Schematic Design | All You need To Know
Most of us are used to seeing architectural projects after their completion.
If you have ever been impressed by a building that seems out of the world, then rest assured, it had to go through numerous design decisions. After all, an exemplary architectural plan involves working in various phases. Even when it comes to design, the process is divided into five convenient steps to streamline the project.
Indeed, the first step towards building your dream project is to have a good design. Not to mention how professional architects often note that they can sense the probable success rate of a project by looking at the initial design plans.
All of this may sound intimidating if it’s your first time working in a design team — especially if the project begins with the schematic design phase. Hence, we thought of coming up with this crash course on the topic.
So, without further ado, let’s begin!
What Is Schematic Design?
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Schematic design occupies either the first or the second place in the usual five phases of creating a design for your project. Simply put, this is the first step you take to have a realistic understanding of what you’re about to build.
In this phase, the drawings and sketches won’t be as technical as it gets in the design development phase. But, it will still have the key components needed in a building, including potential plans for the indoors and outdoors. Indeed, the schematic phase requires multiple sketches based on the ideas that have been discussed in the programming stage.
Moreover, both architectural and spatial designs need to be made during his step. If any flaws are found, team members can consult each other to find proper design solutions. That said, an architect needs to maintain contact with the project owner and other decision-makers to develop appropriate schematic drawings.
Even though it’s an early stage, the schematic design does include drawings like the site plan, floor plans, and elevations for a construction project. Both handmade and computer-rendered sketches are used for a schematic design. You can find the difference between the two in our article about freehand drawing and computer drawing .
Do note that site analysis is also a crucial component of coming up with great schematic designs. However, this phase does call for patience and attention as the designs will decide if the clients are ready to move forward with a project.
Who Is Involved In The Schematic Design Phase?
Since this is the first phase of making a design, the whole team must be involved in the project. But, the client and the project head will be the ones mainly engaged in it. In the case of an individual architect, the project owner or client will consult them directly.
For creating successful schematic design drawings, the owner first needs to come up with some basic ideas and share them with the architect. Some clients are more enthusiastic about being involved in day-to-day activities, while others leave it to the architect to use their ideas.
That said, the owner or client is mostly involved in a construction project during the schematic design phase, as things can get a bit more technical hereon. Even during this process, the architect bears the responsibility of explaining the design elements to the client in a detailed yet simplified manner.
Another key aspect of this phase is the importance of a good relationship between the team members. Ideas need to be shared freely, and there will also be plenty of rejections. At the same time, it is an excellent opportunity for hearing out diverse ideas and concepts and taking the most suitable approach.
What Is The Difference Between Conceptual And Schematic Design?
When it comes to the basic difference, most architects state that conceptual designs are more abstract than schematic designs. But of course, there are differing opinions on the subject.
For instance, an important organization like RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) doesn’t even mention schematic designs in their phases. On the other hand, the AIA (American Institute of Architects) emphasizes both aspects of design.
Furthermore, creating a concept design is sometimes considered a precursor to making a schematic design that contains spatial and architectural elements. For an independent architect, it would depend on their personal preference for either layout. However, if you’re part of a project team, it’s best to ask the project manager or head architect about the relevant design phases.
What Is The Difference Between the Design Development Phase And the Schematic Design Phase?
When you look at the five design phases, you’ll notice that the design development phase closely follows the schematic design phase. This may make you think about the necessity of having two similar steps for creating drawings.
As we have already mentioned, there will be an exchange of diverse ideas during the schematic design phase. And in the end, the project manager or client will only choose a few of these. Simply put, the design development stage is needed to refine the selected drawings into more concrete versions.
That said, the schematic design phase is just as important, if not more, as all the brainstorming builds the foundation of the building design.
Moreover, drawings from the design development phase include details regarding interior elevations, sectioning of the room, and planning of doors and windows. At the same time, things start to get real during the design development stage as you are going to move toward construction details.
This stage might also call for the mention of a budget, and the architect may need to help the clients choose the right materials. Here, the designer’s responsibility lies in ensuring that the drawings and the plan are foolproof for the construction team to go ahead with it.
Schematic Design Process
Now that you know the basics of the schematic design phase, let’s get into the process.
