company, proud of its
5 gliclc shiny metal but forged iron and steel in big,
forceful, functional str,apes. The proper ctnracter fcr its headguartlrs architecture should likewise not be a
slick, precise, glittering glasg and Jpinary metal building, tot , urrlang
I metal in a strong, tnsic way.a

Saarinen often developed concepts only for one or two issues

which is botd and direct, using

in a project, leaving the development

of other aspects of the c{esisn to ciriumstance=.. The stra_tegr7 of deveiopirrg
I statelnents is also similar to the Beaux-Arts method of deveioping
of carrying out that idea throughout the rest of the profect.
cnly ,_.ery ge:rera! ccncept
an iniual'parti and t}r"r, n.,ang *uy" I!t

I
6

! 7

e
Eero saarinen, Eero saarinen on Hb work(New Haven: yare
university press, 1962), p.r0.
Edward Larrabee Barnes, in Paul Heyer, Architqb on Architature(New york:
walkerind co., 1966).
Eero Saarinen, Eero garhen on His work(New r-raven: yare University press, 1962), p-76.

2t
I Conepts in Architecturc
I ARCH L6: Introduction to Architecture

The concepfual scenario

I expands the concept statemen[

turning it into a short essay that
includes more than one major
issue and identifies more than

I one set of visual images fcr the

proiect. The concepfual scenario
can be used to identify how all

I
the important ideas and issuos
that might be left out in a
briefer conceptual statement
could be brought together in a

I longer prose statement- The

following three excerpts from
lengthy scenarios by architects

r re---
.John Deere o{ficEs. by Eero Saarinen. (Ezid
StollerlESTOl
with different st5rles of building
show a shared interest in
concepts. Wright's discussion
of Unity Temple is just as

r inventive and exciting now as it was when rt was written during the fust decade of this ce,rtury. Kevin
Roche's renario was offered as part of an interview about his work on the Ford Foundation
and Baraes' statement is abcut the design of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Frank
Building,
Lloyd Wriqht:

I lAlhy not, theru build a ternple, not to GOD in ttnt -"vay-more sentimental than sense-but
temple to marg appropriate to his uses as a meeting place, in which to study man hinrself fc:
sake? A modern meehng-house and good-hmeplace.
build a
his God,s

I
Buill a beautiful ROOM proportior.ed to this purpc,se. l,{ake it be,auhful in r}rds srnnple sense. A natutal
truildrng for natural Man...
That RoOIvL it began tio be ihat same nigh-l- Enter the reakn of architecfural ideas- The ftrst idea- to

I
keep a noble ROOM in mind, and let ttre room :hape the whole e<idice, let the room insirle tre the
architec-
twe outside.9

Ke.rin Roche:
We lvere h),tng to create a
sense of commr:nity...- In an
T orgartizatiory the problem of
conunon purpose Ls critical. A
group of people spends working
hours dedicated to some
T purpc.)se.... Le(s say that ttrey are in
fact perple concerned about

t
making a contribution to the world
in which they live. WiArin ttre Ford
Fcundatiory they are a part of an
iftstrument which has a lot of

!
money which carU if properly
directed" be a fairly substantial
contribution to many areas. So,
lefs make the assumption that

!
we're dealing r,,,-lth dedicat;d
peopie, lvho irave gone our of ther
Unity Temple, Oak Park-ltlinirisi,by Frank
way to join this organization. It's Lloyd YJrighl, tHedrich-B,,essing)
not just another job for thenu
Now, and we have 300 people with this o)rnmon airru It's really very important in that kind of
T community for eadl to be aware of the other, for their courmcrr aim to be ielnforced ... '
Wdre building a house for them. orre of tre rrnin purposes is to stirnulate the sense of community
and

T
e

I
Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wrilht: Writings and Euildings(New York: Meridian Books, 1960), pp.7S-76.
22
Con@ots in Architecturc

I
I ARCH 15: Introduction to Architecture

we start with the proposition that this is not just another office building but an entirely new animallo

I Unity Temple flcor'plan, by Frank Lioyd Wright

r-----a
hrrr

I f]

I ir
n
[il ti lr
'--;-vl-trrlJ
IB
i- - - -- --'-
*l

I rl r_l
fl r1
tl
UI.!|TY -iLMP,b

ltIi]il
l riillTt
HAU.C

r
tl | _____J
Lj
--ffi It= f:l
t
I I
t.
l-:- ----
I
T XI
t

h
T Edward Larrabee Barnes:

I We are hying to create architecture that does nct compete with art-to put the priorihes rn ttre right
order. We rvant the visitor to remember paintings in:pace, sculpbure agairrst sky, and a sense oi continuous
floir. It is flow more than form that has concemed u.. The seguence of spaces must be seductlve. There
must be a subtle ssse of going somewhere, Lke a rivc:- At tle same time tfie architecture must t'e rttlatively

I unevenfful and ancnymous.

