Identification and Ranking of Concept Production Methods in Architectural Design, Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Subject Areas : Creative City Design

Hamed Kaedi Cholandim ¹ , Hossein Kalantari Khalilabad ² , Kourosh Momeni ³

1 - PhD student, Department of Architecture, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran.
2 - Full Professor, Department of Architecture, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, JUNDI-SHAPUR University of Technology Dezful, Dezful, Iran.

Received: 2023-04-18 Accepted : 2023-07-10 Published : 2023-07-01

Keywords: concept, idea generation, architecture, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), idea creation,

Abstract :

The concept as an important section of the design process in the architecture industry has always been taken into consideration by domestic and foreign architecture research and literature. Therefore, the present study evaluated the process of creating a concept and its difference with synonyms, using a descriptive-analytical method and mathematical AHP, and identified the methods of creating concepts in architecture, using pairwise comparisons and a sample of 25 experts, and then determined the importance of each one through a field study. The results of research in the first phase of the study indicated eight methods for creating a concept. Therefore, creating a concept may be done using one of the following methods, analogy, metaphor, experience, symbolism, context, scheme, and scenario. The second phase of the study was conducted using paired comparisons and ranking analysis and indicated that, from the experts' views, there was almost a similarity in the importance of using concept methods in commercial and office complexes. Further, the three methods, analogy, metaphor, and theme, had higher weights and importance. Unlike concept creation in office and commercial complexes, the context method has the highest importance and weight in residential complexes. In these complexes, the metaphor method is as important as administrative and commercial complexes and among the first three most important methods.