The Process of Design: Understanding

“Architecture, Vitruvius wrote, must provide utility, firmness, and beauty or, as Sir Henry Wotten later paraphrased it in the seventeenth century, commodity, firmness and delight” (Roth, 11). Commodity, firmness and delight are the three materials that compose the sum: design. Why open with the nautilus shell? Well, commodity, firmness and delight were the three aspects that I touched on in my admissions project (above). The Nautilus is composed of those three materials. First, it accommodates the animal living inside of it. The chambers of the shell (the camerae) change size as the nautilus grows, and the septa and siphuncles contribute to diet, ventilation and propulsion. Second, the structure is firm. The shell is composed of two layers, creating a durable thickness, and when the nautilus retreats into its shell, the opening is covered by a leathery hood (tentacles). Third, the shell is an obvious shell. When you find a nautilus shell on the beach, you pick it up, and see all the chambers inside, and guess that something used to live in there. The Nautilus Shell, along with many other designs (both natural and manmade) incorporate the parts of a whole: commodity, firmness and delight.

Commodity: n. something useful or valued (Merriam Webster’s Dictionary); the ability to accommodate (Patrick Lucas).

Vitruvius speaks about this idea of “utility”. Function is the “surface element” of design, and though it seems relatively straightforward, it’s more complex than some think. When thinking about commodity, a designer must acknowledge the future: What role will this building play in the years to come? This raises the topic of universal design, or “designing a building so that a possible future activity can be accommodated” (Roth, 14). Function is constantly changing, and therefore it is important to design something that will be able to adjust to change. There are three types of function: utilitarian, circulatory and symbolic. In utilitarian function, the building must accommodate multiple uses. In circulatory function, the goal is to “make appropriate spaces to accommodate, direct and facilitate movement from area to area” (Roth, 15). Last but not least, symbolic function is shown in a building when a building “makes a visible statement about its use” (Roth, 16). All of these types of function create a commodity, or in this case, a building that can be useful in the present, as well as the years to come. The chair that I designed for Pat portrays commodity. In utilitarian function, the chair serves as a seat, server, table AND workstation (multiple uses). In circulatory function, the chair directs the user to the seat to sit, to the bookshelf to store, or to the table to serve or work. In symbolic function, the chair blatantly states its uses in its design. Commodity varies within certain cultures. Depending on values, buildings will be used for different reasons.

Firmness: n. something that is securely fixed in place; not subject to change or fluctuation (Webster); structure (Patrick Lucas).

^Whole Building Design Guide

After commodity comes firmness. The structure of a building is what’s most apparent (Roth, 25). Obviously, it’s important that the structure of a building is sturdy and stable. In order to 

serve as a commodity, the building must be built with care. In our studio class, we have been asked to research and construct a mini-model of an interior metal frame wall. After researching, I have found many examples of the strong structure of a metal frame wall, and the multiple sources of support inside of it. There are two types of structure: physical structure and perceptual structure. Physical structure refers to the “literal bones of the building that do the work” and perceptual structure refers to “what we see” (Roth, 25). Oftentimes, we look at a piece of architecture and imagine ourselves inside of it. This is a result of our perception. 

Processes of structure have evolved over time, from the early Post-and-Lintel systems like those found in the pyramid of Khafre in Egypt, to domes like that on the pantheon, to suspension structures like the Brooklyn Bridge. Processes of structure can be tricky, though. The end directs the operation, which sometimes means that you will have to get to the end product of a design before knowing the flaws. However risky, firmness is always the goal in an end product.

Delight: n. great pleasure or satisfaction; something that gives great pleasure (Webster); aesthetics (Patrick Lucas).

^Dorothea Lange

The term “delight” could be interpreted in many different ways. In fact, it’s such a broad category that Roth devoted three chapters to delight. As I see it, delight has to do with appealing to the senses. “Delight involves how architecture engages all our senses, how it 

shapes our perception and enjoyment of (or discomfort with) our built environment” (Roth, 67). Whether it’s in a painting, a sculpture or a building, the creator must consider his/her audience. They must know, along with the end product, the resulting reaction. The above photo was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936 is intended to explain the struggles of the great depression. Though this photo is quite undelightful, Lange was thinking about her audience when she took this picture, wishing to enforce the idea that something must be done to end the depression. This photo appealed to the emotions of all viewers, and still does today. Delight varies from culture to culture, as well as firmness and commodity. For example, if I were to 