The first steps are programming and collecting ideas for the project. As this is a collaborative effort, coming up with a program may take several meetings.
Here, the architect will try to understand the vision held by the owner. After all, the owner’s ideas are considered the driving force behind the schematic stage. Along with sharing their vision, the owner may give the architect access to the basic layout of the space where the final construction will take place.
The architecture team then finds out the expanse of the project to set the scale, dimensions, and goals. For this, an architect usually works with a team of experts that conducts extensive research on the project.
Their observations include site analysis, as well as finding out about the zonal building laws or code elements. They also help the architect scale the ideas according to the requirements.
Based on the gathered information, the architect then develops several design elements that might work for the project. After that, it’s an elaborate exhibition of teamwork that sees the project to the end.
What’s more, both the architect and the owner will keep on checking the designs to make sure it matches the initial vision. The process usually drags on for a long time if the architect and the owner cannot agree on specific designs.
What’s Included In The Schematic Design Drawings?
You already know now that there are several design phases. That said, it may be challenging to identify the elements included in the schematic design.
Nevertheless, you can start with an essential one, which is to map out the area where the construction is to take place.
The schematic drawings should also include a description of the building systems. Usually, they are the structural, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical components. And, the relationship between the elements will also come into play in the design.
Additionally, designers like to insert essential devices like fire alarms, phones, and security elements into the drawings. On the other hand, a schematic drawing won’t have detailed interior design elements or any other special features that can be added later.
Here are some significant components of the schematic drawings:
1. Building Elevations
A building elevation draft provides a picture of how it will appear if you stand in front of it. To do this, the designer will include visuals for all four sides — these are known as the east, west, north, and south elevations.
Based on the architect’s ideas, the designer may also choose to include interior elevations in the schematic drawings. These could be vertical surfaces present inside the building, such as the wall of a corridor.
2. Existing Site Plan
This is also referred to as the “existing conditions plan.”
It’s obvious that a building won’t exist in a vacuum. So, while creating a design, you’ll need to include the elements already present in the area. The information for this is gathered during the site analysis.
In other words, a designer would need to include elements, like existing roads, buildings, water bodies, and even landscaping. Moreover, they may need to work around buried utilities, like gas and electricity lines.
3. Floor Plan
One of the most interesting features of the schematic design process is the floor layout. This includes a top-down horizontal view of the building. In other words, a floor play may look like the roof has been chopped off four feet from the floor to provide a view of the insides. These plans often include the dimensions of spaces, pieces of equipment, and furnishings apart from various other construction details.
4. Site Plan
The site plan drawing includes a view of how the project is supposed to look after completion, much like making a building model out of Lego blocks. Sometimes, an architect may tell the designer to add improvements in the plan to reflect the owner’s vision.
If you’re interested to see some successful schematic design concepts, check out our article on the proposed designs for the new St. Petersburg Pier .
What Comes After The Schematic Design Phase?
Moving forward, you may be interested to know what happens after the schematic design phase gets over. Of course, the architects may first pat themselves on their backs for developing multiple design options. After all, the schematic phase can run for months, especially in the case of a big construction project.
According to the standard project program, the next phase is design development. Then, it’s followed by turning in the construction documents. Let’s have a closer look at these steps
1. Design Development
During the design development phase, the architect will be making more detailed drawings of the building project. Moreover, this phase requires including more material details and giving a clear idea of the spatial relationships. Many people like to map out the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) during this phase, while others do it during the schematic phase.
However, an essential part of the design development phase is to map out the materials and furnishing that will be placed in the building. Planning each space or room also takes place during this stage. As budget comes into the picture, ideas may be shifted around and some may be excluded from the project.
Extensive 3D modeling often accompanies the design development stage to give a clearer view of the project design. At the end of this stage, the architect might hope to get the final thoughts of the client about being on the same page.
2. Construction Documents
By now, it’s expected that all the design ideas presented during the last phase have been approved. That said, it’s time to gather everything to make the final drawings that will be used during the physical construction.
During the construction documents phase, the owner has little to no input. So, the architect has to exercise their own judgment while completing the building design. Considering how permits will be given based on these designs, the architect needs to be thorough with the job.
