UCSI UNIVERSITY

School of Architecture and the Built Environment

ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO 3

PRECEDENT
STUDY
&
CASE STUDY
UCSI UNIVERSITY
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

PRECEDENT STUDY
UCSI UNIVERSITY
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

WHY MUST DO PRECEDENT STUDY?

UCSI UNIVERSITY WHY MUST DO PRECEDNT STUDY?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

One of the things all architecture students should do normally is to keep

up to date with architecture news, read magazines, and look at

architecture buildings in person and through publications and readings

What?/Why?/When/Where/How? did the architects or designers do to

make that space successfully in terms of composition and formal aspects

There are two main things we architects think about when we look at a
magazine image:

what its built out of?, and

how it is built?

SO, What is Precedent Study?------------->

UCSI UNIVERSITY What Does Precedent Study Can Do?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

What is Precedent Study? The main purposes in

The aim is finding relevant this precedent study
information which can play
a role in the forming of is to study
conceptual decisions with remarkable
regards to design examples of spatial
development
design with the
The goal is generic design
knowledge that can be of use in intention of
day-to-day practice and theory determining what can
development. be applied
Remains in principle the same appropriately to
explicit learning from earlier current design
experiences.
projects in
PRECEDENT ANALYSIS IN LANDSCAPE
contemporary and
ARCHITECTURE; SEARCH OF AN ANALYTICAL
FRAMEWORK by Martin van den Toorn & Ali Guney future circumstances.
 UCSI UNIVERSITY Objectives of Precedent Study
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

To be able to research a specific
architectural work
To be able to determine the structurally and
architecturally significant component(s) /
elements of the work
To read and interpret architectural drawings
specifically as it also relates to structural
components
To be able to analyse photographs to
understand specific architectural work
To be able to analyse the photographs
in conjunction other documents to
determine size, position and material
of building components
To be able to determine an appropriate
scale at which represent the significant
component of the work.
To be able to choose appropriate
materials and techniques to construct
a model of the project
 UCSI UNIVERSITY How To Do Precedent Study?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

SITE
partANALYSIS
of the pre-design activities
issues of space and form, as
well as light and materiality,
construction method, technology
applications and etc
analyse the designs by
understanding the site analysis
and context, articulating their
concepts and organizing
principles, as well as the
experiential qualities of the
lighting strategies and the
materials used, and how the
materiality contributes to the
quality and experience of the
lighting and spatial and formal
expression of the works
analysing a building (relate to
assignment assign to you)
UCSI UNIVERSITY PRECEDENT STUDY
School of Architecture and the Built Environment
The precedent study will require the following steps:

1. Identify the precedent. Criteria for selection could

range from work by an admired architect, a particular
time period, or a particularly intriguing design and
approaches. Keep in mind that we are primarily
interested in the design, ideas, concept and
construction method of the architecture. Some
examples will be easier to analyse than others.
2. Identify those of the architecture elements. How many
unique elements/approaches are used in the design?

3. Analyse the assembly logic and understand

the concept and ideas. How these concept
and ideas are assemble and design? How
the architect get the concept, ideas and
building form and relate to the
environmental issues.
UCSI UNIVERSITY What Need To Consider?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

Elements need take into Consideration:

1.Concept and ideas

2.Natural Light
3.Structure and Construction Method
4.Massing
5.Plan to section/elevation
6.Circulation
7.Spatial Organization
8.Principle of design

Serious critical analysis has four levels to consider:

1.description -- identify the parts or components or elements

2.analysis -- identify and discuss relationships between those
elements
3.interpretation -- discuss the meaning of the content, give
each particular purpose and context
4.judgment -- discuss the value of the elements
UCSI UNIVERSITY How To Start Precedent Study?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

You may want to start your description and analysis with general
statements about:-

the whole design/composition (e.g. how is it organized spatially?;

what is the general response to the site?);
proceed to specific aspects, components or relationships that are
important for understanding the place (e.g. base plane treatment,
level changes, kinds of vertical planes and the degree of enclosure
that results from their use, etc.)
After this "break down" of the scheme, it would be good to return to
holistic considerations as you determine and interpret meanings and
finally conclude with an overall judgment or assessment of the
scheme's quality and value.
 UCSI UNIVERSITY Why Precedent Study is Important?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

Sketch, Photograph, Read

The more precedents you know, then you can begin to start
generating design ideas
Who are your Archi-heroes and find out why you like them
The more ideas you get from precedents, then you can
push above and beyond these precedents in your design
project
You can understand the limits where architecture is today,
and move beyond
Do precedents as the starting point for your design

One way of being a better designer is knowing

your precedents and why a design is successful.
The more you know in your architectural
vocabulary, the more examples you have in your
mind to build out of. The more easily ideas
can come with that inspiration
UCSI UNIVERSITY
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

CASE-STUDY
UCSI UNIVERSITY What is A Case-Study?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

A case study is a story about real and live situation, something unique,
special, or interestingstories can be about buildings, structural, concepts
and ideas, urban and planning, processes, programs, neighbourhoods,
institutions, and even events.
The case study gives the story behind the result by capturing what
happened to bring it about, and can be a good opportunity to highlight a
projects success, or to bring attention to a particular challenge or difficulty
in a project.
Cases might be selected because they are highly effective, not effective,
representative, typical, or of special interest.
The case studies would describe what happened when, to whom, and with
what consequences in each case.
UCSI UNIVERSITY Why Must Do A Case Study?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

A particular case (case-study) that is similar to your topic of design

project will help you understand the various aspects that you have to
consider while designing.

Literature Case study

Do a complete literature case study. Literature case study consists of reading

everything you can find on the subject. You can refer books in a library, use
Google to look up research papers, check out Standard Code books and
statutory laws or from technical journals.
A literature case study would give you a rogue idea about your topic. There will
be various questions arising in your mind after you are done with your literature
case study. To find the answers to those questions, you will have to go for
minimum two live case studies.
UCSI UNIVERSITY What To Do In A Case-Study?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

Most important things to

analyse in any Case Study:
1) Environment and micro-climate
2) User behaviour and requirements
3) Utility and space enhancement
4) Form and Function
5) Horizontal and vertical circulation
6) Site Planning and Landscape
detailing
7) Structural details such as Column
and Beam Design, Steel and
Composite structures
8) Building Services such as Fire
Alarm system, HVAC, Water supply
systems
9) Design detailing considering the
Barrier-free environment
10) Socio-economic profile of user
group
11) Parking details and standards
UCSI UNIVERSITY How To Do A Case-Study?
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

Conducting a case study is hard work. Sometimes, it is so small, it

could be done in days, but on other occasions, it takes weeks to
document and compile all the data. It involves going on-site, meeting
and taking to people, lots of traveling, plenty of photography, and
some fun. It is the most important of assignments you might get as
an architectural students.
This is where you learn from reality, actual stuff, as opposed to only
theoretical knowledge. Looking at places first hand and
documenting information would give you many insights and ideas
and let you peek into the minds of professional architects and
designers who have used years of experience and improvisation to
design and create incredible structures.
UCSI UNIVERSITY
School of Architecture and the Built Environment

THANK YOU
&
ALL THE BEST