That Elusive Concept of Concept in Architecture: A First Snapshot of Concepts during Design

Abstract. Design concepts in architecture typically feature in post-hoc explanations or reviews of finished design projects. By contrast, this paper tries to chase concepts during the design process, and shed more light on when, why and how they pop up in the designer’s mind. To this end, the role of concepts is studied through the eyes of an architect involved in the design of a school building. The results of this pilot study amount to a tentative model of the generation and development of concepts, which tries to take into account their highly elusive character. 1