What is a concept and why is it important?
Why a concept is not an unnecessary stage, but the smartest investment at the start.
In most projects, the main mistakes do not occur at the implementation stage or even during design. They appear much earlier – at the moment when decisions begin to be made without a clearly formulated direction. This is where a concept is needed. At the CITEK studio, a concept is the first stage of design after an audit of the object. It is needed not for a “pretty picture”, but in order to translate the analysis, limitations and potential of the space into a clear, logical system of solutions. In essence, the concept answers the main question: what are we building, why and within what limits.
A concept as a separate service, when is it especially needed?
Not every client is ready to immediately enter into a full design or architectural project. And this is normal. It is for such situations that a concept works as an independent, completed service.
A concept is especially useful if:
the object has not yet been purchased or the decision to purchase is in question;
there are several scenarios for using the space and it is unclear which one is appropriate;
the budget is limited and it is important not to make a mistake with the scale of the solutions;
the client has doubts and does not want to “go at random”;
professional confirmation or correction of his own idea is required.
In this format, the concept allows you to assess the real potential of the object, check the idea for viability and understand whether it makes sense to invest further. This is much cheaper than mistakes at the design stage or, even worse, implementation. An important point: if after the concept the client decides to move on with CITEK, the cost of the concept is included in the full design project. That is, the client does not lose anything – he simply starts with a safer and more reasonable step.
The concept as a mandatory start of any project.
As part of a full project, the concept is not an option, but a necessity. Without it, the design turns into a set of solutions that are difficult to coordinate with each other.
It is at the concept stage that we:
fix the logic of the space and its structure;
determine functional priorities;
form usage scenarios;
et the scale and boundaries of solutions;
check compliance with the budget, standards and technical capabilities.
This allows us to avoid typical problems: constant edits, changes in solutions “on the fly”, budget overruns and loss of time. When the concept is fixed, all subsequent stages — design, detailed design, implementation — are based on clear rules of the game.
Different types of projects — one logic of the concept.
For residential projects, the concept structures the lifestyle: routes, storage, privacy, interaction between zones, daily habits. For commercial facilities, it lays down the business logic of the space: flows of people, functional efficiency, recognition and economic feasibility. For architecture, the concept defines the principles of spatial planning decisions, interaction with the context and future operation of the building.
Why starting with a concept is always the right decision.
A concept saves not only money, but also nerves. It reduces the level of uncertainty, gives a sense of control and allows you to make decisions consciously. This is the point where the project becomes manageable.
Regardless of whether you start with a concept as a separate service or enter into a full project, this stage cannot be bypassed without losses. The only difference is whether you do it consciously and on time, or forcedly – due to mistakes later. That is why at CITEK we always start with a concept. Because a strong project does not begin with visualizations, but with correctly posed questions and clear answers to them.
