Experience and design: Case studies

This chapter offers two case studies of the architectural design processes to present design as an exercise of the imagination rooted in memories emerging from prior experience. The case studies emphasize how their specific memories influenced the creativity of each architect in different ways. Neuroscience does not limit the styles of different designers. Jørn Utzon’s design of the Sydney Opera House was informed by experience in both boat-building and as a yachtsman that offered him a fresh perspective on how to develop the site on Bennelong Point on Sydney Harbour. Other inspiration came from Mayan and Chinese temples in which a building was erected above a pedestal, and clouds or the roof in some sense floated above the building. Frank Gehry’s design of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao exemplifies how sketching and model-making make intuitions explicit in a way that can be the basis both for self-discovery and for teamwork. Crucially, the current sketch may not only provide ideas for further development but also reveal quirks that had not been consciously derived but that nonetheless suggest ideas to enrich or modify the design.