Selecting Space for Your Project

A designer can be very helpful before the planning process begins, when a client is looking for space - to rent an office in an office building; to rent or buy an apartment in an apartment house; or to purchase a house. The building or house may be existing or still unbuilt. A client will usually have in mind certain  criteria such as general location, size, and cost, but often finds it difficult to choose between alternatives or to evaluate an available possibility. A designer can bring a practiced eye to observe the potential strengths and weaknesses of an available space and offer disinterested advice about how well the given conditions will suit the clients requirements.


     The first  step is to spell out the client's requirements in a program. The term program in the world of architecture and design describes a statement of objectives and requirements that is best written out to form what is sometimes called a project brief  or problem statement. It is axiomatic that a good statement of a problem is basic to finding a good solution. Indeed, the solution to a problem may become almost self evident once the problem is stated with clarity. Conversely, unclear objectives and uncertainty about requirements typically cause confusion and delays and, all too often, lead to disappointing and unsatisfactory final results.

    The program lists, with as much precision as possible, these requirements: the kinds and numbers of the spaces to be provided; the relationships of the spaces; any specific needs for equipment , storage, or special furniture; and other specific needs. After the space is selected, this program will form the basis for the new interior design.

 

 

 

    Whether the designer accompanies the client on the visits to different spaces or evaluate spaces, built or unbuilt, from plans, it is important for the designer to notice and call attention to such things as:

• WINDOW ORIENTATION IN RELATION TO LIGHT, at various times of the day and in various seasons.
• OUTLOOK FROM WINDOWS, for good views or obstruction including the possibility of future obstruction.
• QUALITY OF PLAN LAYOUT, including convenience of spatial shapes and locations. In house and apartment plans, awkward or wasteful spaces often appear. Note potential problems with noise and privacy. Check closets, baths, and kitchens for adequacy and quality of layout. In apartment, office, and loft buildings, check adequacy of elevators and stairs.
• POSSIBLE NOISE PROBLEMS, from elevators or adjacent spaces or from out-of-doors. City street noise and aircraft noise are particularly problematic.
• ELEMENTS THAT CAN OR SHOULD BE CHANGED: Can walls be added or removed, doors or windows added, eliminated, or changed to improve a space? If closets, kitchens, or baths require change or improvement,will this be possible.

    Designers often note changes that will greatly improve a space at small cost. With an unbuilt structure, a change may be possible at no cost. On the other hand some desirable changes may be very costly or even impossible.
    Removing a partition wall, for example, may be relatively easy, but removing a bearing wall or column that is part of a building's structure will be difficult and costly, if not impossible. Changes that affect plumbing and duct work may be easy but will always be costly. They may also be very difficult or impossible where, for example, pipes come from below and continue upward into spaces occupied by other people, preventing the relocation of a bathroom or kitchen.
    Legal restrictions relating to safety may rule out certain changes in layout. Windows and doors locations may be restricted by zoning that regulates exterior appearance. An owner might not permit some changes in rented space. All such issues are best explored before the final selection of a space.

    In comparing spaces, the designer may notice that seemingly identical spaces are actually quite different. The same apartment plan, for example may be better or worse on various floors of a building or with different orientations because of the difference in light and view, and in convience of access form corridors and elevators. Identical  houses on opposite sides of a street, because of their orientation, may differ greatly in terms of light, view and privacy. Clients are often unobservant of such factors particularly when evaluating space from plans alone and can benefit greatly from intelligent design advice when making decisions that can be difficult, even frightening, and that often involve large sums of money.