PERSPECTIVES

The design process is a strategic effort composed of a pooling of thoughts and ideas from several individual designers. To make sense of it all, we create diverse visual media that helps synthesize and rationalize the intricacies of that process. These visualizations become the instruments of storytelling we use to connect with our clients and communities and is the topic of our fourth hive workshop.

ILLUSTRATIONS

We develop step-by-step illustrations that simplify our thought process, building up our ideas from abstract concept to detailed realization. The sequential structure affords clients and communities time to grasp the essential elements and space to accept the design resolutions. For our internal team, defining the steps of our process holds us accountable for the integrity and rationality of our work.

MODELS

We also build study models that manipulate materials and form to explore broad concepts or specific strategies. We use these to assess the clarity and strength of our underlying concepts - models tell the story of progress and refinement.

MOOD BOARDS

Creating mood boards often transforms concepts into tangible feelings and experiences about a space on a more personal, and individualistic level. Our interior design team pulls together imagery and drawings to tell stories of space and enliven their clients’ visions. We often provide a series of options which enables our clients to take ownership of the design direction and participate in the design process.

Left: Mood board for The Lexington restaurant. Right: The Lexington restaurant

By the end of the session, we figured out that the common goal of these illustrations is to make sense of our design process and compose it for more public storytelling. Across projects, RODE consistently cares about the perception and accessibility of our narrative to our clients and communities.

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Last week, the BPDA approved our design of 1121 Dorchester Avenue. The project will bring two new residential buildings to two underutilized sites. The four story, 21-unit building on Dorchester Avenue will feature a bold yet timeless design, while a separate, three story building will bring 3 residential units and a more transitional design to Savin Hill Avenue. The project also includes 3,000 SF of ground level commercial space that will house a future restaurant.

We became architects because we wanted to create, shape the world around us, and have an impact on how people experience their surroundings. We became RODE Architects because we share a belief in two principles: great design has the power to transform our environment, and working collaboratively is what gets us there.

Our collaborative spirit was challenged when the pandemic hit. Like most firms, we were forced to re-evaluate our old ways of doing things and find new solutions to achieve the same successful outcomes. One of the ideas to come out of this process is the RODE Hive Workshop series, a team-wide, biweekly information sharing session.

These biweekly discussions allow our team to explore a specific topic or task challenged by our current work situation and share solutions, tips, and tricks to improve our individual skill sets and overall practice as a firm. Topics vary from week to week and will cover everything from how we use software to how we convey design ideas to our co-workers and clients.

This week’s topic focused on the transformation of the sketching process and the new approaches and technologies we’ve implemented in both our virtual and physical working environments.