Constraints can be a great thing for design

~  Madhuri Braganza

    Vindhya U (6th sem) 1MS08
    Extract from the Journalism Trophy Entry 2010
    

Constraint: The state of being restricted or confined within prescribed bounds. 

Is that a bad thing?  All of us, as architects, face constraints while designing. It may be population, space, economy or site features. But do we look at it as a guideline for design?

Constraints definitely enhance design. Designing around constraints may further enhance the process, if the designer does his creative best.  As Earnest Rutherford rightly said, “We haven’t got the money, so we’ve got to think.”

Constraints create things we haven’t thought of  yet. Without constraints, we may not know where to begin! Too much freedom can even turn out to be a bad thing. For example, without a time constraint no work would be completed, in fact, some of the best ideas pop up in a time problem. Constraints don’t have to be looked upon as boundaries or limitations- they are the rules of the game! This makes designing, an exciting challenge!

Laurie Baker, in his work, makes use of locally available material judiciously, thus bringing out the character of the material. He also worked out creative openings for ventilation in warm humid areas using brick; he avoided the use of energy-intensive materials and therefore, wastage was minimized. His works were low-cost, beautiful and sustainable. If it were not for natural and manmade constraints, his designs would not have flourished so. Frank Lloyd Wright too, used constraints to improve his design of the famous Falling Waters. He chose his site because he knew the importance of using constraints in developing good design. He chose a waterfall, and built a masterpiece. It is said, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’; Eskimos built igloos, given the material and climatic constraints.

 When effort is made to go beyond the most obvious or simplest solutions, deliberately keeping in mind the constraints and how to overcome them, design can be beautiful. Without constraints, not only would designing be a bore, but it would also be a long drawn and never ending process. Perfection cannot be attained before flaws are recognized. This brings us to the fact, that problems worthy of attack prove their worth by hitting back.