The Design Reason From The Site

The building site analysis, as part of (an architect's) ordinary works, is sometimes seriouslyconsidered; sometimes not. It often depends on a designer's preference. Design reason, as aneffective mode of thinking, is treated similarly- sometimes held in high respect, sometimesignored.Xong Shili divided mind into two parts: the 'Xin' and the 'Liang'. In a design process, withoutdoubt the 'Xin' needs to be regarded as the priority, but meanwhile, the 'Liang' should not beforgotten. Moreover, the two ideas should not be dealt with individually. Similarly, The designmethodology should not be determined on the base of a designer's preference alone. Henceforth,the site analysis is discussed along with the design reason in this writing. The writer's intention isto systemize a framework through making the two ideas complement to each other.In the preface, design reason is considered separately as the essential reason and themorphological reason. It is made clear that the discussion focuses on essential reason of design. Inconjunction, the specific meaning of 'the design reason' (in this thesis) is derived from a series oftheoretical analysis.Chapter one constitutes discussions about the right and will of a building site, together withdiscussions about the design reason. Based on the principle of segregation of knowledge andapplications, the design reason is discussed through its root and the site analysis is discussedthrough its qualitative definition, both from the theories in law. The purpose is to establish a senseof awareness (as a designer) to use the design reason (and the site analysis) consciously.Chapter two consists of discussions about the aggregation of a site and the contents of aninvestigation. The discussions about natural condition, social condition, legal condition, economiccondition and cultural condition correspond with a building site's natural and social properties asan object, and a building site's legitimate, cost and symbolic properties. The aggregation of abuilding site and the formation of an investigation can be derived from these five properties. Thisdiscourse leads to a deeper understanding of the building site conditions.In Chapter three, through discussions about 13 projects, the implementation of the methodology ofobtaining the design reason from the site analysis is demonstrated. Through some concreteexamples, necessarily exploration in the discussion is made.In the conclusion chapter, there is a further inquiry in the site analysis and the design reason; it isconcluded that the will of a site and the design reason, are no other than the will and reason ofhuman beings.