JDI Architects Design Philosophy and Process

Kent Johnson, principal and owner of JDI Architects, Philosophy:

“I think my philosophy on design is being a good listener, creating great things that people have not seen before. Take ideas that have been around and abstract them, and pay attention to the environment. Pay attention to the sun, the shade, the shadow of the site, the context, and the surrounding neighbors. It’s very important from a design perspective that we are good listeners to our clients and we give them something that they didn’t necessarily expect, and give them a product that is better than they hoped for. It’s what we do at JDI Architects.

What inspires your approach to design?
What inspires me about designing spaces, designing buildings is the satisfaction that I get and that people get from what we do, and the clients get from the product of our design. I want our clients to always be surprised by what they get in a very positive way. We work very hard to be cyrebral in what we do because we want the end result to be outstanding.

How do current trends affect your designs?
I try not to follow trends I like to think that we have developed trends and create trends in this market. We do alot of lake homes and alot of estate homes and I think some of the archtecture we have brought to those homes has really help defined what is a lake home, what is an estate home? I would not consider myself as one who looks at trends, but what I want to do is to work within different styles; the end goal, whether it’s style A or style B, is that the style is correctly done. If it’s Tudor architecture, if it’s shingle style architecture, if it’s modern architecture, that’s well done. Most architects start with a style and then they’ll put their twist on it. That is what we always try to do. We try to be intellectual in a way that, in the way we approach our design, we want to take the basic idea of the style and we’d like to take the abstract to what we feel is our style as JDI Architects.”

JDI Architect Process
Designing and building a home or planning and constructing a space for a new or growing business is a complex task. One way to make a complex task seem more manageable is to break it up into smaller tasks, and architects apply a similar strategy to the design and construction process. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) defines Five Phases of Architecture that are commonly referred to throughout the industry.

Below, you will find a general overview of our process, detailing which design category each is handled and executed. We start the projects with scope & programming, ending with final documents & drawings needed for both bidding out the project as well as everything the contractor will need for construction.

Scope of Work & Preliminary Sketches
This is typically the first step JDI takes when launching a project. We will sit down and have comprehensive conversations with our clients to understand their everyday needs, laying out a distinct scope and program for the project. We will then turn to the sketchbook to study, develop, and plan the initial aspects of the project and its relationships.

Preliminary Floor Plan and Elevation Sketches with Site Diagram
After we develop the diagrammatic sketches of floor plan(s) & form, we will expand upon these ideas to create the preliminary floor plan(s), elevations & site planning of any major elements. This phase is usually done by hand, as it allows us to remain open, flexible & creative while developing the design.

In Meeting Mark-Up
At this point in the project, we meet back up with the client to review the progress of the project. Below you can see an example of the end result of what one of these meetings looks like. We walk the client through the house & design based on our initial scope & program conversations. Based on client needs & conversations, adjustments & details are added to achieve the design that is just right for them.

Computer Drawings
Getting the design into the computer becomes the next step. This allows us to get all the information & details into one complete 3D model. JDI will draw all preliminary floor level(s), elevations/exteriors, and site. Another meeting review & markup will take place at this time to ensure everything is as accurate & complete.

3D Model
With the completion of floor plans, elevations & site, we will move on to finalize the exterior of the structure, including form, as well as study material finishes & colors. This is often shown in a more realistic, rendered image so our clients have a clear idea of what their home will look like. If there are any ‘specialty’ items, aspects or interiors of the home, we will also study those to ensure a complete design, both inside and out.

Construction Drawings
The final step in the process is finalizing all drawings so that the project can be bid out & built by contractors. This includes a full set of drawings that include site plan(s), Foundation Plan, Floor Plan(s), Roof Plan, Elevations, Sections, Details, Material/Finish Schedules, Door/Window Schedules, Electrical Plan(s), 3D Perspectives & Materials as well as any Structural Plans (*provided by engineer not architect*).

SUMMARY
Knowing that a significant investment of time and resources will be required to complete a project can make it feel like an intimidating undertaking. However, experience tells us that the biggest hurdle to starting or moving forward on a project is more often the anxiety around what we do not yet know. To help eliminate some of the unknowns about working with an architect, we listen carefully to our clients and walk them through each step of the process. We hope it gives a clear picture of what to expect as one of our clients and that you feel more prepared to discuss your project with us when the time is right. And if you are ready to get started now, we are here to help make your dream a reality.