The generating idea betrind the design is the helical plan which provides sequential flow from tl're
lobby to the roof whether going up or down At the same rime, direct access to individual galleries is pos-

I sible by using the elevator or core stairs. This ckcr:Iation system is tt e armature of the burlding

A cont:elrtutrl scenario such as

those excerpted above is the
r r

I product of an evolutionary process,

and while concepts themselves are
often the product of flashes of
insight, the examples quoted

I represent the final versions of a

process that went through a series
of development and clarification
stages. Even though parts of each

T scenario may have been clmrly

esiablished from the beginning, the
scenario uses insigfrts gained

I during the desrgn pr(xess to tie it

togeiher.
A practical example of a design

I process based on the incremental

development of a renario is tlr€
charette design process, A chorette
itu;i,itd;dFiillIii:frX Jii. riui r'iili]

I
(in schools of architecture) is a last- :lil.iw,Yorli;,by. K€vin,Eoahd' end.lOhh
Dinkelco. (Ezra Stoller/ ESTO)

10
Kevin Rochg in l. W. Cook ard H. Klotz, btversation with Archttuts (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1"973), pp.68-69

I Edward Larrabee Barrre, *Walker Art Center,-

11
bign
Quaftedy, 1971, No. 81, p.10.
23
@neDts in Architecture

f
r ARCH 16: Introduction to Architecture

I
I
I
r .-{rr*.iE,eslry,w
W.a!kerAd Ceater- Mianeapolis, by Eiwqrd
Larrabee 8ames. (Ge1ce Ce:nay

I minute push during a design proiect to get

everything done on time. It derives from the
French word for "cant," such.as those in wirich

I
nineteenth-century architecfure students
carried their designs to a central point for
evaluatioro oftcn finishing them en rcute. it is
alsc a
technique used by p;actitioners to

I .:iire::mjl,j
lnterior G?rd"n. Ford Foundation Building. New ),ork, by Kevin Roche
and ,Joh1 Dinkeloo. itrira Sroiter.;ESTO) -
involve varicus individuals and organizations
of a community directly in the planninp
programming, or design of a project. A

I community design charette implies a marathon

work session that compresses decision making into a few .iays. Various interest
with each other' participate in the idea and concept formuiaton The role of the
to coordinate and stimulate the pnrticipation and su;;gestion making
groups, often competing
professional
cf the participants.
over the course of a marathon sessicrq the professional encourages an initial rush
designer is

T the interested groups arrd then directs discussion so that the important issues
of ideas from all
are identified. Finally, he
or she directs the disorssion towards setting priorities. An effective leader helps resolve

I
apparent
conflicts a.rd directs the group towards making decisions or compromisc;.

Concept Hierarchies

T An understanding of the hierarchical

relationship between nobiory idea, concept, and
conceptual scenario becomes the foundation f,or
developing a process for generating appropriate

T concepts for buildings- The seqr^ence is ordered as:

;totion, iilea, concept, and sceaario. This is based on a
pattern of increasing complexity, appropriateness,
i \i -/'

T and depth of thought. In the early stages of a

project, ideas have a goo<I chance of being
notionable, especially if minds are open to in_ \r
"Yl
!ti
t rlit
rl
:
i
t

I
i\
--tl tt I
novative, ulusual, arrd imaginative thoughts that :
l-FYl
/l

might help resolve unique or difficult design and ,-4, i

/1lt I
programmatic requirements. At some point iil
!tr
\iil
architects become more informed and familiar
with the project and begin to identify some notions
T as more important and more appropriate than
others. Finally, similarities, potential interactions,

I and groupings of ideas become apparent. These

observations qeate the base fiom which a
sustained argument for doing things is developed.
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

I @ne;g.ts in Architecture
24

I
I AR€H 16: Introduction to Architecture

r APPROPRTATENESS AND SELF-CRITICISM

The problem of chlosfn-s arr-apprgpriate form for

scenarios-is less important than thJseff-iriticism applied
concepts-whether metaphors, analogies, or

