Design Class: make analysis your friend

Have you ever had a designer ask if you’ve done any analysis?

Has it given you pause for concern, wondering if the headscarf and Jackie O sunnies you’ve been wearing to your therapy appointments are not proving such a great disguise after all? 

Fear not.

The type of analysis we’re talking about will leave your darkest thoughts blissfully unprodded, whilst helping you clearly and methodically understand what’s going on in your own back yard.

Site Analysis

A site analysis is best undertaken before starting any design work. Your designer should carry out her own analysis, based on research and observations on site.

You’re carrying out your own site analysis when you notice things that occur at different parts of the garden, at different times of day or year.  All of these observations can be compiled onto one or more site analysis diagrams.  We'll start with a simple plan that shows the location of your house on its site: 

Here are 5 things to consider when analysing your site: 

1.  Orientation

We’ve discussed Orientation in an earlier Design 101 post, so check in here to learn why it’s important to know where the sun rises and sets in relation to your place. 

2.  Noise

Whether it’s the teenage drum champion next door or the birdsong from the trees up the road, it’s useful to understand the source of both welcome and unwelcome sounds. 

3.  Views and Privacy

Who can see you, and who can you see from different parts of your property?  Where are there great views? 

4.  Drainage

What happened in the last big downpour? Where did the water go? Did it flow freely and soak away quickly, or did it pond in one place for ages? 

5.  Access and movement

Are there some parts of your garden you never use (or maintain) because it’s just too hard to get there? What about the connections between important destinations, like the house or street?  Where do different types of movement intersect: vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles? How about fencing: are there fences and gates, and who or what are they protecting - kids in? cars out? pets in?

In our next Design 101 we will complete our Top 10 things to analyse on your site before starting design. We will spend more time in future posts looking at different ways you could respond to your findings. Everyone’s response will be different, but the important thing is to start with a clear understanding of what physical conditions you have to work with on your particular site.

Now it’s over to you.

Look at your garden (or house, or room, or park) again with fresh eyes, and quickly run through these first 5 points of analysis.  How many of these items are things you’ve always been aware of, without describing what you were doing as a site analysis?  How many other things have you just noticed, even though they were there all along.

Let me know in the comments section.

Of course, if you found this interesting and useful, why not double the fun and share it with a friend. 

Design Class: learning to love the scale

Have you ever had a designer ask what you think of the scale? Has it given you pause for concern, filling your mind with dread at the thought that last night’s seven course degustation with matching wine flight is already showing round your middle?

Fear not.

The type of scale we’re talking about here is nowhere near as scary as the ‘number-climbing-higher’ machines that we keep hidden in the bathroom so they don’t steal our will to live.

This type of scale should be treated with respect though, as it also has the ability to make you feel either very comfortable or very uncomfortable in a space.

Scale describes how something – a building, chair, tree, sculpture - sits in relation to its context. Something is called ‘out of scale’ when it’s perceived to be either too big or too small for its location, causing the overall effect to appear out of balance.

Let’s say you were considering adding a fountain of some sort to your courtyard garden, fed from recycled water you’d collected. Here’s your garden now…

...and here are two options for your fountain.

Option 1: 

...and Option 2:

What do you think?

You might feel that the first fountain is ‘out of scale’ because it is too small, and barely draws attention to itself.

You might also feel that the second fountain is also ‘out of scale’, this time for being too big, overwhelming the space and threatening to drench you whenever you walk past.

The right scale fountain for your garden is probably somewhere in between the two.

What happens though, if you quite like the dramatic effect of that great big fountain?

Is it OK to play around with scale?

Sure, if that helps you create the effect you’re after.

Say you spend a lot of time reading in the garden and drinking cups of tea – it’s what you do to relax.

You might deliberately choose to have an over-size (‘out of scale’) garden chair to celebrate your favourite thing.

Scale is one of the many Spatial Qualities you have available to create the house, garden, park or city you love.

Once you start noticing the scale of different elements and spaces, you’ll feel clearer about what you consider to be 'in' or 'out' of scale, and can more confidently engage in the design process for your project.

Now it’s over to you.

Have you ever visited a place (maybe a garden or a park) and noticed that one or more elements was out of scale? How did this affect your experience and what do you think would have improved it?

Let me know in the comments section.

Of course, if you found this interesting and useful don’t forget to share with a friend, and I’ll see you soon for more Design 101.

Design Class: elephants never forget...and they can teach you how to read drawings

Have you ever had a designer invite you to go through some drawings? Has this given you pause for concern, worried that you’ll be confronted with a pile of papers full of squiggles and lines that make no sense whatsoever? 

Fear not.

This is actually a really common concern.  For some it can be worrying enough that they actually delay a much dreamed-about project.  Of course, your designer should be doing everything possible to guide you through, but it’s still important that you can read drawings with confidence.

Why?

You can make sure that everything you’ve discussed and agreed with your designer is incorporated.

You have a clearer idea of what the finished product will look like and how it will function.

You will feel more empowered and able to participate fully in the design process – after all, having your new house, garden or renovation designed should be an exciting and rewarding experience!

Today we’ll start right at the beginning, and look at the basic principles of reading drawings. And as this fear is often the elephant in the room at design meetings, we’ll use one of those lovely creatures as our life model for this session. 

