Residential Project #3: Schematic Design

All of the steps up to this point are completely necessary, but this is where the FUN begins.  Schematic Design takes all of the hard work, technical information and lists and combines them with the art part of Architecture.  The result is the emotional and compelling drawings that get the client excited...and that usually get the job going.

In this case, the project had to start with a thoughtful interior layout that would accomplish the living/entertaining goals of the client.  I prefer to start thinking on paper - by hand - so my early layouts and design ideas take the form of sketches and traces of sketches that inform the relationships between building components and spaces.

The schematic design includes extensive renovations to the existing bedrooms and bathrooms (no work in the rest of the house) and a significant addition to the rear of the house.  BUT, the client also wanted an opinion on a re-working of the front of the house - thinking French Country.  The sketches above show the initial concept for the relationships between the Master Suite and the main house and the concept development for the front of the house.

A critical part of the interior arrangement was getting the Master Bedroom a view of the rear of the property without long corridors.  Starting with the Rotunda/Vestibule, the "Cabinet" (French term used for Dressing Room) is used as a part of the sequence to the Bedroom and also helps to frame the view to the outside through the enfilade of the Master Suite.  This was intentional from the very start.

The front of the house was a different matter - taking the step from initial sketch to actual design.  However, I think that the final schematic design reflects the original sketch very acurately - see the first image in this post.  The design changes the character of the house from a rather pedestrian ranch house to a much more dramatic entry.  No changes to the existing roofline required.