Stage: Concept and Schematic Design
“Back then, I was more suggestion than instruction.”
I didn’t start on-site. I started in the margins. A napkin in a meeting. A pen on trace paper. A quick digital sketch on an iPad.
I wasn’t scaled or annotated. I didn’t have title blocks or revision clouds. I was loose, raw, and fast. A few lines to test ideas and start a conversation.
This is where architects explore massing, adjacencies, and flow. Owners react to early layouts and test-fit ideas against square footage goals. Sometimes planners chime in to flag zoning concerns before they become costly later.
My job at this stage was to guide intent. I helped visualize how the building might sit on the site, where the entrances should go, and whether the overall concept matched the project's goals. I changed frequently, and that was the point. Nothing was finalized, but everything was foundational.
Even though I looked simple, decisions made during this phase impacted every consultant who touched the project after. When this stage was rushed, misalignment showed up downstream. When done right, it gave the entire team a running start.
Tools Used at This Stage
- SketchUp or Rhino for quick digital massing
- Trace paper, pens, and markers for hand iteration
- iPad with stylus for flexible sketching and sharing
- PDF markups for lightweight collaboration and early feedback
Primary Stakeholders Involved
- Architect — driving spatial strategy and concept vision
- Owner or Developer — evaluating feasibility and goals
- Urban Planner or City Reviewer — occasionally involved for zoning or entitlement guidance
Why This Stage Matters
This is where vision becomes something visual. Strong concept drawings clarify project direction and prevent rework later. They give engineers, consultants, and contractors something solid to build from. Even though I wasn’t part of a formal set yet, I held the DNA of what would get built.
This stage is also where trust starts to build. Between teams. Between ideas and execution. Between vision and what’s possible.