Concepts in Architecture
Interior Design is made up of a number of key concepts that affects the style, the purpose, as well as the interior design of a building. A complete architectural building will include the interior, as well as the exterior. Thus, the concepts that are necessary when creating an architectural conceptual building are: color theory, planning and spatial awareness, key symbols and measurement concepts as well as scale drawings. All architectural planning, and plans should include all of these and more. This applies specifically to its interior here
The Concept of Color Theory
Color in general has a number of characteristics when it comes to design. In architecture, color is not used for decorative purposes (Mahnke, 2012). It is, therefore, an important part when considering design, especially of the interior spaces. It is, in most cases, the work of the interior designer. The architect could do this planning in his or her overall planning as well, but the interior designer is there to refine it. These two professions usually work hand in hand, as the color and other interior design elements would offset the structural design quite well. It is important to consider the exact tone, hue, warmth or lightness of a color to get the right fit. Color is also influenced by light (especially natural light), and it is therefore important when choosing a color for a specific room, dependent on the lighting in that room. How the light falls into the room is dependent on whether it is north- or south-facing (or any other facing). This consideration includes the color of the furnishing in the room as well.
Thus, color has a role to play in the psyche of people, and should therefore be carefully considered when it comes to design. Its role in design deals with the visual ergonomics of a space as well. Furthermore, it affects how the brain responds to the spaces it occupies. Therefore, color in interior design has a far greater role to play than mere décor and, hence, the architect too, applies it with the psychology of color, and the neuropsychological aspects in mind (Mahnke, 2012).
The Concept of Planning and Spatial Awareness
The concepts of planning and spatial awareness will work together with the structural elements, as well as the consideration of the light that would influence the color as discussed above, as well as the psychology, and the neuropsychological aspects of the human occupants in mind. Various color schemes can contribute to the feel of a room. If a room has a purple color, it can create a regal feel to the room, giving it a spiritual feel and openness. It can also create a feeling of oppression or obsession if not used sparingly. It is for this reason that the architect, when he or she designs the building, takes light into consideration in order for the room to be given its spatial attributes, and have the desired effect on the color inside. More so, as discusses above, the interior color needs to be planned as well to credit the space with the architect’s planning.
Most of these aspects are created with the interior designer as the right-hand man to the architect. It deals with the layout of furnishings as well as the blocking out of “interior spatial areas.” Spatial planning and spatial awareness is also directly connected to what the client needs are, and what they want in their spaces. This could include the kind of furnishing they need or want in the spaces as well (Addi, 2000). This is in fact the first step to designing interiors – to understand the parameters of the space (Spatial Awareness, no date).
Spatial awareness could be seen in conjunction with the scale drawings, as this would show how the spaces are utilized, especially if the furnishings are added.
The Key Symbols and Measurement Concept
In most instances, the architect creates a rough draft of what his intentions are. This first draft would usually create the idea of where all the elements of the building would be placed. The interior designer should be able to do rough drafts of the building plans as well. The rooms are seen from above, and there is the need to indicate where the doors, the windows and various other elements are placed. For this purpose, the architect has a specific set of key symbols and measurement concepts that would make it clear to the contractor, as well as the interior designer, where these elements should go, and what the measurements are. Both the architect and the contractor should know what each symbol mean in order for them to read the plan. These symbols are what make the plan speak to the onlooker as it indicates what is needed and where. Included in the reading are also the measurements of these elements (doors, windows, stairs, etcetera). These measurements can be standard or adapted to create custom-made products.
Once the rough sketch is done and there is some consensus between architect and client, the plans can be drawn up, and the interior designer should be on board from the beginning.. Most people these days use computer aided drawing software, but the board has not yet been retired completely. The drawing board, if you are an architect, remains a personal element in the drawing of a plan. The drawing of the plan is completed with the added dimensions, as this will be needed to include the key symbols. These key symbols already has it dimensions depending on the sizes you are going to use in the building, For example: doors come with their own dimensions, and in the pre-planning you would have decided what size your door would be. You would start drawing the full room with its own dimensions, and then add in the size window you wish to add. Doors and windows could also be custom-made, and you could, therefore, use your own dimensions. It will assist you to see what the actual size would be. The entire drawing should have a scale of for example 1:1000.
The Techniques of Scale Drawing
The scale drawing is an offshoot of the master copy elevation. It would indicate a part of a room in more detail. The idea is to represent one or more aspects of the master copy. Thus, these drawings would have a scale of 1:2 that would be half of the full size, 1:5, that would be a fifth of the full size and so fourth. The scale could also be 1:50, 1:20, 1:10 or 1:100. This will depend on how big (or small) you want your representational drawing to be (Farrelly, 2008). The author also refers to it, in the title of her book, as representational techniques. Scale drawings are therefore, the depiction of objects and spaces at a specific ratio to their actual size. In some instances, drawings of people are added to give an indication of the scale of the building. The drawings of the people would also need to be to scale, though. The drawing needs to be placed in an area space to give it a context. The area space is the floor line as well as the ceiling line, especially if this is the elevation drawing. These drawing are not stand alone drawings – they work together with other drawings and should be used in conjunction in completing a project.
The way in which the drawing is completed is that you draw the floor at the measurement of the room. The next line indicates the ceiling that would be the same measurement as the floor. Once the block is completed, by taking the measurement from the master copy, you need to indicate the height of the wall to the window. Once the window is inserted, this same drawing could be traced and used by the interior designer to insert furnishing, and other decorative elements for illustration purposes. Another aspect of scale drawing is to keep ergonomic elements in mind. It is also important to know that you are able to use a scale ruler with which to create your drawings.
If the architect uses a drawing board, the tools that are used include drawing pencils, pens, rendering materials, scaled ruler, dividers, ruling pens, a compass, a divider, sets to create arcs, circles and take measurements as well. When the architect uses AutoCAD, or similar programs, these might be needed as well as the printouts might need double-checking.
Conclusion
The concepts discussed above are vital elements in architectural and interior design. There can be no design without these elements that are only a few out of a larger amount of knowledge one needs to complete and architectural plan.
BIBLOGRAPHY
Addi, G. and Lytle, J. (2000) “Space Planning,” Excerpt from The Architect’s Handbook of
Professional Practice, 13th edition, ©2000. Available at: http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab089276.pdf (Accessed: February 28, 2016).
Farrelly, L. (2008) Basics Architecture 01: Representational Techniques. Lausanne: AVA
Academia.Mahnke, F. H. (2012) Color in Architecture - More Than Just Decoration, Archnect. Available
at: http://archinect.com/features/article/53292622/color-in-architecture-more-than-just-decoration (Accessed: February 27, 2016).
Spatial Awareness (no date) Candy Candy. Available at:
http://www.candyandcandy.com/design/expertise/spatial-awareness/ (Accessed: February 27, 2016).
