Hello all! I have been in school for architecture for a while now and have always loved making beautiful, complicated BIG-esque diagrams for studio. However, when I have worked professionally, it feels like there is either not enough time, not enough budget, or just not enough interest to make any at all. We push representation so much in school.....but professionally it feels like only the big, shiny design firms actually make diagrams consistently. I am trying to do a little research into if this is just the way things are now, or if I am just wrong!
Thoughts? Do "regular" firms spend time on full-blown diagrams? If not, why? If so, how?!
The types of diagrams I'm taking about:
Non Sequitur
Jun 6, 24 4:54 pm
Who do you think pays for this? Very few projects have juicy fees to justify multiple versions of fancy graphics... and what you see published may very well have been created for marketing after the design is established. We do some diagrams during design but we have to stay aware of the time spent so that we can still function as a business.
gwharton
Jun 6, 24 5:05 pm
It was common at the last three big firms I worked with. You usually see it with larger, more complicated projects since it's important to communicate the basic organizing ideas in a way that's easier for laypeople to understand.
Wood Guy
Jun 6, 24 5:07 pm
From what I've seen, the architecture schools that actually prepare you for working in the architecture industry are not very well regarded. I'm a residential designer but the most I've seen done are basic parti diagrams, and even those are rarely appreciated by clients. These days I just jump into sketching and share a well-developed schematic design with clients, and they seem happy.
Chad Miller
Jun 6, 24 5:29 pm
As others have said - the project needs to have the fees (aka the money) to have presentation diagrams. We're a smaller firm (12 people) and we only do presentation diagrams on projects with a construction budget at least $150 million. Typically, these projects are public and the presentation diagrams are needed to communicate things to the public.
pj_heavy
Jun 6, 24 7:04 pm
Anything and everything is a diagram / have a look at FOA work on the Yokohama terminal. Even Lebeuas Woods works are diagram/paintings/ everything…lol.
curtkram
Jun 7, 24 9:56 am
diagrams are common on big projects. it helps to establish the design basis early on, and communicate the design intent. if you're diagrams are complicated, you probably failed both at establishing a cohesive design approach and at communicating that design. the diagramming process should help you simplify the idea to something that can eventually be built.
i didn't see an image or link to the types of diagrams you're talking about.
jjoa
Jun 7, 24 10:29 am
Yes, I apologize for the missing images. First post problems...
jjoa
Jun 7, 24 10:31 am
Thank you to everyone for your responses! They were very helpful. The diagrams found at this link are the style I was referencing: https://www.novatr.com/blog/ar...
gwharton
Jun 7, 24 12:49 pm
Those diagrams are nice and all, but also show modern architecture's dependency on using computers for everything. That may also be why some people are saying here that there's no money for doing them on smaller projects. But if you just do a hand-sketch diagram, it takes ten minutes or so and costs very little. The effect is the same if the diagram concept is any good. Otherwise, the diagram wasn't really necessary to begin with.
graphemic
Jun 7, 24 1:44 pm
Not so many conceptual, fancy diagrams. When they work, they're simple and stick around for a long time.
However. The majority of my design and coordination happens through diagrams. It's loads of fun. Of course there's enormous effort required to draft and check drawings, but when you're doing a quick study, proposing an idea, directing a consultant... it's diagrams. Simple, graphic communication. Color, font size, composition, shape... all those things have a huge influence on how well you're able to communicate. And that in turn influences how well you're regarded as a worker. We're information managers, after all.
So yes, the diagrams made in school are extremely valuable. As is the case with most pedagogies, you're learning the skills (communicating) more than the procedures (pretty image).
graphemic
Jun 7, 24 1:47 pm
Just clicked on your link to the diagrams in question. Yes. Yes we make these all the time, especially for client/public/AHJ presentations. They're made during very specific points in the project, however, and can be used again and again. What I'm describing above in terms of practice is much more important IMO in terms of your own performance.
zonker
Jun 7, 24 4:03 pm
Many firms I worked at, we make 3D diagrams, in Sketchup, Revit and Rhino - why? to work out proforma to determine economics on multi-family projects, massing studies and the client paid for these studies. Nothing flashy, just a stack of boxes with area schedules and cost/SF estimates.
OM..
