The Industrial Revolution introduced a shift towards multidisciplinary specialization, often separating design from construction.
Graphic patterns indicating material types, such as diagonal lines for brickwork or stippling for concrete.
Eames House (Case Study House #8) Location: Pacific Palisades, CA Architects: Charles and Ray Eames Key Observation: The Contrast of Order and Nature. architecture notes
Most successful architects combine both. For example:
When adding diagrams to your notes, avoid messy, unstructured whiteboards.Use the C4 model (Context, Containers, Component, and Code) to provide nested levels of detail.Most architecture notes only need a or Level 2 (Container) diagram to be effective. Diagram as Code (DaC) Most successful architects combine both
These are the messiest and most generative. They include bubble diagrams, parti sketches, adjacency matrices, and iterative floor plan doodles. Design notes are often taken on trace paper so layers can be overlaid and refined.
Having the right tools is useless without a method. Below are five techniques specifically adapted for . such as beam sizing
Numbered labels on specific drawings (like a floor plan or section) that correspond to a descriptive legend. They identify specific materials or installation methods without cluttering the drawing with text. The Architectural Brief:
You are not a court reporter. Writing every word a professor says leads to shallow processing. Instead, listen actively and paraphrase in your own words. Use abbreviations and sketches.
Document step-by-step mathematical formulas for structural calculations, such as beam sizing, moment forces, and shear diagrams.