What is a conceptual design for industrial projects?
Conceptual design for industrial projects is the first step in the design process. Essentially, during this phase, industrial architects transfer and blend ideas and client needs into design requirements. This design phase sets the direction for the project.
Conceptual design by nature is an iterative process. It consists of several stages such as generation, exploration, evaluation, and representation of various ideas and gradual convergence on the preferred solution.
Objectives of conceptual design
The objective of the conceptual design is to translate ideas and client needs into physical layouts. These layouts are based on criteria such as project requirements, budget, future plan, and long-term relevance.
The Process
The design process in industries varies based on the process, client philosophy, and design philosophy. Hence, there are no set steps or rules for the conceptual design phase. As a result, the final design is evolved step by step, carried forward to the schematic design phase and up to the final design.
Typically, during this stage of the project, the team of industrial architects collaborates with other domain specialists and the client. They make sketches and scaled layouts to translate the ideas and concepts into physical reality. For this reason, intense and clear communication is an essential part of this stage.
The project objectives are assessed in this stage. A broad picture of the project develops in the conceptual design phase. In order to achieve good results, best practices show that it is best to narrow down to one or two concepts at the end of this phase.
What are the steps involved in the conceptual design phase?
Typically, the steps involved in the conceptual design phase
- Identify the needs and expectations of the client.
- Brainstorm with all project stakeholders.
- Leverage brainstorming, explore, develop, evaluate and present ideas and designs.
- Communicate with the client and help them choose the appropriate design
- Review the schemes and ideas in terms of technical and financial feasibility
- Segregate the ideas and sketches developed
- Finally, present the ideas to the decision-makers
The deliverables in conceptual design
The deliverables of the conceptual design stage form a set of guidelines to fall back on during the course of the project. As a result of which, the conceptual stage forms the foundation for the entire project.
- User Requirement Specification (URS)
- Master plan
- Conceptual layouts
- Block estimates for each concept
To conclude, the conceptual design indicates an idea, an approach, and a design intent for the project. Thus, it is of utmost importance in the case of industrial infrastructure design projects.