Jun 11, 24 9:11 am
we still make diagrams but not as beautiful or complicated as in school. in school, the best diagramming has so much depth so annotations, line weights, and rendering or color underlays (think of what the ETSAM produces). it can become a real art.
at work we want the workflow to be quick and easy. so a white model enscape export with line weights all already baked in and so arrow in AI (or directly in slides) will get you 70% of the way there.
Josh Mings
Jun 11, 24 10:16 am
Occasionally, but it's been mainly for competitions and post-concept marketing.
Hello all! I have been in school for architecture for a while now and have always loved making beautiful, complicated BIG-esque diagrams for studio. However, when I have worked professionally, it feels like there is either not enough time, not enough budget, or just not enough interest to make any at all. We push representation so much in school.....but professionally it feels like only the big, shiny design firms actually make diagrams consistently. I am trying to do a little research into if this is just the way things are now, or if I am just wrong!
Thoughts? Do "regular" firms spend time on full-blown diagrams? If not, why? If so, how?!
The types of diagrams I'm taking about:
Who do you think pays for this? Very few projects have juicy fees to justify multiple versions of fancy graphics... and what you see published may very well have been created for marketing after the design is established. We do some diagrams during design but we have to stay aware of the time spent so that we can still function as a business.
It was common at the last three big firms I worked with. You usually see it with larger, more complicated projects since it's important to communicate the basic organizing ideas in a way that's easier for laypeople to understand.
From what I've seen, the architecture schools that actually prepare you for working in the architecture industry are not very well regarded. I'm a residential designer but the most I've seen done are basic parti diagrams, and even those are rarely appreciated by clients. These days I just jump into sketching and share a well-developed schematic design with clients, and they seem happy.
As others have said - the project needs to have the fees (aka the money) to have presentation diagrams. We're a smaller firm (12 people) and we only do presentation diagrams on projects with a construction budget at least $150 million. Typically, these projects are public and the presentation diagrams are needed to communicate things to the public.
Anything and everything is a diagram / have a look at FOA work on the Yokohama terminal. Even Lebeuas Woods works are diagram/paintings/ everything…lol.
diagrams are common on big projects. it helps to establish the design basis early on, and communicate the design intent. if you're diagrams are complicated, you probably failed both at establishing a cohesive design approach and at communicating that design. the diagramming process should help you simplify the idea to something that can eventually be built.
i didn't see an image or link to the types of diagrams you're talking about.
Yes, I apologize for the missing images. First post problems...
Thank you to everyone for your responses! They were very helpful. The diagrams found at this link are the style I was referencing: https://www.novatr.com/blog/ar...
Those diagrams are nice and all, but also show modern architecture's dependency on using computers for everything. That may also be why some people are saying here that there's no money for doing them on smaller projects. But if you just do a hand-sketch diagram, it takes ten minutes or so and costs very little. The effect is the same if the diagram concept is any good. Otherwise, the diagram wasn't really necessary to begin with.
Not so many conceptual, fancy diagrams. When they work, they're simple and stick around for a long time.
However. The majority of my design and coordination happens through diagrams. It's loads of fun. Of course there's enormous effort required to draft and check drawings, but when you're doing a quick study, proposing an idea, directing a consultant... it's diagrams. Simple, graphic communication. Color, font size, composition, shape... all those things have a huge influence on how well you're able to communicate. And that in turn influences how well you're regarded as a worker. We're information managers, after all.
So yes, the diagrams made in school are extremely valuable. As is the case with most pedagogies, you're learning the skills (communicating) more than the procedures (pretty image).
Just clicked on your link to the diagrams in question. Yes. Yes we make these all the time, especially for client/public/AHJ presentations. They're made during very specific points in the project, however, and can be used again and again. What I'm describing above in terms of practice is much more important IMO in terms of your own performance.
Many firms I worked at, we make 3D diagrams, in Sketchup, Revit and Rhino - why? to work out proforma to determine economics on multi-family projects, massing studies and the client paid for these studies. Nothing flashy, just a stack of boxes with area schedules and cost/SF estimates.
we still make diagrams but not as beautiful or complicated as in school. in school, the best diagramming has so much depth so annotations, line weights, and rendering or color underlays (think of what the ETSAM produces). it can become a real art.
at work we want the workflow to be quick and easy. so a white model enscape export with line weights all already baked in and so arrow in AI (or directly in slides) will get you 70% of the way there.
Occasionally, but it's been mainly for competitions and post-concept marketing.