If you want to turn a project you have in mind into something real, you first have to turn the idea into a design. Architects call that stage schematic design. It comes after pre-design, where the architect and the owner describe the project in writing. Here is what it involves.
What schematic design is
Schematic design is the first part of the design process. The overall goal of that process is to produce a complete design for the project, which includes every technical consideration as well as the specific materials, equipment, systems and spaces involved. By the end of the design process, usually called the construction documentation stage, every structural and design question has to be answered.
Schematic design is where that starts. Producing a schematic design normally happens right after a project kicks off. Most construction projects begin with the owner engaging a construction project manager, who starts by running a feasibility assessment to determine whether the project is viable at all. Once it is found to be feasible, an architect begins sketching out a schematic design.
How does design development differ from schematic design?
Design development is the third stage in the overall project structure. During design development, architects refine the drawings they agreed with the client during schematic design: interior elevations, wall sections, reflected ceiling plans, and information about windows, doors and fixtures.
Cost estimates can change during design development. The client is still involved at this stage, and by the end they should have a clear idea of what their building will look like in three dimensions, inside, outside and in depth.
What schematic design is trying to achieve
The goal of the schematic phase is to resolve the questions around the overall design for the project. Every construction project starts with an idea. Usually an owner has an idea for something they want built. Moving from a simple idea to a feasible, realistic design concept is the central purpose of schematic design.
By the end of the schematic process, two important aspects of the project must not be left open:
- The scale of the project itself. During this phase the owner and the architect work together to settle the project’s goals and the end result they are picturing.
- The design options. The architect produces several sketches of possible designs before settling on one. Those sketches will have variations that affect project scale, because each design uses the site and the available space in a different way. Once the final schematic design is agreed, the scale of the future project has to be fixed.
The schematic design process
The broad aim is for the client to end up with a design they are happy with, but it is not a straight journey from A to B. Schematic design is a collaborative process with heavy client involvement. Initially the architect puts forward several viable options for the building, based on input from the strategy phase.
The client reviews those, picks one to carry forward, or asks for other options that fit their needs better. Even after client and architect have settled on a basic design, it will usually go through several iterations as the ideas get refined.
In short, schematic design is a back and forth process with a lot of negotiation in it. That can get difficult, for instance if the client changes their mind about the design in response to shifting priorities, or if an architect does not take rejection of their ideas well. But when client and architect work well together and communicate clearly, schematic design becomes the genuinely enjoyable creative part of getting a project built.
The same shape applies well beyond architecture. In software, the equivalent phase is where you turn a brief into wireframes and a rough system design, and the same rule holds: changes are cheap here and expensive later.
