DESIGN TRANSLATOR

We all design under limitations. We might have budget limitations on what we can propose. We might have limitations put upon us by our clients. And another common limitation is architectural review boards. These volunteer boards are tasked with the difficult role of determining whether a design is appropriate based on the historic character of the neighborhood.

These limitations are what always defines the projects we have here in the office. And certainly these sorts of limitations are what, I might guess, comprise the basic experiences for most of us. In these scenarios, we absolutely must follow these sorts of dictates and formulas. Otherwise we don’t get anything built. And we don’t get paid.

Enter the concept of Design Translator. A design translator is very similar to an anger translator. As I am sure you have seen the Key and Peele skit of Obama’s anger translator. This is where Obama, given the strictures and limitations of his immediate situation, can’t say what is really on his mind. So he can only say what is right and proper within the norms of our culture. If you have somehow not seen any version of this, one of them can be found at this link. And anger translator was recently applied to the Democrats on the Behgazi / Hilliary congressional hearing.

I have found that doing Design Translator drawings has nearly the same cathartic effect as does an anger translator. When you do Design Translator drawings, you get to say what you really want to say. Not what you are required to say given the limitations of either your situation or your project. Design Translator drawings enable you to say the unsayable.

Recently, we were working on the design of a small, boutique hotel to be located on the Main Street of Cooperstown, where we live. So of course given the historic nature of our Village and the scrutiny that the historic preservation board applies, we had to produce a design that was at least resonant with the context. And we were pleased with our design. It utilized the basic massing ques of the existing fabric. It fit in.

But deep down, I have started listening to my internal what if scenarios? I have started to draw design and massing solutions that are completely devoid of the limitations of the real world project. I have started to ask the question, what could be put there given no design, budget, or client limitations?

And I call these my Design Translator drawings. The drawing at the top of the page is a Design Translator drawing of the hotel project. This one happens to riff off of one of my favorite inspirations, oriental characters. So I provided a massing for the hotel using basic written characters as form generators.  And over the course of these pages, I have done other Design Translator drawings based on this and other real world projects here in the office.

And it is great fun. It is a way of opening your mind. And because a Design Translation drawing is based upon a real world project, you really know a lot about the site. You really understand the features and elements of the site. So when you are drawing in this fanciful way, there is a large amount of factual support and evidence.