Reading a site before drawing the first line
Before plans, diagrams, and references, there is the site itself. Even a small urban lot gives away clues about how a project should begin.
For this portfolio direction, the first visit matters as much as the first sketch. I try to read four things immediately:
- Where the best light enters
- Which views deserve to be framed
- What should be protected from noise or neighboring exposure
- Which existing elements already carry character
Start with atmosphere, not only dimensions
A measured survey tells us what fits. A spatial reading tells us what the project could feel like.
That difference is important in residential work. A patio may be small on paper and still become the emotional center of the house if it receives morning light and connects daily circulation.
What goes into the first study
- A diagram of sun, shade, and privacy.
- A list of constraints that can become opportunities.
- A first sequence of spaces rather than a finished floor plan.
The goal is not speed for its own sake. It is to begin with the right questions.