(Editor’s note: This is part of a series of architectural commentaries and critiques that run in San Diego Uptown News every other issue. The opinions are those of the author.)
By Eric Domeier
There are great interiors and buildings in our community. And then there are the rest. Some are fair, and some are disastrous. If an owner wants a great product, how do they ensure that that’s what they’ll get? Here are a few tips.
LET GO OF THE OUTCOME
Architectural and interior design is a complex calculus. It is a process of balancing project needs, code restrictions, and economic viability. All the while instilling sound design principles and a conscious aesthetic.
The first meeting with your designer will likely be focused on defining the program, the architectural needs of the project. This will include a list of spaces, their uses, size, and adjacencies to one another. Space adjacency may be the most nuanced yet powerful aspect of the project.
Zoning analysis is conducted in parallel to program development. This will balance project needs with what the city will allow. Knowing the basic requirements and parameters of the project, the owner and designer work together to set out realistic economic goals for the project.
Only now can a meaningful creative process begin. So, if one arrives at the first meeting with a determined outcome, it is akin to showing up to the first day of class with a finished term paper. The owner will have eliminated all other possible solutions that could have grown from a conscious, collaborative, and informed process.
KNOW YOUR VALUES
Whether it is your intention, design represents your values. And in some circumstances, it represents them in a very public manner.
So know your values. You might be a person of financial prudence. Perhaps you are austere and always seeking the shortest path between two points. Or maybe you are curious, expressively pushing boundaries. Whichever the case, being clear about your passions and values is paramount because these values will inform your decisions.
Having clarity about one’s values produces two documents. The first is a design-concept statement. This can be as brief as one word and as creative as a haiku. The concept statement outlines what the project is to represent. The second document is a bulleted definition of “success” for the project. This is a brief list of the qualities of the project that, if achieved, will make you exceedingly pleased.
As a sidebar, what about the for-profit development? As an investor, a project’s design concept and success-matrix may be the same — to quickly move into the market with high return and low risk. And while the business of land development is an important one, it is equally important to create good public places. So, as a savvy business-person launching your next endeavor, tap into the cultural locale of your next project and let your design team develop a marketable design concept. In the end, the community will support your project if the project supports the community.
PREPARE TO BE DISAPPOINTED
The design process is cyclical. It often begins with a plain idea (and sometimes a bad one), which methodically evolves into a great one. If on their second meeting, an owner is expecting a mind-blowing rendering with every corner of the project a perfectly resolved solution, that individual will need an aspirin when the meeting is over.
Instead, prepare for some frustration at the outset. Like any art, the early cycles of design can be clumsy. It’s a scientific process of testing solutions, rejecting failures, and building on successes. Embracing this process will allow both owner and designer to quickly and efficiently evolve a project.
TRUST YOUR DESIGNER
After watching a few seasons of HGTV, design starts to seem like a magical talent bestowed upon the lucky few. And if that’s the case, then any of us can convince ourselves that we are bestowed. In truth, design is a skill borne of extensive training. Having endured hundreds of formal critiques and having sat through thousands of hours of design classes, your designer is an expert in their field.
Local designer Dara Simic states, “A client’s willingness to trust our design expertise can make or break the outcome.”
So, trust your designer.
But challenge them as well. You should have established early on that your aesthetics overlap with your designer’s. A detailed program has been developed. A design concept conceived. And you’ve ridden the bumpy road of early schematic design. If all that is true, you are on solid ground to challenge your designer on the performance of the design in an informed manner.
WRAP UP
Great projects are borne out of early and conscious intentions. By simply trusting the process, the owner can motivate and inspire their design team. Good process often creates unintended and serendipitous results. The outcome is likely to be something that will exceed the owner’s vision and expectations.
Along with making inspiring and functional spaces, the very best projects reflect the values of their owners. And in a vibrant neighborhood like ours, it is the mixing pot of all our creative efforts that helps make us a community.
—Eric Domeier lives in North Park and practices architecture from his Grim Avenue office. Visit his website at dome-arch.com or call him at 619-531-0010.
