In the next couple of posts I am going to share with you something that will help you be more assertive, bring more clarity and reduce unwelcome surprises during the design process.
Everything starts with a seed. In a way a thought is a seed of something we will do, speak, or behave.
A well nurtured seed grows into a beautiful tree, an amazing human being starts with a seed, and our creations start with a thought. It is at that point, whether we realize it or not, that we decide what kind of end result we will have. After all, it is not possible to harvest oranges from an apple tree. It is such an important step, and sometimes highly overlooked.
Continuing with the tree analogy, after nurturing and developing the seed, the roots begin to grow. They give structure and a solid base to the tree. For a house, the equivalent would be the foundations. The strength of those foundations is a big component in the future stability of any project or structure.
Both the roots and foundations are not visible once we have the product. Sure, we can excavate the property and do a foundation assessment, but they are not usually out in the open.
Sometimes we put so much attention to all the things that we see, the aesthetics, the colors, the layout, the proportions. All those aspects are very important, but without a good seed and a strong foundation, all the effort put into those visible components is just a waste.
The seed in the design process would be the Planning and concept design. Some people see the value of investing in the beginning of the project, and they are already one or several steps ahead.
Others however, are not very familiar with the pre-design phase. In that group I see two trends: they either seem to already know exactly what they want and want to jump to the drawing and permit production, or they are not sure of what they want, but expect to get to the result without much exploration. While either of those last two are valid approaches, they rarely produce quality results without an early assessment by a professional. It sometimes may work with small projects, but the larger and more complex the project, the stronger “roots”, or analysis is recommended.
When we start a project, we worry about the permit, construction, and the product. We try to run as fast as possible to that stage. However, the success and wellbeing of a building project or a structure is hidden in the parts that are not physically exposed!
Do you want to learn more about that special hidden part in the design process?
Look for my next post, where I will share more about pre-design.
In the meantime, I will leave you with something interesting:
Do you know what is the world’s tallest tree?
The Hyperion tree, a coast redwood
In California (sequoia sempervirens)
measures around 380.1 feet (115.85 m)
It was discovered in 2006 by naturalist
Chris Atkings and Michael Taylor.
It was found in a remote area of the
Redwood National and State Parks.
Thank you for your support!
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Gracias!
Citlalli
Beautiful trees still rise from ugly seeds.
Matshona Dhilwayo
References:
-Hyperion (tree)
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Special thanks to my editor, Ilya Godes!
Citlalli is an architect and a mom who enjoys
finding the extraordinary around us and
understanding what makes each person thrive.
She believes that art, and good design should
be accessible, and her motivation is to help build
a better world for the next generations.
She has worked on residential and commercial
projects for 15 years, and decided to open her own
studio in Los Angeles, California, aimed to make
great architecture accessible and affordable to more people.
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