What's a 'concept', anyway?

In architecture we spend a lot of time talking about concepts. When you're first starting out on your architecture journey, understanding what a concept is, how you generate one, and what defines a good one is important, and surprisingly difficult!

Because it's so intrinsic to architectural thinking, if you do not understand what a concept is, you can feel quite lost for a long time. And, once you're further down the track, it can feel embarrassing to ask someone to explain, or to need to find new tools to generate and develop your projects.

“Complexity can and will be built over time. Uniqueness comes from bringing you - your personality, experience and values, to how you approach the design process.
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The concept is the essence

I think of the concept as the essence of the design. It is what you feel when you close you eyes and think of your design. It is the words you use when describing your ideas and intentions in the simplest way possible. It is an idea, a sensibility, a direction, and a core.

An architectural concept will be able to be experienced or explained and communicated in multiple ways. There will be words, images, feelings, aspirations and atmospheres all relating to the concept. To begin with, the focus might be on one or two of these elements, but as the project develops, this patchwork should expand and become more integrated at the same time.

What a concept is NOT….

A concept does not have to be highly theoretical, or make a deep socio-political comment on the world. A concept doesn’t have to be image-based either (a building that looks like a bird isn’t the only concept out there). What the concept manifests as can be hugely different depending on your project purpose.

Most importantly, a concept is not only a thing, a feeling or an idea, but how the spatial thinking responds to, extends or uses that idea. Perhaps obviously - an architectural concept should always tie the concept back to architecture. So an architectural concept isn’t just an idea, it is an idea about space, things, or inhabitation.

Some examples of an architectural concept might be:

a response to site: ‘a house of the landscape,’
a question or investigation: ‘how can architecture investigate the idea of unfolding through time?’, or
an ambition or provocation (technological, social, political…) : ‘a building that breathes’.

Wind is a very popular concept among new architecture students. But wind is not an architecture concept - it is an existing natural phenomena. An architecture concept using wind would be ‘a building that lets the wind pass through’ or ‘a space shaped by the wind’ or ‘an immaterial building’. You can already begin to picture the different architectural expressions of these three very different architectural concepts.

A concept is not a project! It is only a beginning point. A concept probably has layers, where there is an overarching vision, and then a specific strategy or approach that sits beneath that. Together, these describe your project direction.

And finally, a concept is not static or complete - it grows and shifts as your project evolves.

AND WHAT ABOUT complexity & UNIQUENESS?

A concept doesn't need to be tricky to be rich. A concept doesn’t have to be overcomplicated, or something that no one else has ever thought of ever before (in fact, good luck trying to think that up!)

As students we often get stuck by spending weeks trying to think of something really clever and new and complicated. We expect the complexity and uniqueness to come out of thin air.

A concept can be simple, and beautifully executed. It can be an idea that many people have thought about before, that you look at through different, personal lenses, and develop using inventive methods.

You can approach a simple concept is a rigorous way, carrying out deep thinking in relation to it, and produce a conceptually rich and layered project. Complexity can and will be built over time. Uniqueness comes from bringing you - your personality, experience and values, to how you approach the design process.

And on the topic of complexity: when you present your project, remember you do not need to dress it up in complicated language for it to be valid!