I
to those concepts as they are formulated. The
key quesHcn in critical dialogue is still, "Is thi,s idea
appropriate to the proiect?,, Both the concept and the
solution should ultimately be appropriate and integrui"a
-itt p.oblems and activities of the building.
Another interesting. variation on the qrrestion of

r
appropriateness is whether or not concepts are
necessary and appropriate for all building types.
Are^tirey appropriate for some buildings and not
others? Both architects and critics hawe
that not uti u,riiair*g, are "sculpturally,, important or
"foregpound" buildings, that some buildin[s".g.ddeserve t" b" -;egr"und,, buildings. George Baird, an

I
architect in Toronto, *tl:tt- that concepts are a-t least
as irnporta#in bacl:glounc burldings as they are
in buildings' He has worked on modest proiects in which the
to forerround
search for concepts was critical
bringing enough intensity arrcl order to the builiing'to
make lt good architecture. For example, his
concept for an addition to a very small house was

r
to maintain the intimary and homeliness of the ex-
isiing house while doubling its size by reinforcing the sense
of hearth in his proposai-

r
Fioe Types gf^Concepts
=
There die five grpes of concepts: analogies (looking at other rhings). rnetaphors
abstractions) essences (':::".g (looking at
thc prcgrammatic neeas;, orog3ammatic concepts
Fr':io at univer*at

I
stated requirementg and ideals (Iooki.g flooking at the
values).

ANAI-OGIF.S

I of the five categpries-analogies are probably thi

concePts' Ana-togies iJentify possible, liteiai relationships
having all the desired characteristics, and thus it becoo,."
of the modern nrovement in the first half of the twentieth
most lrequently used tlevice for formulating
berween things. one thing is identitied as
a nodel for the project at htrnd. Until the rise
century, it was assumed by clients and
architects alike that all the gre:t architecture of the
T was to figurc out which previotrs building was the
world rr"a urr*ay been built The task of the architcr:t
appropriate model for the new buildirg being

t lt ld"j.t Basiiica, Rome. {George Ger:s{er,

{eslfnea.wasAt one point the initial assumption was,r.,.i Raoho Photo Reseerchersi "'
Gothic the appropriate n.rodel for churches,
colleges, and universities; Greek Doric was the
arrrrrorrnate mo<lel for banLs; and SL peter,s Basilica
lvas- the appropriate model for capitols from
T Washingtory D.C. to Madison, Wisconsin

_ Some analogies seem to hrrn up more ttun others.

One of the- most frequent is the r:llagre street or a
T covered shopping sheet like the Galleria in MilarL A
recent example is Diamond and Meyers, use of both
a
village sheet and the Galleria as an analogy for the
T 1:"rg" of a building for the University of itUerta in
Edmonton that combines a stutlent union with married
sbudents' housing. The apartments are locatecl

I alo,rg
the rnterror street with a cune<i clome ancl daylightin[
similar to the Galleria in Milan. In developing tfrii
proiert, the architects were concerned with the basic

I vaiidity and how to develop and carry out the analogy.

An example of one refinement of the original analogy
t: h E use of panel windows that ofrn onto the
street. The architects noticed that the peripective
vierv
I down the street in an early version oi the design did
not match the vitality and colorfulness of wash
hangng from the windows, but this particular scheme

I Conepts in Architectu,e
25

I
r ARCFT 16: Introduction to Architecture

I
I
T
T
r
T :lr::il n
!oi."by Diamond
Eqmont?.t; ]{.ousing, u rr -"r-rit, ffiffi

I
and Meyers.

I
T
T
T
T united staies cupior duiEililiffitffi
uepaflment of lhe lnter.ior)

I did not have that friendly clutter. To introd'rce

windows for the rooms overlooking the
glass' and were opened to provide e*tra
colors of these paners anc the post-rs
that visual',rit^riry, they designed and developed
street- The window" rJ.." sotid, brightly
cross-ventilation and views of the street
special
painted panels, not
ictivity below. The
I seeking.

