There are only 4 Basic Elements of Design. Seriously.

If you’ve already read up on architecture before or consider yourself to be some sort of design aficionado, I invite you to empty your cup and be a little kid again. Sometimes our minds overcomplicate our conceptions, which makes us more closed off to learning. All preconceived notions gone? Good. Now, understand this simple truth:

Designing only has four basic elements. Point, Line, Plane, and Volume.

No, an elliptic paraboloid is not a basic element of design – that’s merely a kind of volume. Nor is a pulse of light with a wavelength of 652 nanometers a basic element of design – that’s merely a line. Continue reading The 4 Basic Elements that Designers Use. →

I’d like you to imagine that you are are a baker who is itching to make a fresh batch of cookies.

You’ve prepared your dough, and have proceeded to roll it as a flat sheet on the table. The next step, is to take out your forms and cut out the cookie shapes.

Tell me, how would you go about in cutting up your cookies?
Would you try and carefully place the forms tightly together in order to not waste dough?
Would you space them out evenly according to a certain standard so they don’t expand into each other in the oven?
Would you cut them up without a care in the world because you’re just going to re-roll and reuse the residual dough anyway?

In the context of design, the parts within the cookie outlines are positive spaces and the residual dough themselves are negative spaces.

Continue reading Positive and Negative Space. So basic, yet so important. →

Understanding Architecture is like getting punched in the face.

Architecture is complex; there is so much bubbling under the surface that people tend to take it for granted. Maybe it’s because that experiencing architecture is a sneaky little devil – it instantly affects our psyche without us knowing that it is doing so. But if you were to actually study how your brain works (luckily for us, the awesome scientists have already taken the reigns on that one; thanks guys.) you’d find that we understand architecture on 3 fundamental levels. Like unwrapping a present through its layered packaging or savoring a candy bar from crispy exterior to chewy core – the way we perceive architecture is a layered experience.

I like comparing experiencing architecture to boxing, specifically getting hit by a jab-straight-hook combination.

Each punch has a specific purpose, and when done right, the flurry results in a spectacular knockout. Continue reading Architecture and Boxing? The Connection. →

What do architects work with?

The architect’s life basically revolves around three things – Space, People and Time. We care about designing great spaces for people, that will be experienced over the passage of time. On a technical level, it can be said that architecture is the art and science of the definition and articulation of space. From here, you can see that at the core of everything, space is our medium. Much like how a composer orchestrates music, an architect orchestrates space- making it purposeful, beautiful, and sturdy to stand the test of time.

Continue reading The Architect, Space, People, and Time. →