Usually, two sets of drawings are prepared. One gets sent to the permit department, while the other is issued for construction. Obtaining permits do take some time, so it’s better to work on the permit set first and then send it away. Each set includes aspects like floor plans, demolishing plans, interior elevations, structural drawings, plumbing drawings, and several others.
The success of the construction documents phase is revealed during the bidding process when contractors try to get ahold of the building design.
Final Words
That’s everything we had to tell you about the schematic design stage. We want to point out that there isn’t really a clear distinction between the different design phases. Mistakes or design flaws are sometimes found while compiling the construction documents, and changes need to be made accordingly.
However, when you first start with a project, share as many ideas as possible with the architect. This will lead to a better concept design, and the results will also reflect in the schematic design drawings.
As the schematic design process can be a little tedious, you can take help from our article on inspiring things that an architect might like to draw and start gathering ideas.
On that note, we have come to the end of this guide. Do let us know if you have any more queries regarding the schematic design phase.
Schematic Design Phase: A Quick Guide for Projects
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In construction, there’s so much that takes place before the build begins. First, there’s a site analysis to put the building in context. Then there’s the schematic design, which is a rough drawing of the project’s basic features and cost estimates.
But the schematic design is only one phase in the architectural design process. It’s not the same as a concept design, but we’ll get to that later. First, let’s outline the five architectural design phases.
The 5 Architectural Design Phases
Construction is a complicated process. There are a lot of stakeholders and resources needed to deliver a construction project. The first part of this endeavor, no matter whether it’s a commercial or residential project, is the design process.
The architectural design process occurs over five phases. We’ll focus on the schematic design phase, which is the first, but in order to understand it contextually, let’s briefly explore each of the architectural design phases.
Phase 1: Schematic Design
The architectural design phase begins with the designer meeting with the client to come together on the vision and overall goals of the project. Some of this discussion is about essential items such as project scope, the purpose of the construction and its functionality.
After this initial meeting, the designer takes the data compiled from talking with the client and conducts a field survey. After that, a few primary design options are drafted and presented to the client.
The sketches are professionally rendered so the client can visualize these options more clearly in terms of what the finished building will look like. This schematic design phase includes a rough estimate of costs for each of the options, as budgetary concerns are usually paramount.
The client often comes back with a selection or two as well as changes they want to be implemented into the schematic design. The designer will make those changes until a final design is chosen, which the architectural team will then refine.
As you can imagine, there’s a lot of back and forth in this phase. Having a tool that connects the design team to the client is ideal. ProjectManager is online construction project management software that delivers real-time connectivity. Files can be shared, comments added and, when there is an update, everyone is notified by email or in-app alerts. Better still, the software has features to help in all phases of a construction project such as unlimited file storage, which acts as a central hub for all project documentation and drawings. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
ProjectManager connects everyone on the project team and fosters better collaboration. Learn more
Phase 2: Design Development
Now take the schematic design further by finalizing the design chosen by the client and start working on the general structural details of the building. This includes things such as doors and windows as well as the materials you’ll be using in the construction of the building.
The chosen schematic design is revised if there were any changes requested by the client, and the cost estimate is updated to reflect any changes. Clients will look over the final design and make sure it meets their requirements. If they have additional changes, this is the last time they’ll be able to make them.
Phase 3: Construction Documents
At this point, construction documents are developed such as blueprints, technical specifications that are required for the bidding process, permit applications, etc. The client’s specifications will guide the creation of all the documents.
This phase mainly involves the architect, as they are responsible for the blueprints. These construction documents will be used by the construction contractors as they start preparing for the next phase in the process.
Phase 4: Bidding
Construction bidding is when construction contractors work with the client, design team or both to win the work. This is called the bidding process when designers help clients find the best fit in terms of experience, expertise and price. Having the designer work with the client during this phase is ideal.
The designer can list suitable construction contractors, review their bids and help the client with the analysis so the best bid can be picked. That’s why including the designer in this phase is so important as they are most intimate with the work the contractors will have to perform.
Phase 5: Construction Administration
Finally, with all construction documentation done and a construction contractor selected, construction is now underway. The client will want construction reports to make sure the building is being erected to its specifications.
That’s where the construction administration comes in. The architectural designer oversees the work of the construction company to make sure the design is being followed correctly. If there are issues, the designer will work with the contractor to get the project back on track.
