As an environmental designer, how do you keep your creative edge sharp? In other words, what do you do to keep your design process fresh and innovative as it pulls from your experience, research, and skillset? When doing this as an architect, your creativity will be ever-expanding and your ability to think “beyond the box” will grow evermore genius.
Developing the ability to evolve your design process is critical not only to your...
Most recently, I have been working with procedural modeling software to create very forward-thinking conceptual designs. This way of modeling objects, buildings, or even cities is quite interesting as it allows for a more rapid testing, experimentation, and prototyping of ideas. And when procedural modeling integrates sensory design methodologies, opportunity to achieve high level poetics can surface.
In computer terms, the word “history” takes...
I am delighted to share the wonderful news that my book, Adaptive Sensory Environments, just won as 2017 Nautilus Book Award Silver Medal Winner in the “Creative Process” category.
This is very exciting news, and I am honored that Adaptive Sensory Environments is now forever aligned with the Nautilus Book Award and its mission to help make the world a better place.
The Nautilus Book Awards ...
I was surprised by the number one question architects asked me during a recent survey I conducted. They wanted to know “Should I ever be completely satisfied with my architectural design project? And how do I know when to be satisfied with it?” These are both very good questions, and they each led me to think even more deeply about my own creative design process. The following is how I think about design project completion and satisfaction.
Structure of Gravity | © Image Credit: Maria Lorena Lehman | MLL Design Lab, LLC
The above close-up section of a recent environmental drawing I created explores what I call the structure of gravity. This paradoxical term speaks to the bridging of architecture between the earth and sky – as built form rises upward as if to collaborate with the science of gravity through the structure of design expression. This piece invites one to consider the behavioral...
As an architect, one of the most beneficial skillsets for you to develop is your ability to create truly innovative designs that your clients love. Over the years, I have heard about the huge challenge architects face as they strive to both innovate their design and “sell” those innovative ideas to their client for approval. Unfortunately, and often, their most innovative ideas get chiseled away because they do not pass the client review....
There are times within an architectural design project when digital nature can accomplish goals that actual physical nature cannot. For example, within hospital settings where cleanliness is of prime importance, digital nature can be brought inside. You see, digital nature can be used in three unique ways to enhance an environment that serves to empower the occupant that inhabits its space. The following are three techniques for you to “pull” from physical nature, to create...
As you work your way through the all-important design concept phase, how do you assess the quality of your design concept? There are numerous aspects you can base a design concept’s success upon. For instance, how well does your design concept meet the needs and goals of its future building occupants? Or, how well does your concept solve for your client’s needs and requirements? And, how does your design concept add to the...
As interactivity continues to be integrated into designed environments, it is important to explore how such interactivity can emerge into forming the behavioral character of a design. With each interaction between design element and building occupant, interactive architectural environments form impressions in the memory of their occupants. Yet, the question remains: Is the interactive character emitting from an environmental design purposeful and...
Urban design within cities around the world has impact upon the citizens they serve. As environmental designers, it is important to continuously evolve how cities beneficially influence citizens as they live their daily lives within these urban areas. A critical way by which to accomplish this is to design urban architecture within such cities so they cooperate and collaborate together to yield a relationship of co-creation with their...
This 24 minute masterclass will forever change how you design environments.
Founder
MLL Design Lab
Maria Lorena Lehman, "one of the leading experts on delivering exceptional occupant experience through smart building design" and recipient of the Harvard University Digital Design Prize for the "most creative use of digital media in relation to the design profession".
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