ABSTRACT
The acclaimed Italian architect Renzo Piano once described the process of designing buildings as ‘a balancing act between art and science’, encapsulating the constant tension between creativity and objectivity. The outcome may appear like a series of abstract diagrams but their value is immense, as they establish the key requirements of the project’s functionality regardless of the visual or spatial composition of the design itself, which has yet to come. Design competitions effectively compress the analysis into a very short period, often with little or no involvement by the client. Different architects approach design development in different ways of course, with some ensuring that the architectural aesthetic is utterly dominant whereas others will allow a degree of pragmatism to shape the final form. There can hardly be a better example of Renzo Piano’s aphorism than the pursuit of sustainability through design, as the science is precise but the art is its physical expression.