Another example of the

attached to them provided the vis,rar vitaritv.

use of a direct analogy in which one

tr-.e aichiiecis were

lor another proiect is Tree-tops by David building p-rovides an appropriate image

I south c-arolina' * *:
savannah' Georgia' was "TT;fl,h:
ctasseior uarquis, stolle, and Glasser, on
sans*ay a1d badgl
identified ;; #ri+ characteristics"y"t"*oi.ir.ularion in
Hiiton Head Island,
the warehouse area of
that would solve a variety of siting and
circulationproblems' The gangway system seemed
applicable to the nenr design, even though
Tops project was on a flat site u,,a in"'u.tir.ity the Tree
*u, r,ousing rather than warehousing.
! Analogies do not have to relate to other
the Richards Medical Research Building
specific buildings. Kahn, in discussing
the concept behind
.it}," ur,irrn.rity oi'r"rrr,"ylvania, made severar anarogies. He

I @n@pts in Architecturc
26

I
 ARCH 16: Introduction to Architecture

Section; Stucient union l-lousiag, Universrty

al Alberta.

talked about the need for researchers

to communicate and share their idcas.
Thus, he developed an analogy of the
re.search bu:lding as a commurjt5r
where people could see each other ani
become aware of the activities within
the building. This concept is verv
simiiar to Roche's Ford Foundation
Building. Ka,l..n ohserved that the
meCical researchers on the University
of Pennqrrvania campus were

I inappropriately spread out all over the

medical school campus. His second
analogy and concept developed
an apprupriate self-image for
1-"od
I the researchers. Kahn tikened the
activibies and imaginaLive tfunking of
the researchers in their laboratories to
those of artists in their sfu,iios. Kahn.s

t conceptual image for the medical

research facitity was a community of
artists' sfudios filled with creative
researchers.
I ,..',
My Medical Research Building at
the University of pennsylvania inior_
porates this realization that science
I labomtories are essenhally studios....
This desig+ the resu_lt of consideration
of the uniqueness b be made of its
spaces and i-ireir service reiuiremenrs,

I expresses the character of the research

laboratory.u

may have developed an

ryh" and
i.rp,.i.g appropriate analogy as
his concept for building, but accoiiing
to some reports the building_while
Treetops. tiiltpn tiead tsland, South heralded by some as th; most
(itrotana, by Glasser. Stoiler
ingl 1r61qu1..
(DaVld Glasser) important structure of the 1960s_is
12
Louis I' Kahn in John Dona! ed., worrd Architxture Tday(London:studb 800ks, 1964). p.35.
27
Con@pts in Architecturc
I difficult for researchers
Researchers do not appear to be enamored
acfualiy to
of the
use.
ARCH 16: Introduction to Architecture

I concept of a community of scientists or of their

visual accessibility to each other; many choose to
close their blinds for privacy and to control heat
r--s

I
gain from the sun l.Ieither do they seem to be
inspired by the analogy that their research spaces
are artists' studios with two walls of windows for
lighl Thuy need walls on which to h*g

I experimental equipment, and they do not need

the kind of light tha'. an artist might require. Still,
the building has some important achievements.
I

I jonas SaIk visited research buildings around

the United States as part of the process of
selecting an architect for his new research
i

I
building. He stuCied the Richar<is Building,
observed it in use, talked with its userq and i
learned of tts problems. Des-ite its drawbacks, !

this building was the only facility he visited that i

I tried to indudc the philosophical issues of j

creativity, and he chose Kahn to do the Salk L.sti-
tute in San Diegc.
,

I
:

METAPHORS ANDSIMII,FS

I
Like analogies, metaphors iclenhify
relationships between things. liowever, the
relationships .tre absbract rather than literal. ,
q
Similes are metaphors that use the words ',like,' I

I or "as" to express a relahionship. Metaphors ancl

similes identify possible patterns of Jra1311"1 roru-
tionships while analogies identify pnssible literal ,
F
F
L-:-:

I
relationships.
B;ehards Medi€l Bes€a.ch Buildjng,
Charlcs Moore', in a discussion of his Uiirersity of Pe:ra3ylyanla Il!, Lou.S l. {.ahn

I
I
I
I
I salk lnstitute, siiri oiego. by L6uls Kahn.