build a church for a third world country, I would not build a cathedral. The audience is an important aspect of design. In Chapter Three, Roth discusses the different means of space and how it is laid out to please the people using it. The way space is laid out affects behavior, in terms of direction. Some people tend to become stressed in small spaces, others feel more overwhelmed in larger spaces. In Chapter 4, Roth introduces the Gestalt principles, through which the mind interprets form and pattern. “The mind seeks to find utmost order and regularity, and even that the preferred state is absolute uniformity” (Roth, 69). This statement explains that the mind seeks delight in somewhat orderly aspects. However, the mind also seeks variety, which can be incorporated through rhythm, proportion, color, texture, pattern, 

light, and even ugliness. I know what you’re thinking… what does ugliness have to do with delight? Ugliness is a term used to describe inconformity. For some people, there is delight in difference. In the last chapter about delight, Roth discusses architectural acoustics. Hearing architecture? How? Roth gives examples of acoustically pleasing spaces, such as The Church of St. Thomas in Germany, where Bach directed music.

Illuminate: v. to supply or brighten with light; to make clear (Webster)
Rather than automatically referring to the text, I’m going to refer to our task to create an inspiration board last week. We were asked to think about design elements in our story (light, color, pattern, texture and scale) and how they were incorporated into our story. Looking over last week’s notes, it was interesting how clear the cycle of a story could be from light and color, instead of words. In the exercise that we did last week, we were asked to choose artifacts that describe us, in brief words and a drawing of an artifact. The CD above illuminates one of my interests. Like these aspects illuminated the highlights of the story, and like the way the artifact illuminated an interest, the design elements illuminate a design. They imply certain 

intentions without giving out a literal reason for the design. One thing that we spoke of in history is aedicule. Aedicule, by definition, is a way to subdivide space into units that we can understand. Aedicule illuminates space. For example, in a 16th century Basilica, the aedicule emphasizes the altar, therefore illuminating the importance of the building (worship). Our history classroom is divided into parts as well: The seats are for the students who sit and listen, while the stage (or in front of it) is where the authority is, and the aisle runs between the authority and time (the clock). In this case, aedicule illuminates hierarchy to a certain degree. 

Material: n. of or relating to matter rather than form; the elements of which something is composed.

Material is a major part of design. Obviously, this is because it is what composes a design. Oftentimes, people make direct connections between material and things such as fabric or paper. Yes, these are materials. But when the word material is used in the design world, it's not just talking about what textured object you used to make something. A second definition for the word "material" is "something of importance or significance". What are the significant 

aspects that make a design? In order for me to clearly explain the differences, I will use the word "stuff" to refer to things such as fabric, and paper, and I will use the word "material" to 

refer to the significant aspects incorporated. In the artifact that I created for my story, I used important material to make it. When I say I used important material, I mean that I wove many 

different ideas into it. I made a pair of "nature goggles". These goggles are intended to portray the essence of my fairytale: a boy is accused of being too simple, though he sees nature with much depth, and in return, nature gives to him. Each different piece of "stuff" represents "material". The paper with the green, blue and purple colors represent a lens of nature, and there are multiple circles of paper to represent depth. The gold wire represents a sound connection with nature. The sticks are also there to emphasize the theme of nature. This second definition of the word "material" leads to the theory of "material culture", which I will discuss in my next investigation.

Idiom: n. the language peculiar to a person or group; an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words (Webster)

^Stonehenge

Last week, we discussed material culture, and the tendency for there to be multiple meanings attached to certain things. I chose to portray this word with a vignette, because vignettes are intended to tell a story without words. They are open to any interpretation. To someone who is hungry, the vignette might further that hunger to, perhaps, a 3 o'clock snack. A poor person might resent this vignette because he or she cannot afford to pay for this food. In his book Subculture: The Meaning of Style, Dick Hebdige analyzes subcultures. He explains that there are many meanings behind one object, whether it’s through alternative expressions (idomatics), relationships between elements an a way of life, or meanings in code. Roland Barthes further supports this idea of “mass culture” where the results of social meanings become universal, applying to more than one culture. This theory supports the idea of semiotics, which includes the study of how meaning is constructed and understood, as well as the study and multi-meanings of signs and symbols. Idioms apply to design in ways common to these studies. Idioms are shown in the connection between the three types of functions (circulatory, utilitarian and symbolic). There is often a symbolic meaning behind the construction of a building. For example, the pyramids look like they were created to “hold lots and lots of stuff”, and they were. But furthermore, they were created to portray a sense of spirit, to emphasize the importance of the afterlife. Referring back to our Stonehenge theme last week, people are having a hard time specifying the reason for it's existence. Some believe that it serves as a sundial which marks the solstice and the equinox. Others believe that it is a way of marking earth for the gods in the heavens. Archaeologists have found evidence that it may be as part of a funeral procession. Maybe it simultaneously covered all 3? So there’s your idiom- Design requires the acknowledgement of so many aspects, that it is impossible for a design to have only one meaning.