The Smart Design Concept
Usually customers ask me about my design principles and ideas. Which option is better, modern or classic architecture? Wood or concrete? Contemporary or country style? Actually all of them are valid alternative and they will reflect the customer's choices, but there is a concept that I apply to all my designs independent of the style, building, or materials: the Smart Design Concept.
What is Smart Design? It means intelligent parameters to conceive smart spaces and solutions.
My preference is in regards to corridors and circulation. Frequently, when a family is thinking about their dream house, they think about the bedrooms, kitchen, or garden but not about corridors. And this could be an expensive omission.
Say we have a plan, the circulation (97 square feet) is connecting four bedrooms with 696 square feet. The corridor area is 13.94% of the bedrooms. In another plan, the corridor (165 square feet) is connecting three bedrooms with 707 square feet. So, the corridor is 26.92% of the bedrooms. Almost double!!
As a corridor is not an enjoyable room in the second plan, you will have 80 useless square feet. But as you are building these additional 80 square feet, you will be wasting approximately US $7200. And, after construction you will need to spend more with electricity, heating.... Now, see in 3D the difference between both corridors.
If the corridors aren't surrounded by walls, it's integrated with the rest of the house, so it virtually does not exist, and it becomes a balcony to exterior views. But, if the corridor is a box with doors, without any exterior views, you will need to use lights at all times of the day. This is just an example of Smart design: high functionality, low cost, inexpensive maintenance.
So, if you are thinking about your dream house necessities, don't forget to include "Smart Design" in the list.
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