The Design Parti

The Design Parti forms the basis of the preliminary design philosophy relative to the final solution.  This element is based on the Ecole des Beaux-Arts school, which promoted the use of the parti in resolution of architectural design problems.

The relevant text for this item comes from the Curriculum Section 1.0 - Architectural History of Western Civilization.  The Ecole is detailed in that section which provides the basic description of the design parti philosophy.  It states:

        Key elements of the educational curriculum include:

·        The Parti: taken from the French (prendre parti) meaning to take a stand, establish a philosophical position.  This position would relate to the solution of the basic scheme for the building.  It is to form the meaning of the plan’s resolution.  The fundamental solution of the functional program also related to the Parti.  How the elements and features of the building tied together related to the essential concept (parti) of the solution.

·        The composition of the design:  This item was concerned with the detailing of the Parti.  It involved the distribution and arrangement of the elements, their articulation and link into a cohesive whole; a total building based on a solid theoretical concept.

·        The Point: The principle volume of the building.

·        Circulation: The network of access and movement involving corridors, open spaces, and entry points.

·        The Grid (known as the mosaique): This item referred to the structural and geometrical layout of the building’s design system.

·        Le Grande Marche: This item related to the imaginary experience of walking through a building; the experience of the building known by the architect prior to construction. Typically the building was perceived as a sequence of architectural images, an ordered series of tableaux illustrations.

These key points were the basis of the education received at the school.

The following link will load the parti description for this project.