WHAT IS A DESIGN PROBLEM?

There is more to deciding on an architectural design problem than meets the eye. This is especially the
case when the resultant design project is intended to contribute to the fulfilment of a professional degree
course. At undergraduate level, the design project is intended to test ones intellectual and practical skills,
and thus should express a response to a realistic and feasible design problem. To achieve this, there are
a number of aspects that should be considered in the identification of the design problem. These include
the needs of the society, contextual problems especially the architectural context, and the possible design
approaches that can be applied in solving the design problem.

A design problem should respond to the needs of the society. These societal needs may be in terms of
the challenges that a community is facing, the emerging demand for a certain service or facility, cultural
aspects of the society that require to be addressed, and many others. Gaining an understanding of these
needs should be coordinated with understanding the existing and proposed policy interventions put in
place to address these needs. This coordinated understanding is important because it informs the
resultant design brief and establishes the projects potential clients and intended users. These needs
may be identified through the conclusions made in the written thesis since the main objective of the thesis
is to conduct an architectural exploration. Existing research done by others may also bring out challenges
that a given community faces. Policy documents may also form a framework for establishing the societal
needs that define the design problem, especially if these documents contain flagship projects. An
architects observations through first-hand experience may also justify the needs to be addressed.
Futuristic utopian ideas may also form the basis of the design problem. However, these ideas should be
supported by research and policy documents that logically justify their relevance.

Once the societal problems have been identified, it is important to understand their context. This calls for
understanding the architecture associated with solving the identified problems. In doing this, one has to
acknowledge that they are not the first to come up with the architectural solution to the problem and thus
a study of the preceding solutions is required. Conducting this study involves clustering the existing
architectural solutions according to time, region, climatic context or even GDP. A longitudinal study
enables one to gain an understanding of the historical evolution of the solutions to the identified problem
and the factors that led to the application of the solutions provided at each particular time in history. One
may also gain an understanding of the parameters unique to each region that dictate the design of the
architectural solution. The difference in climatic contexts may also indicate how different climatic factors
influence the design of the solution. The economic status of different countries that have provided

1
solutions to the identified problems may also influence the aspects of the resultant design that were given
priority.

Having clustered the architectural solutions according to certain parameters and analysed the similarities
and differences and pros and cons of each, it is necessary to identify the elements that constitute the
architectural solution for addressing the design problem. At this stage, one is expected to identify the key
organising principles in the architecture associated with the area of study and how they are expressed or
articulated. There are many literature sources in existence that contain discussions about the elements
of architecture and their inherent possibilities in the articulation of form and definition of space, such as
the books by Christopher Alexander, Christopher Jones, Frank D. K. Ching and Cliff Moughtin. This level
also involves understanding the possible design methods and techniques that can be employed in
designing the architectural solution to the identified design problems. This may include understanding the
functional or spatial requirements associated with the architecture of the selected area of study.
Alternatively, it may involve highlighting the existing and emerging building technology used in
constructing the architectural solutions. The overall objective of identifying and studying these aspects is
to outline the primary design approach and thus the design challenge.

There are various design approaches that may be employed in any design project. For instance, one may
choose to emphasise on the architectural expression of the project and thus focus on the form-making
process. This may be the case if the design is meant to integrate symbolism or philosophical ideas or if
the designer seeks to achieve an iconic design. Alternatively, a particular field of study may require a
prioritisation of the space-making or way-finding process or the functional disposition and thus call for a
more canonical or rational design. These different approaches have an impact on the volumes and level
of articulation of the resultant designs. Although the designer may choose to use multiple design
approaches, there has to be a dominant or outstanding one that shows the designers contribution to the
field of study and thus forms the heart of the project.

It is also important to note that architecture often outlives the intended functions. With this in mind, a
design solution that takes into account the architecture independent of the function or rather, that
considers the ability of the design to accommodate other functions in future is more desirable than one
that does not. In an attempt to achieve this, one should take advantage of the inherent potentials of the
design problem and the potentials offered by the site context within which the project will be located.

BY: MALECHE DANIEL LUNALO

B02/39282/2011
2nd OCTOBER 2016