Most projects will start with planning. Plans are the way designers make sure everything is in the right location and that everything will function properly.

Plans

Plans show what your project looks like from above.  A ground floor plan shows the building level closest to the ground, and it usually shows what’s happening about a metre above the actual ground level.  Our elephant pal Trunky’s ground floor plan would look something like this:

Buildings usually have a roof plan too. Imagine you were in a plane flying overhead. If you looked down, what would you see?  For our obliging friend it would be something like this:

Elevations

What about how the outside looks?  To describe that we use Elevations. Each elevation shows what the project looks like from a different side.  To describe Trunky we would use a front elevation,

a rear elevation,

and a side elevation:

Sections

The next thing to describe is how things are made, and how the different spaces work in three dimensions. To do this we use Sections. A section is like a slice through the building or garden.  Sections show things such as how the ground floor and upper floor work together; how stairs work; or how a swimming pool sits in the ground next to a terrace.

Let’s see what’s going on inside Trunky. If you imagined him sliced in half through from trunk to tail, and looked at the cut surface, you’d get a section something like this:

So there you have it.  You can apply this technique to reading any drawings, and it’s easy if you stop and remember that:

Plans show something from above;

Elevations show the surfaces of something from outside;

And Sections are slices through something to see how they fit together on the inside.

Of course, things can get more detailed (and potentially more confusing!) than this, and there are different types of drawings for different stages of a project, but these basic principles remain the same.

Now it’s over to you.  Have you ever been surprised with the way something has turned out on a project, because you weren’t 100% certain from the drawings how it was going to work?  What else would you like to know that would help you read drawings more confidently?

Let me know in the comments section.

Design Class: but how does it make you feel?

Have you ever heard designers speak about the way something feels?

Has it given you pause for concern, worried that any moment now someone's going to grab your hands, look deep into your eyes and ask you to share your feelings? 

Fear not.

What we're talking about here are the qualities that affect how you feel when you’re in a particular room, garden, house, building, park, or city - any place really. 

How does this place make you feel?

A bit freaked out, maybe? Is it overwhelming?  The edges are a long way away if you're standing there in the middle. There’s nowhere to find shelter or privacy.  Everything you did would be on full display.  Unless you're a despotic dictator with need to frequently remind your peoples of your terrific might and power, you'd be unlikely to feel especially relaxed in such a place.

How about this place?

It’s different, isn’t it? It’s a lot more enclosing and protective for one.  Perhaps you find it more welcoming.

This one?

Some people might find this place private, secure and serene. Others might find it a bit isolating.

Why is this important?

If you start to notice and understand how different places make you feel, it’s much easier to describe how you want places in your home or garden to feel. And once you know, it’s much, much easier to work towards achieving that feeling, or quality.

There’s lots of ways to achieve the quality you’re after, and we’ll talk about some of them in future Design 101 topics.

Now it’s over to you.

Think about your favourite place, either at home or somewhere you’ve visited.  Now tell me what qualities it has – how does it make you feel when you’re there?

Let me know in the comments section.

If you found this useful and interesting, consider sharing it with a friend, and I’ll see you soon for more Design 101.

Design Class: learning to love your orientation

Have you ever heard designers speak about orientation? Has it given you pause for concern, worried that your penchant for wearing latex and scuba suits in manners for which they were not originally intended is about to be revealed? 

Fear not.

The orientation we’re discussing here, if properly understood, will actually make it easier and more comfortable to enjoy the things you want to do in the privacy of your own home and garden.

So what is orientation?

Orientation simply means the location of your garden and home in relation to the sun.

In Australia the sun rises in the east, travels through the sky to reach the north at noon, before descending again to a western sunset. In summer the sun is high, and in winter it is lower. 

Why is this important?

If you live in northern Queensland and you want to have Christmas lunch outside on your new deck, then you don't need me to tell you that you need to understand where the sun’s going to be at come midday. Once you know, you can make sure the deck is placed where it can be shaded by trees, roofing or a combo of the two.

On the other hand, if you live in high country Tasmania, you'll probably want to plan your deck and garden so you’ll be warm and sheltered. Seems pretty obvious when you think about it, but you'd be surprised how many houses have been built that don't take account of this simple, yet significant factor.

This approach translates through every aspect and detail of designing your home, garden and landscape.

Do you have bizarre night time rituals that require long, uninterrupted sleep-ins? Maybe don’t put your bedroom on the east side of the house. 

Like to swim in a cool oasis, out of the sun? Maybe put your pool to the south, or make sure there’s space for a dense surrounding garden with shade trees. 

Want to grow a kitchen garden? Make sure adjacent buildings or trees aren’t over-shadowing the space. 

And finally, if you do wish to loll on the lawn in your scuba suit, then maybe some strategically placed sun shading will protect your privates from poaching, and your neighbours from nosying. 

Now it’s over to you. How did you enjoy the first lesson in Design 101? What would you like to learn about next? Let me know what weird words you've heard designers use that you'd like clarified. And finally, let me know how understanding your orientation is going to free you up to think more creatively about how you plan things in your home and garden, scuba suit or not.