Diagramming the Big Idea

Methods for Architectural Composition

Becoming an architect is a daunting task. This book introduces the fundamentals of design thinking by illustrating how architects make and use diagrams to clarify their understanding of both specific architectural projects and universal principles of form and order.

Becoming an architect is a daunting task. Beyond the acquisition of new skills and procedures, beginning designers face an entirely unfamiliar mode of knowledge: design thinking.

In Diagramming the Big Idea, Jeffrey Balmer and Michael T. Swisher introduce the fundamentals of design thinking by illustrating how architects make and use diagrams to clarify their understanding of both specific architectural projects and universal principles of form and order. With accessible, step-by-step procedures that interweave diagrams, drawings and models, the authors demonstrate how to compose clear and revealing diagrams.

This newly revised edition features:

• An expanded array of global and contemporary works of architecture as precedents that demonstrate fundamental aspects of architectural composition.
• Significantly enhanced coloration throughout, including 1400+ revised and new illustrations across 330 pages.
• Three new illustrated essays adding depth to additional components of design thinking.

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