Is Design Balance at Play in your Building?
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Image: wauter de tuinkabouter | Flickr
Great architecture exists as a rich conversation between critical parts. I know that is fairly basic — but when you start to consider all of the parts that go into a building it sometimes can become muddled as to which parts are most important and some may be forgotten all together.
Rich Balance for the Visually Impaired Occupant
I recently came across a great model by which to think about architectural design balance. Yes, balance is more that just a visual experience. So, to take this a step further lets explore what it would be like to achieve great architectural balance to best accommodate the visually impaired occupant.
By considering how to design for an occupant that puts less emphasis on the visual sense — it becomes clearer just how important balance is for good architectural design. In this example, there are three main parts that need to be in meaningful dialogue and, thus, balanced: they are aesthetic, function and economy. Now, by removing the visual aspect to our hypothetical design project, you as an architect, may begin to think of each in new ways: (1)
It is interesting that aesthetics for a visually impaired occupant may mean that you design more variation using pleasing acoustic, textural and even olfactory stimuli. Similarly, functional requirements may mean that you pay attention to flooring and other material textures, aural stimuli or even renewed wayfinding techniques. (1)
Now — balancing the budgetary requirements means that you must wisely use the budget to provide an array of useful, practical and meaningful building features to not just accommodate the visually impaired person — but to take them on a stimulating experiential architectural journey. (1)
Hence, balancing without the visual sense in play should give you a mind-shift so your designs are not only more accessible but are actually more integrated and fully dimensional architectural works.
When Something Feels Balanced
Balance means more than just getting the physics of your building to aesthetically and structurally “hold” — both on the drawing board and on the construction site. Architectural balance means designing for all the senses so that your built environment yields a rich architecturally designed fabric that meets more people’s needs.
When something “feels” balanced its pieces and parts seem to need one another to “stand up”, their conversation becomes an orchestration. Hence, the experience of such a design becomes a pleasure because of its comprehensive beauty and inherent rhythms.
Balance may seem simple on the surface, but in reality it can be quite challenging and complex to truly achieve. But when it works, there arises a most beautiful equilibrium state.
Please Tell Me What You Think
I would really like to get your feedback on my post today, so please leave me a comment in the form below. And if you enjoyed it, make sure you share it with your Twitter followers by “tweeting” it using the re-tweet button on this page.
(1) The Equilibrium of Appropriate Balance and Econo-Functional Aesthetic Balance.
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Hi María,
I really liked this post because for me it turned out to be somewhat poetic. The balance of the design, how people experience architecture, harmony and beauty. It all reminded me to Alberti and his texts about beauty, and how it is achieved by the harmony between the parts to such a degree that you can’t subtract or add anything without altering (and worsening) the whole. I always loved this part of Alberti’s re aedificatoria.
Your posts give me that poetic feeling and are so insightful that always make me question my way of designing. Thank you for a wonderful blog!
Love,
Mónica
I sincerely thank you for this post. You have captured the essence of the “Blind Design Paradox” in a most poetic way. Harmony created by appropriate balance in architectural design is important. It is the way for a design to reach a higher potential and become something more.
More on this subject would certainly be of interest.
Thanks again,
Bill
Mónica and William,
I agree that the subject of harmony and balance is a core component to achieving great architecture. As architects, we all try to improve our work with each project that we do — and truly understanding harmony and balance can have a tremendous rippling effect which will make our designs reach their fullest potential.
Thank you for your kind words. I am really encouraged by feedback like yours.
Maria
As a Landscape Designer/Contractor I’m as or more interested in the concept of balance, obviously, especially in a visual sense and in a sense to get my work to flow with the work of the building architect. I, too often, find that I get brought into the process after the home has basically come to a final design, which is fine, I can still do my job, but when brought in earlier in the process, it is easier to create that sense of harmony, and we have two or more design minds trying to understand the clients lives and their aims at how to they wish to “live in” their property as a whole, instead of the house and the outdoor landscape and structures being an entirely different set of ideas.
In a very real sense, my goal is to create an “outdoor room” or set or rooms that are of concomitant interest and flow naturally from the complete design of the building structure. I find when I’m in contact with the building architect that there is a much clearer sense of communication between all parties involved and I often wind up trading ideas with the building designer that help us both bring our game to a slightly higher level and increase the overall harmony and flow of the project in its entirety.
I’ve taken time to study as much psychology as I can because I find clients often do not have the concrete sense of what they want or what will work for them because they lack the experience, the vocabulary or design nomenclature to fully explain it to me. So instead of guessing or making it a process of pulling teeth, by reading their body language, mood, relationships during meetings and getting a basic understanding of how they prosecute their lives on a day to day basis, I am able to understand “the flow of their lifestyle”, and therefore give them something closer to truly meeting their needs in a way that enabls them to use the products or designs I have provided them with to the fullest extent, also thereby giving them the most use-value for their dollar. I try not to even begin designing or throwing ideas at them until I have completed some of this process of getting to understand their lives and find it not only give us all a better finished product, but saves me time on wasted ideas as well.
David,
I think you make excellent points about how important it is to facilitate communication and a convergence of ideas during the design process. I agree that the “marriage” between the landscape design and architecture should complement not only one another, but also the lives and needs of the occupants which they serve.
Thank you for your comments.