Walking into a brilliant new architectural design project [domestic glass and steel extension].

A walk to my friends daughters nursery opens the door to a fantastic design challenge.

On a recent weekend break we arranged to meet friends who regularly share summer holidays with us. This was very exiting for their four-year-old girl, who was desperate for me [‘sillyman’] to pick her up from nursery. I thought this was to be the highlight of the weekend, and although it was spectacular to be shown around by my little friend, and find that I needed no introduction to any teacher or child.... as they all knew ‘Sillyman’ was calling that day! [For clarification my adopted term of affection suits me to the ground... I am a man and I am more than a little silly.... especially when there are children to be entertained and amused.]

What I had not expected was Dad of four year old asking me advice on how they best select an Architect for altering and extending their Victorian Semi ‘d’ house which they had moved into about a year previously.... This question raised more questions than answers as I needed to know everything!

The bottom line is that the house they have is just fabulous, a house for life, space for the youngsters [and the adults] to grow up in and spread their wings. Great living and sleeping accommodation over three floors. Good garden space to front side and rear. Prime access to shopping amenities schools and transport... and not a bad Rugby Club!

The problem was the ‘back of house’. The kitchen and utility space on the north wall is small with lots of shape changing and lack of clarity. The ambition is to clear the single storey ‘back of house’ and redesign the kitchen and utility areas form a 'HEART' of house. A central focus for all the family and for all ages.

I had ‘retired’ [hurt] from architecture. For many years I had no ambition to do any architectural stuff, other than for my own pleasure. The description of what was wanted set me on fire. I just could not wait to start sketching ideas and developing concept designs that might tick the families needs.

The following morning, at the hotel breakfast table.... the enthusiasm turned into random sketches which led to brainstorming options for the design.

We snuck back to our friends house on our way back home and, not to be outdone by the total lack of survey gear.... I paced out the site with my size nine willies and plotted a plan on a soggy piece of paper, as the snow storm blew in.

The process of the design was just so fresh and enjoyable. 

Some weeks after this, we had a meeting, at our local restaurant, and I unveiled my concept designs. The whole buzz of making a presentation and the nervous anticipation of the ‘client’ reaction at the point of reveal. Very exiting.

I’m pleased to say they were delighted with the concepts and the form of the building.

After a period of gestation and feedback the design has evolved and the planning stages are ready for development and approval. [Oh, and my wellie boots oversized the amount of space available!]

It has been an extraordinary privilege to help in the process of procurement and it will be interesting to know if my wee friend will reflect on the house she grew up in, as a place that ‘Sillyman’ helped designed, but she will, I am sure, remember the laughter and joy of our silly games, magic tricks and paddles in the foam of Tiree. 

The contemporary glass and steel extension has a way to go before the 'opening ceremony'..... but I have been invigorated and refreshed by high-jacking my pals question about 'appointing an architect' and abducting their brief as my own. 

Thank you the Moos.

May your paper, and your silliness, never run out.

DRAWING AND SKETCHING PEOPLE FOR PRESENTATIONS.

ARCHITECTURAL PEOPLE. 

Drawing People for Architectural Presentations.

 My last blog was a little piece on drawing people.

As a warm up exercise and as a simple outline technique for adding scale to architectural drawings and sketches. It has had quite a good reception so I thought I would add a little detail to the first steps of the template for the outlines. 

I have been ‘practising’ drawing people for many, many years and still feel I have a long way to go.... but I enjoy the journey. Adding age, movement, character, humour just helps to keep it fresh. However, when embellishing design sketches I tend to revert to the simplest outline. 

These are the steps I use to draw individual people. If your sketch is an elevation, section or perspective [at eye level] then draw all the heads of people at the same height, that is at the same ‘eye level’. This will be the same as the horizon line. You need to adapt your figures if you are drawings view is ‘worms eye’ or ‘aerial’..... 

 Below is an example of eye level being at normal eye level. Adding other views to your practice routine will add to your skills and confidence, but given most projections will be elevations and section, you will probably use more figures drawn at ‘standard’ eye level than any other view.... although Plan view [directly overhead] are useful as well. This is easy to achieve if you use strong shadows on your building and people. 

These groups are sketches where all feet are at the same level as opposed to all eye levels being at the same level. If you are above normal eye level you need to foreshorten the height to ensure the correct perspective. The higher you are, the more the foreshortening will be. When you are in Plan view the figures are as short as they get, as they to will be drawn as plans! 

 Scale is critical to give a ‘realistic’ representation. This seems like such an obvious thing to say, but remarkably difficult to achieve when you are setting out. Buildings need human scale. Your Architectural People need to reflect the ‘human’ scale. The average height of an adult male is about 1800 mm, a female, about 1600 mm. This should relate to your floor to ceiling heights. If drawing in perspective, making your figures taller and slimmer will make them appear more elegant. The more ‘stylised’ your figures are, the less you need to worry about conventions of human proportion. 

ARCHITECTURAL SKETCHES WITH AND WITHOUT PEOPLE

Experiment and have fun practising your drawings. When you put them into your architectural drawings, keep them simple. Remember, the star of the show is the design drawings.... NOT your people drawings. If your people are not right, leave them off your presentation drawings, but copy the presentation and practice people [trees, bushes, landscape, backdrops, etc] on copies. Keep drawing. It is almost impossible to get better at anything by not doing it. 

Most importantly, Enjoy.

May your paper never run out.

DRAWING PEOPLE

DRAWING PEOPLE 

FOR ARCHITECTURAL PRESENTATION DRAWINGS

People in drawings add scale and interest to architectural presentation drawings. They are there to show the built environment is designed primarily for human use and accordingly the environment will be habitated by people.... 

Your ability to illustrate this in your design presentations, if not essential, is highly desirable.

Like almost all skills, the more you practice, the better and more confidant you will become.

  

Simple stylised shapes will normally suffice to offer scale and context. More realistic representation in perspective can be more sophisticated and contemporary, but requires much more skill.

The objectives of a simple representation of a person, or group of people, in architectural presentations is to add context and scale. They [along with other added features, such as landscape, trees, background and site related features] should add to the composition and purpose of the drawing/representation. If any addition starts to 'compete' with the design drawing.... then they are working against you... not for you. Accordingly, the added features must be kept simple and in balance with the intent of the presentation.

There are many styles of architectural figures available and a simple search on the internet will give a large selection to copy or use [pending copyright restrictions], but is a great skill to have to be able to sketch your own figures on your deign sketches.... and.... a great and simple exercise to improve your drawing skills.

A scrap of paper and a pen/pencil, or brush, and you can draw people till the cows come home. Start today. Repeat every day! Enjoy.

.....doodles will do.....

simple monochrome line drawings

Get started with your first doodles now. Easy peasy.