Stages of the Design Process

There are five stages in the design process that every designer or architect follows. It is a natural progression that helps take you from the beginning of the design to final built completion of the project, whether it is a house or an art piece. While design can be very artistic and free flowing, the design process can be seen as very scientific. It allows for checks and balances at each stage of the design process so that stay on the decided path.

1. Schematic Design

The first stage is schematic design. In this stage the ideas are laid out and the potential problem that needs to be solved with the design is set forth. An architect will use this stage to get an understanding of the client's needs and wants and try to really understand what it is they are looking for in their design. It is at this stage that an architect will use such tools as an adjacency matrix and a bubble diagram to help understand the potential design requirements while putting together the criteria that are required.

Required Documents:

• Signed Contract
• Survey with Utilities (owner)
• Setback Requirements (owner)
• Geotechnical Report (owner)

2. Design Development

The second stage is design development. At this stage the design is starting to take shape and the spaces are understood and recognized. The architect will start selecting materials and the structural system that will be used in the design. The style and direction of the design will start to be developed. The visualization team will start putting images together for the owner to understand the materials and massing of the project.

Required Documents:

• Materials
• Components

3. Construction Documents

The third stage is construction documents. At this stage the details of how the project will be built are put together in a concise and thorough set of plans. A set of construction documents consists of the drawings and a set of specifications. They are kept together so the contractor has all the information needed to build the project.

4. Bidding and Negotiations

The fourth stage is the bidding and negotiations stage. This is when the construction documents have been approved and an owner gets estimates, or bids, from potential contractors.

5. Construction Administration

The last and final stage is construction administration. This is when the project is being built and the architect is in charge of interpreting and clarifying the drawings for the contractor. Many times this is the most time-consuming aspect of the process, because many different variables come into play when putting a project together. For example, materials that were available 6 months ago during the construction documents stage are no longer available during the construction administration stage; so substitutions have to be found, approved and ordered.