Architecture is Awesome: #32 Every Building is a Prototype

 

Using a scale model, a form of prototyping, to test design concepts (my photo)

This is another in my series of posts inspired by 1000 Awesome Things, the Webby Award-winning blog written by Neil Pasricha. The series is my meditation on the awesome reasons why I was and continue to be attracted to the art of architecture.

While iterative prototyping is a vital tool for design and innovation in many industries, the use of prototypes is severely limited in the production of architecture. Each new building stands alone as a culmination of ideas, adaptation, and continuous improvement at the time of its design. Effectively, every building is its own prototype, a unique example of its kind.
 
Full-sized, operational prototypes offer a range of benefits that virtual representations alone cannot fully replicate. These benefits are particularly significant for the automotive, aerospace, or consumer electronics industries, where physical prototypes play a crucial role in design and testing. Full-sized, operational prototyping holds immense value when amortized over the entire production run of manufactured products. While the upfront costs of creating these prototypes can be substantial, the long-term benefits they provide throughout the production lifecycle far outweigh the initial investment. Prototyping reduces the likelihood of costly changes once mass production begins, helps validate assumptions regarding the user experience, and can identify inefficiencies in production processes.
 

Prototypes in flight: The YF-16 and YF-17 aircraft, competitors in the U.S. Air Force’s Lightweight Fighter technology evaluation program of the early 1970s (photo by Air Force Camera Operator: R.L. HOUSE, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).

 
On the other hand, full-sized, operational prototypes are impractical for one-off and program-specific architectural projects due to the unique challenges posed by the complexity, scale, and price tag associated with buildings. Buildings vary widely in scope, design, and context. Each project responds to a distinctive set of user requirements and the peculiarities of its site. The customization inherent in architecture makes it challenging to develop a one-size-fits-all prototype that can accommodate diverse project needs. In theory, architects could benefit from creating prototypes to identify flaws, make improvements, and arrive at a final design that is both functional and economical. Prototyping is a fundamental tool for innovation in many industries, but the world of architecture operates under an entirely different paradigm, one in which time, finance, and sustainability are hefty considerations.   
 
Instead of prototyping, architects rely on alternative methods—including computer-generated simulations, augmented reality, scale models, and other design visualization tools—to test and refine their ideas before construction begins. Stand-alone mockups of building components are likewise valuable tools for focused testing of ideas and assessing performance of specific systems in a far more cost-effective and practical manner than complete building prototypes.
 

Reviewing a full-sized, stand-alone mockup of the integrated, exterior wall assembly for the Lane Community College Health Professions Building, currently under construction (my photo).

 
Several well-known architects developed their design theories and visions over the course of multiple projects, using each as a steppingstone or prototype to refine and evolve their ideas. Notable examples include Le Corbusier, who expounded on his “Five Points of Architecture” through a series of projects that effectively served as prototypes for his design philosophy. Likewise, Louis Kahn progressively refined his notions on monumentality and light with projects like the Salk Institute, Kimbell Art Museum, and the National Assembly Building of Bangladesh. Both Corb and Kahn used successive projects as testing grounds for new ideas, materials, and concepts.    

So, every building is a prototype, not for its own sake but rather for that of the projects that follow it. Completed projects provide architects with an AWESOME opportunity for continuous improvement. They serve as valuable sources of knowledge to be drawn upon to help refine design strategies and improve the probability of better outcomes in future projects of similar types. This knowledge is often the result of feedback from users and other project stakeholders. All the lessons learned help architects anticipate and mitigate risks associated with design decisions, construction methods, and unforeseen challenges.

Next Architecture is Awesome: #33 Happy Clients