What’s the Purpose of the Schematic Design Phase?
The main purpose of the schematic design phase is to turn the client’s vision into physical drawings of space. These drawings must be practical but also conform to the client’s budget. The site is also key; it must be measured and undergo a thorough site analysis to understand not only its physical properties but also code, regulations, drainage, climate and much more.
The schematic design phase takes into consideration the context in which the building is being placed, but it also focuses on the specific details of that building. It shows the structural, mechanical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) as well as plumbing and electrical systems. Interior and exterior finishes are also included.
There are control strategies for all equipment and systems relating to building services such as security and fire alarms, technical requirements for phones, data, cable and any audio-visual needs. Of course, the schematic design is reviewed for functionality, usability, code compliance and more.
Common Schematic Design Documents
The schematic design phase consists of various drawings that map out the exterior, interior and systems of the building. Commonly, this includes the site plan, floor plan, building elevations and building systems. They are described briefly below.
Site Plan
The site plan is a drawing of the location where the proposed construction project will take place. It shows how the building is oriented in the lot and the necessary site improvements. These can range from landscaping, walkways and roads to utilities, connections and service drives.
Floor Plan
The floor plan is a line drawing of the building’s floor plan or layout. Imagine if you sliced the physical building horizontally, the floor plan is that view with the top half removed with a bird’s-eye view. The floor plan includes dimensions, equipment, furnishings and other construction details.
Building Elevations
The building elevation is a drawing of the exterior of the building from the point of view of someone standing directly in front of it. It’s common for all four sides of the building to be drawn, as indicated as east, west, sound and north elevations. There can be some interior elevations that show a vertical surface, such as a corridor wall or the front of an auditorium.
Building Systems (HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical)
The building system is a drawing of all the systems being delivered to the building. These are heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical and plumbing and mechanical systems. The building system drawing shows where they will go in the building and how they interact, including power sources.
Schematic Design vs. Concept Design
Some might confuse schematic design with concept design so it’s important to note that they are different and how. The main difference is in the amount of detail. Concept design is by definition more abstract while schematic design is the first step toward creating the spatial and architectural elements that will be necessary to actualize construction.
The schematic design is responsible for taking the concept design and placing it in the real world that can actually be constructed. It’s a framework that allows the project to move forward in the design development. The end goal is the successful construction of the design.
Concept design doesn’t have to reflect the real world. It’s loose and expressive. It’s not concerned with issues such as if the drawing can be constructed. Those architectural concerns are placed in the schematic design, which deals with the more pragmatic issues we’ve already discussed.
ProjectManager & Architecture Design Phases
ProjectManager is construction project management software that helps with the design phase and every other phase of construction projects. Real-time data facilitates communication between departments. This data connects the designer to the owner and, eventually, the construction contractor to make sure that the design is being followed correctly.
Work How You Want
Schematic design is a collaborative affair, more so when involving the client and then the contractor. We connect those various parties with online software that delivers real-time data, but designers use different tools than construction project managers. This is why we have multiple project views. Designers can track their work on the visual workflows of kanban boards, project managers can plan on Gantt charts or the sheet view, subcontracts can use the list view to do their tasks and stakeholders can make sure milestones are met on the calendar view.
Track Progress Once Construction Starts
Designers aren’t done once they’ve created a schematic design. In addition to more design work, once the ground is broken on the construction site, designers need to stay in contact with the general contractor and make sure they’re following the plans. One way to say abreast with the progress and performance of the construction is with our real-time dashboard. It collects, calculates and displays six project metrics with no setup required. Customizable reports dive deeper into the data and can be shared with the client to keep them updated.
Our software is vital from design to completion, connecting the entire project team and delivering real-time data for more insightful decision-making. We also have resource management features that balance your crew’s workload and timesheets that track their time on tasks while making payroll secure and streamlined. We’re the only construction project management software you’ll ever need.
ProjectManager is an award-winning software with features to connect design teams with clients and contractors. Our online software delivers real-time data that fosters better collaboration and tracks progress and performance. Plan, monitor and report on your construction project with ProjectManager. Get started for free.
Schematic design что это
Through schematic drawings, architects detail floor plans for every level of the building, which include information about how each space will be used.
