“We have design totally wrong. The standard image of design is you have something in your head and then you kind of put it in the world. And what we’re arguing is design is kind of the reverse. We’re playing in the world. Stuff happens that changes our sense of what we were doing, and in a way it produces us.”—Mark Wigley (2017)
Designers don't see the world how it is, but how it might be.
Building a culture of experimentation is what has allowed for innovation and creativity in areas of science, technology, and design. In our work, we value formulas with performance metrics that are proven to be predictable and consistent, however, our most exciting work encourages curiosity and exploration to produce elements of surprises. Good design is the synthesis of many ideas into a thoughtful whole, and while the steps listed below represent a linear path, the way we arrive at the final design isn’t always linear. It’s an iterative process, which leads to a product; it’s not a known product from the beginning. The product is the result of following the design process to its logical endpoint. This is what makes custom design so exciting and memorable – we create it together based on your specific situation and needs. At the end of the process, you’ll have a thoughtfully designed home and the shared experience of designing it.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
A GUIDE TO WORKING WITH HDDL
Below is an outline of the steps we’ll be taking together as we design your home. This process is meant to be fun, engaging, and democratic. It will involve sketches, drawings, computer models, lots of ideas – both good + bad - materials, thorough analysis, and good humor. The best outcomes are the result of following each of the steps below to completion.
Architects, for the most part, all use a similar series of steps to arrive at a finished home. There are six general phases:
Phase 1 Predesign – research and analysis of the problem, existing conditions, and budgeting.
Phase 2 Schematic Design – basic design concept generation
Phase 3 Design Development – refinement of the selected design concept from phase 2.
Phase 4 Construction Documents - detailed drawings, schedules and specifications
Phase 5 Contractor Selection – aid in contract award / negotiation with GC
Phase 6 Construction Observation – oversee construction + administration of the contract.