Design Phases

We distinguish between three major design phases: the Sketch Design phase (evaluate a basic design), the Preliminary Design phase (communicate with the client and/or the building authorities) and the Construction Design phase (communicate with the building contractor, on site).

Scale Levels

We also distinguish between three scale levels: the masterplan level (where we describe the site and the main building elements/blocks), the block level (where the spaces/rooms inside a building block are described) and the space level (which handles the separate physical building elements, like walls, floors, openings etc.). In theory we can extend them with higher and lower-scale levels, e.g. urban scale and material scale.

Tests

A designer can perform evaluations (tests) in these different design phases and/or scale levels. The tests are adapted to the design phase or scale level. As such, a rough test, with very limited parameters can be executed early in the design process, while a more elaborate test could be performed in a later design phase, when more detailed information is available.