The floor plans are created to scale, showing the spatial relations of every interior space and how they work together to meet the client’s goals and vision.
Floor plans include the following details:
Interior walls and partitions
Locations of doors and windows
Names and dimensions of every room
Clients can adjust and alter these elements throughout the schematic design phase and into the design development phase. As changes are requested, the architect will provide the client with a new schematic drawing based on those requests.
Building Systems
Besides structural details, such as the heights of walls and the width of floors, schematic drawings also identify the placement of:
Air conditioning and HVAC systems
Integrating building systems in great detail is an important element in the next phase: the design development phase.
Why Schematic Design Is So Important
Because the next phase of the process relies on the success of this stage, the schematic design phase is when the owner has to make some of their most important decisions.
Several goals need to be met during the schematic design process:
Translate the client’s vision and ideas into an actual plan that’s usable and functional
Create a plan that’s code-compliant and safe to build based on the site’s environmental and geographical factors
Finalize a building design that’s within the client’s budget
There must be a balance between what the architect can deliver and what the owner wants. This balance must exist in all areas of the design, including the look and layout of the building, the functionality of the building, and how much the project will cost.
Schematic Design Is All About Options
One of the reasons architects present multiple schematic drawings to clients is to give them options related to the building layout and the design cost.
For some clients, the design is most important. For others, the budget is the top priority. Having a variety of schematics to choose from makes it easier for clients to weigh their options.
Clients should keep in mind that the architect’s goal is to make them happy and give them the design they want.
You should feel comfortable enough with your architect that you don’t hesitate to push back on the first draft of schematic drawings. This is common at this point in the process, and it makes the architect’s job easier to hammer out as many details as possible in this stage rather than in later phases, where it’s more difficult to make changes.
Once the concept is finalized and the client chooses a final schematic design, architects can move on to the next phase.
How Long Does The Schematic Design Phase Take?
Every project is different, and various factors contribute to how long a particular design and build will take. Part of this depends on how long it takes to complete the schematic design phase.
The more schematics the client wishes to see, the longer the process is. It’s typical for this project phase to take at least several months.
While it can be time-consuming, by no means should the schematic design phase be rushed! This is the owner’s opportunity to hammer out all of the overarching ideas, and this step must be completed before the process can move forward.
Owners and architects must work collaboratively and efficiently as one project team during this phase to ensure that the finalized concept satisfies the needs and budget of the owner. It also needs to meet all zoning, structural, and compliance regulations.
The better the architect and owner work together, the smoother and faster this part of the architectural design process can be.
Behind the Scenes: an In-Depth Look at Schematic Design
Developing an idea takes time. While I learned this lesson early during my undergraduate years, that development process takes even longer when working on a real project. I thought that it would be fun to take an in-depth look at the schematic design process on one of our new projects, Luna, which we began designing in October.
Today’s post is the 5th in our Behind the Scenes series written by Marisa Kaugars. Our aim with this series is to give our readers an in-depth look into the work that we do to support our clients, find solutions to design problems, and collaborate on new ideas. The series will focus on the work that we don’t always get to present in meetings, and give you a peek into the processes and goings-on here at Studio MM.
Initial Inspiration
Luna sits at the edge of one of The Cliffs properties near Saugerties, NY. When Marica asked me to begin sketching for the property, I was thrilled. This is the first project that I’ve been able to take lead design on — it’s amazing to think that just a year and a half ago I was still working on theoretical student projects. Since Marica was a conveniently located in-house client, we were able to be in constant communication about design ideas and inspiration. Of course, as with all of our clients, we set up a few parameters — bedroom count, square footage, budget.
We hit the ground running, examining the site and researching other modern houses, spending a week or two occasionally glancing through books and architectural magazines. It’s rare that we are afforded the luxury of time to think before really sketching and designing, so I planned to take full advantage of all of the hours that Marica would give me. Inspiration images became inspiration plans as I traced a number of different plans to study how to plan and organize space. Placing ourselves in the shoes of other architects is something that we do a lot of during school, but that doesn’t always happen in the professional world. Eventually, we realized that because the orientation of the property paired well with my interest in grids and hyper-organized spaces, we were intrigued by the idea of a house divided by a strong central axis.
