101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (The MIT Press)

by Matthew Frederick

Being nonspecific in an effort to appeal to everyone usually results in reaching no one. But drawing upon a specific observation, poignant statement, ironic point, witty reflection, intellectual connection, political argument, or idiosyncratic belief in a creative work can help you create environments others will identify with in their own way.

Designing in idea-specific ways will not limit the ways in which people use and understand your buildings; it will give them license to bring their own interpretations and idiosyncrasies to them.

When drawing in any medium, never work at a "100% level of detail" from one end of the sheet toward the other, blank end of the sheet. Instead, start with the most general elements of the composition and work gradually toward the more specific aspects of it.

Give your horizontal strokes a slight upward tilt. If they slope downward, your letters will look tired.

When designing a stair, window, column, roof, lobby, elevator core, or any other aspect of a building, always consider how its design can express and reinforce the essential idea of the building.

But a good designer understands the erosion of a parti as a helpful indication of where a project needs to go next. When complications in the design process ruin your scheme, change-or if necessary, abandon-your parti. But don't abandon having a parti, and don't dig in tenaciously in defense of a scheme that no longer works. Create another parti that holistically incorporates all that you now know about the building.