T {Ezra Stoiler/ESTO} Richards. Medical Research

^Unirersiiv of Pennsytvania.
B uildin g:
Uy Lo,.rG Xann

I Con@pts in Architecture
28

I
I interests, suggested that he likes buildings to be like geodes.
He develops that metaphor in a brief scenario:
ARCH 15: Introduction to Architecture

I
:

At St Simon's Island, Ga;rgi4 [ttre| condominiums by the :

beach do something in response kr this

[geode_like] irrrage. It rs
apparently an old Georgian plantation, but huge, on the outside;

I inside it is an orgiastic, brightly colored and decoratively formed

set of walls sunounding an interior space.13

r
'lhe geode is a conceptual
metaphor that suggests how the
building could have two simultaneous images. tfuh.r, viewed
from the outside, the building could have an image that woulcl
match the image of the neighborhood. It could have a different ]

I
image on the inside, such as an entertaininp tLeatrical, and i
dramatic environme-nt appropriate to a resort. Other examples ,
of metaphors include cio Ponti's provocative list of clefinitions
and explanations of various aspects of architecture. His

I definition of architecture ltself is a simile: ,,Architecture is Iike

a crystal." Other metaphors discussed in his .ixrolq In praise of .

r
ArchitechriEi:,include: "The obelisl: is an enigma,,, .the i
fountain is'e voice," "The room is a world" "rne door is an i*9-9"g*9-g.rdl1eclH'e a.Bl.issy
invitation,",:i'eThe colonnade is a choir,,, and ,,The house is
dream-"r+ --'

I Geode-irchiteDturE snalogy: St. Simon,s lsland, Gecrgia, aroject

licDie and Assccjales by., Charles

r I'T I

r
I LSSENCIS

r
Essences distill and concentrate aspects of more complex issues rnto terse, explicit
statements.
Essc:ice cor;ioies insights iriio 'u'ie aiosi t:i:ilii;i and intrirrsic aspeci.s of the ihing iling
anail,ze<i. n
statemerlt of the essence of something can also be the result of discovering and itieniifying'[ne
roots of an
issue.

I Stanford Anderson w'rote about and quoted Kalm's interest in essences and his useof metaphors.
Kahn is cutcemed with forro wtnt things are, with €ssences, with elemmts and their articulatioru ,,Id
think of the nature of some&ring see the of what kind of instihrtion it would be... e.rery

I
"merg"r,ce
building... answering to an inspiration it serves, and the environment of spaces which express the place of
one man and another. It is almost dre first duty of the architec! you might say, to take i prograrn and to
translate its ar3as Programs to spacet so that the lobby becomes a-place o? enhance, the .o.iiao".
becomes a

r
gallery, and Are budget trccomes an economy.,,1s

Desioners
--'--''ar''' h.:rro,lpvol^md
i'- ia:'.:itu corrarrl r::ur::odS fcr se;rching
r<yt'rci fOr the esseilCe oI a pr.;ic.i
-^rl ,fi.i [.;i
transforming it into concept statements. l-i're search is to identify ideas that tie together the
various parts
of the building and, as Kahn has suggested, that allow the designer to overcome the circumstances of

I each proiect and to accomplish what is really important to accomplish. A pragmatic method
identifying the essence of a proiect is to analyze the program and identily a nierarchy of issues
proiect' The aszumption is that the most important thi"gr are the most essential. This search
of
for the
can be an

I 13

"
$
charles
Gio Pontl
Moorg'Self Portra*.,' L'Architature DAujourd'Hui, no- 184, March/April 1976. pxLV-
In Prabe of Archrtecture(Newyuk: F. W. Dodge Corp., 1960), p.104.

I
Louis I. Kahn, in Stanford Anderson, 'Louis I. Kahn in the L960's," Boston Society of ArchitecE: Journal onq L967, p.60.
29
ffi
:
tL analysis of the prosam or it can be a gaphic analysis in
which ihe proiect is diagramed in different ways.
ARCH !.6: Introduction to Architecture

t
Placing emphasis on essences and roots runs contrary to
the one other maior philosophical approach to creativit5r and
architecture popular in this century. This philosophy is based
upon the idea that each individual architect has a unique,

!
innovative contribution io make. Architel..s from Frank Lloyd
Wright to Eero Saarinen have valued this belief, as did Walter
Gropiuq one uf the founders o[ the Bauhaus.
The general willingness io use precedent-whether
historical or recent-other than vernacular sources has only

