The Pagoda Design Space: Extending the Scope of Design - Principia Designae: Pre-Design, Design, and Post-Design - page 65

sophisticated dry joints, which depend on a perfect fit between members, without
any nails or glue.
How do these features help the structure to resist destructive forces such as major
earthquakes? The independence of the central pillar allows it to swing when
subjected to extreme forces. The amplitude of the swing is constrained by the
weight of the surrounding wooden stories, which swing along with it. Because
the entire structure is not connected to the ground, no breakage is caused as free
movement is enabled. The structural independence of the individual stories also
contributes to a flexible motion of each vis a vis its neighbors, and since each story
has a limited mass, the impact of the blow is much smaller than it would have been
if the entire structure were a single, much heavier mass. Likewise, the many dry
joints between members within the larger structure of each story, allow mutual
movement which once again, at this smaller scale, restrains the impact even in the
case of a strong earthquake. All these factors interact and together they safeguard
the structural integrity of the pagoda. We should now like to use the pagoda
structure as a metaphor for an extended model of the design space, including the
pre-design and post-design phases.
5.4 The Pagoda Design Space: Creativity and Expertise
The five-tier pagoda serves as a metaphor for an extended model of the design space
which embodies the design process, including the pre-design and post-design
phases. The pagoda model has an independent central axis with five tiers surround-
ing it, that rest on each other. The central “pillar” extends from insight at its bottom
to impact at the top, crowning the model as the sorin crowns the pagoda. The five
“tiers” are the main components of the design process, namely, from bottom to top:
pre-design, task framing, design acts, design proposal, and post-design. Figure 5.6
is a diagram of the pagoda design space model. In what follows, we briefly
articulate the components of the main body of this design space and comment on
its relationship with the central insight-impact axis.
5.4.1 Tier 1: Pre-design—State of Knowledge
Section 5.2 above explained in some detail what is included in pre-design and why
it is part and parcel of the design world which is already in place prior to any
specific activity of designing. Professional expertise consists of knowledge and
know-how; knowledge is partly 'objective' and partly 'subjective'. The pagoda
design space model spells out the main realms of “objective” knowledge: Histor-
ical, that is, architectural precedents and references; Social and cultural, pertaining
to norms and conventions regarding the needs, expectations and lifestyle of partic-
ular populations. These norms may be dynamic of course (for example, a few