Dividing Space
This dividing axis went through a number of revisions while we thought through how the space would flow. Should the axis run through the main living space? Should it divide private and public? Should there be other smaller axes that created separations? As Marica and I looked over round after round of plans, playing with different arrangements, we decided that it would be best to pull the private and public sections of the house apart, connecting them via a main axis. Continuing to sketch and revise, we finally concluded that by tilting the main axis we could create multiple smaller, more intimate spaces that filled the gap between the tilt and horizontal. In addition to architecture, we are both interested in furniture design. Here, we have the opportunity to combine the two, designing reading nooks, entryway benches, bookshelves and storage in the niches created by the angled hallway.
Name Brainstorm
Throughout our schematic design process, we all love brainstorming about what to name a project. Ideas are consistently tossed out — and consistently turned down. The name of a house says so much about a project that we always want it to be just perfect. That can take some time. Thinking about the site for this house and how it changed throughout the day and evening, we realized that it would be the perfect place to watch the stars. Perched so high above sea level, far from heavy light pollution, the skies would likely be crystal clear. Knowing that astronomy often has much to do with angles and relationships between planetary bodies, we began to look for additional inspiration for the house. We wanted the angle of our central axis to be significant — soon enough, we came across a term called lunar inclination. This refers to the angle at which the moon’s orbit around Earth is inclined to the earth’s orbit around the sun: five degrees. Sometimes we find inspiration in the most unexpected of places — we tested this angle in plan and it worked beautifully. Luna was born.
Exterior Aesthetic
Even as we move through schematic design into design development, we never stop having new ideas. However, it’s critical to remain focused and to make sure that each new element or concept supports a core idea. Luna is of course governed by its tilted axis, but also by the pulled apart public and private volumes. In the break between the volumes, the axis was the only connecting element. To highlight the axis even further, it will be enclosed in glass, flanked by two courtyard spaces. One, oriented to the south, will function as an exterior dining area, while the other, facing the next tier of cliffs to the north, will be a garden. As we continued to develop Luna around the axis, we wanted this axis to be visible on the exterior as well as interior. At the entry, we extended the cladding material to guide visitors into the house. At the back of the house, the same material extends into a bench and a cover for the rear door.
Since we had pulled the house apart into two distinct volumes, our goal on the exterior was to design a unique cladding that had the same playful spirit as the plan and would unify the project. Experimenting with siding techniques, we began to push and pull cladding to create shading for the south facing windows. An integrated shutter system encloses the private wing while the main living space retains large panes of glass to showcase expansive southern views. By layering the cladding, we were able to create a shadowed texture that creates a unified but unique aesthetic for the house.
A Walkthrough
As you approach Luna, a rhythmic portico extends from the front door, drawing the visitor towards the entryway across a gravel and slate pathway. To the right is the first niche, a conveniently located bench to remove dirty boots or shake off the last bit of snow from shoulders, while the view to the south and east is tantalizingly visible. With glass entryways on either side of the axis, the visitor is able to see through the house to the woods beyond. Just inside the entry is another built-in bench, this time doubling as a two-sided closet in which guests can store their coats.
Grounding the living room is a large slate fireplace, whose hearth extends to the corner window to become a cozy reading nook. An exterior deck is seamlessly connected to the interior living space via large glass doors, providing additional entertaining space and taking advantage of magnificent mountain views. Along the main axis on the way to the private wing, you pass through the glass bridge, glimpsing a serene garden to the north of the house. To the right is the stair to the master suite; the window at the top frames views of cliffs just beyond the house.
Past the stair on the first floor are two bedroom suites, ideal for guests or children. Through the rear door of the house, a sculptural bench provides one more space to relax and enjoy the view of the cliffs.
On the second floor, the master suite sits perched amongst the trees, light filtering through the siding and shutters into a luxurious master bath, which features an outdoor shower. The master bedroom highlights unobstructed views of the southern sky, making this the place to watch sunrise, sunset and night skies undisturbed.
As we continue to develop Luna, the detailing of the house will be vital. How the bedroom doors work on the critical five-degree angle, how the bench and bookshelf nooks invite use, how the shading system functions on both the technical and visual levels. As with all of our projects, Luna will rely on this type of precise detailing and master craftsmanship to execute. We can’t wait to get down to the nitty gritty and make it come to life.