!I
regained respectability since Kahn's emergence as a form-
giver in the 1?6Os. Kalm unalashedly identffied the
architecture of alcient Rome ald ttre work of Le Corbusier as
his m;jor inspirations. lfhile not,always candid about his
contemporaqy sources, Kalrrr did modestly sugl{est, in the
middle of designing the library at Phillips Exeter Academy,

r
that Hugh_Stubbins' Medical School Lib'rary at Harvard wasa
"very good library." A comparison between the plans and
interior spaces shows a remarkable similarity.
Hyatt Fagcncy Hotel!,San Franciscc; byJonn

r
Portman. iAiexand ;e Georges)
Seetion cf Philtipe Exeter ,\cademy
Libra.y, by Louis Kahn.
The work of ]ohn
Portman of Atlanta

r illustrates ar.other
version of the search for
essences. Portman's most
famous buildings are

I hotels with dramatic,

innovative interior
spaces. As concepts they

r integrate image, interest,

functioq and-whenever
possible-an urban-
Cesign plan for the cify in

r which they are built. The

proof ihat they capture
the esdince of a hotel is

I
their "iropularity. The
main multistory lobbies,
especially in San
Francisco, are essentially

r public places belonging

to the city as well as to
the hotel. Portman's
of
r
understanding
tl=ii-ti lr
rnterests and
what
excites
EE EE L:] people is developed in
= his detailing especially

r in his elevators, which

are decorated with tiny
light bulb6 and pierced

I
by u'indows for a view of
the dramatic space.
Section ol [{edical Library at }-iarvard
Another insight is his
willingness to build

I
Universi!y, by f-tugh Stubbins.
30
@neDts in Architecturc

I
I architecrure ihat 'ncludes decoraiion, something.that has been missing
from almost all twentieth-centur),
strucfures' Judgrng from its role in the success of these building+ decoration
is an essential element in an ,
architecture admired by the general public.
I Another kind of essence architects look for is the essence that they can
express in the design oI the
building' Eero Saarinen interpreted the conceptual challenge at the TWA Terminal
at Kennedy
lntemational Airpcrt to be the expression of movement and hravel as the kev idea
I whole proiect together. According to Saarinen:
that could hold the

The challenge of the world Airways Terminal was twofbld. one, to create, widrin the complex of
terminals that makes up!11s Idlewild [now Kornedy International], a building for T.W.A which would be
distinctive and merrorable, -- Two to design a uuaaing in whid the axtritccture
itself woulrl express the
drama and specialnress and excitement of travel. Thus, we wanted the architecture to
reveal the terminal,
not as a static, endosed place, but as a place of movement and of transition-... The fact that to
some people it
looked like a bird in ftight was reallycoincidental That was the last thing we ever tlrought
aboul Now, that
does not mean that one dr:es not have the right to see it tlat way or to ixplain it to lalimen
in those terms,
especially because laymen are usually more litemlly rhan visuaui inclined.rr

', .l ;--;,r::.,
1'-t
.'.
: ..::_, -, -.'.-:rf-.;l
; ;1'1:1!11.:j-ali7$
'.. :,; ., ;i::.. i:."Ei6I
i.ans'-v'y'orid Airiines Te..minai Buiicing, ione
F. Kecnecy lnternationalAirpoil, New york.
by Eero Saarinen. (FzE Stolter/ES-IOl

In contrast to the. philosophical

-of musings about essences and expression, another pragmatic and
diagrammatic method diJoverir,g e""e'n ." has been suggested by Iars l**p. His technique
combines analogies and essences, Given a parUcular design pn"il,f"lr, to solve, he befns by
identifying
famous places that have characteristics matching u"p*t" oi his design problem. Fi"fu..r of several
famous places are chosen, and each is expected to have at least o.,. urlrJt that would be highly
desirable
in his own sclution Next, Lerup analyzes each picture in a series of-steps. First, he...l.uiurih. image,
then he edits to bring out its salient characteristics. The characterishcs are further abstracted
into a
hypothesis about the important design lesson to be leamed from the original setting.
lnat hypothesis is
combined with others distilled from the other photographs. The coilection of hypotheses
is then used to
focus anC direct the synthesis and design of the actuai proposal.
Symbols are a subset of the essences category. Symbols imply that the essences
can be characterized
in specific forms and
Tug:" that the public
the design of a
can understa"a. wny, after all, would anyone try to
building to symbolize that which was not important, critical, or essential?
lanipulate
Symbols in architecfure are images that evoke automatic responses to a set
of stimuli, usually visual.
Thus, symbols have to do with expctations, Many building types can be designed
to maich expectations.

16
Eero saarinen, Eero saarinen on His wor*(New Haven: yale University presE 1962), p.60.
31
Cone.pts in Archltecture
r ARCH 15: fntroduction to Architecture

The building can be both the place for an activity and the image that symbolizes that activity

t DIRECT RESPONSES AND PROBLEM SOLVING

t Not all concepts capture the essence of a project, nor do they all symbolize the function of all the
activities in a building. Concepts can be developed around more pragmatic issues often explicitly
identified in the building program. While many architects take pride in thejr ability to solve a client's
problems, only a few actually make a pragmatic approach iound inspiring anC many designers

I inadvertenfly avoid working on the problem at hand while trying to be creative.

Gyo Obata, in discussing his proposal for the Air and Space Museum inWashington, D.C, identified
the importance of knowing what kinds of problems to attack in large proiects. This is especially im-

I portant when economics are crucial and cost increases due to inflation alone can icill a proiect if it is not
designed quickly enough- The major problem area that was identified in the Air and Spice'Museum was
circulation and orientation for a very large numirer of visitors. The concept developed in response was a
two-level street that connects a series of enclosed theme exh-itrit rooms. Th:ee open multistory halls are
located at intervals along the street, both to display the primc attractions and to entertain the viewer
T moving Eom one theme exhibit room to another. Visitors to the building have a choice qf viewing order,
because the collection is simply too large to betaken in atone tme. The concept of a doubie-level,

r streetlike circulation pattern that would disperse people to all the various theme rooms was tested in ttre
fust few months of use. In fact, more than twice the proiected nqallx-r of visitors visited the museum in
its fust year. Without a dear concept of circulation as a prirle issue, the whcle buikirng would have been

I
less useful and would have created unn€essary frustrations to its millions of users.

IDEAIS

In conmast to the previous categories of concepts, whtch suggest that the architect look inside the
T problem or at a sin',ilar problem to disrover appropriate concepts, ideal concepts are those that architerts
bring to the problem. If architects bring the right concept to the proiect, they are praised lbr their genius.
I ft:n choice is inappropriate, it becomes a preronception and their basic competel.ce is questiorred-
Icieal concepts represeni the highest aspirations and goals of the archireel
T For example, an architect can bring to each proiect a series of idml concepts about hcw to conserve

I energy in buildings. These concepts might indude compartmentalizing, zoning according to need for
heat, developing windowless backs of buildings that can be turned towarcl colcl lvinds, angling surfaces
for heat collectors, an<l de-signing for self-sufficiency of the rvhole system.
Anothor qwamnlo of thq retor ai: f^. iui;=i;
liol iui i.l^e!- t^
llr i*flrrooro
-utul-iilu r-nnranlc i<
LUiILCP:- lD ill:rcrga]ryi
ilu>udagJ h:r
u, tha
iiic r^,^.1:
ii uir\ ^f l\1;^.
van der Rohe, Mies develc,ped the concept of an ideal building based upon large ope+ unpartitioned
T sPaces he called "universal space." Mies thought it was basically appropriate for each proiect he
designed. Student unions, libraries, classroom buildings, and offices were expected to work best as ver-
sions of a universal space.

T Ideals can have positive effects and if architccts did not have them to refer to and use in
conceptualizing and developing their designs their task would be more difficulL Their previous
experiences and insights would be useless, and each proiect would have to begin from scratch. This
would aid neither the client nor th-e architect. Architects who are flexible and comfortable in emphasizing
T different ideals for different projects have an advantage in providing services to their clients

I
I
t Con@Dts in Architecturc
32
t
I
I
t
T

I
t
I
Summary
Notions, ideag concepts, and scenarios form a continuum (of increasing complexity,
appropriateness, and depth of thought) that can become an inrportant
basis for archifutural design-
C-oncepts integrate the various elemeni.- cf a design into a
coherent whole and allow the architect to
direct his or her resources to the most important aspects of the desrgn-
Conceptual scenarios integrate a
number of,- appticable concepts and are used for communicating ideas
to one's self and to clients. of
cour:e/ the appropriateness of a concept or scenario is pivotal and it
comes from a process of self-
criticism.
Th'ere a'e five rypes of concepts: alalogies or literal relationships, metaphors or abstract
reiarionsfups, inirinsic asp'rlcis, programmaiic or pragmaiic resp<_,nses, arrci icieais or exiernai
values. ""or-r.""o.
Mcstimportantly, the search for appropriate concepts and their application in architectural
-helps
- make design
good architecture.

33
Cone'Dts in Architecturc