Shadowing Practice: Architectural Design Process Explained - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hey guys, how's it going?
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So today I want to walk you through the architectural design process from start to finish, and you can get a little sense of how we work with other professionals in the process.
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If you're new here, my name is Dami, and I am an architect in beautiful Vancouver, BC.
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On this channel, we talk about architecture and design, as well as some tools and strategies that can help us have more meaningful and fulfilling careers in architecture.
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This video is sponsored by Autodesk.
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To get started with your subscription, click on the link in the description.
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so this was a project we did for a net zero competition called race to zero
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and our team actually won first place in the multi -family
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housing category it was a multi -disciplinary team with myself
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and two architecture students a building science team
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and the developer who had already purchased the site every client
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is going to come to you with different project goals it It can be a simple functional goal, or maybe to maximize views,
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or an energy target, or improving the existing conditions.
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Whatever it is, it's very important to understand this early on and let this guide the process.
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Especially for sustainability targets, whether it's LEED or Net Zero or Passive House, or just like future -proofing the building.
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These will have a pretty big impact on the building.
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So for projects like this, it's very important to get the consultants involved earlier on in the process for an integrated design process.
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Before starting any design, we need to analyze the site to set out the constraints that our designs can respond to.
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So you're going to be looking at all the existing conditions, like the neighboring buildings, the topography, as well as potential future conditions.
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And you also want to take a look at the zoning regulations and the maximum buildable area or setbacks, the FSR.
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And actually, if you want a detailed breakdown of how we develop a massing model from the zoning requirements, check out the video right here.
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One of the most challenging and contentious things about building on urban sites is the parking.
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Most cities have minimum parking requirements because they don't want their streets to be littered with cars.
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But parking is expensive and it takes up a lot of space.
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And in this construction climate, it can sometimes make or break a project.
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So you just want to check to see if there's any parking relaxations for your site,
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which is, you know, typically dependent on your site's proximity to transit or other amenities.
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As soon as I have the site info, I start modeling things in Revit pretty early on just to understand the relationship to the site
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and develop some rough massing options for the building.
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These massing models now become the basis for your site strategy which you develop through a process called diagramming.
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In these early schematic stages, we iterate through a bunch of different diagrams to help us
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have a more high -level discussion on the direction of our design strategy without going too much into detail.
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This process can help you figure out the relationship between your building
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and the site or the building's circulation or the building's organizational strategy.
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So through the process of diagramming,
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you'll probably flush out a lot of the bad ideas and select a few ones that you or your team likes.
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You can definitely have your favorites, but you still want to try to present all of the viable options to the client.
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And I think the client always appreciates being a part of the decision -making process.
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As you present these massing options, you always want to back it up with numbers.
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whether it's a developer or a family wanting to build their first home
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if the math doesn't work out chances are the project isn't going to go through
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so you want to be really clear on how much area
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you're providing with each option one of the great things about using a BIM modeling software like Revit is
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that you can do these massing studies
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and the model is going to give you a pretty accurate
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breakdown of the areas without you actually having to calculate it manually.
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The client's going to be running their own numbers to make the project make sense financially,
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but you are responsible for showing them the areas and the quantity and the quality of the spaces that you're creating.
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There's usually a bit of back and forth with the client at the stage especially
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if the client's a developer they're going to want to maximize
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the profits on this building meaning they're going to want to maximize on the number of units in most cases
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so you need to remind them of the project's goals from
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time to time in this case for this project the most
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efficient unit layout would have been to have units on the south end
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and on the north end
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but one of the main goals for the project was to reach net zero
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or passive house standard and the building science team identified pretty early on
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that if we wanted to aim for that target we would need to use passive heating and cooling strategies
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meaning we'd need to orient the building north south this way
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every unit can take advantage of the solar gain from the south side with passive ventilation through the building.
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So there was quite a lot of back and forth during this process
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because the premium you can charge for being a net zero
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building is not quite enough to make up for an entire unit.
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That's why these types of discussions on the project's goals are really important to have early on.
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Once you figure out the general direction of the building, you start to fine tune the layout with furniture blocks or doors or windows.
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I usually print them out and overlay them with Sketch
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or I bring the base drawings into Procreate and start sketching directly on there.
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Once I got the layout on Sketch, I bring it back into Revit and the process usually goes back and forth between manual and digital.
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You might have guessed by now, drafting
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and 3d modeling is a pretty integral part of my design
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process right from the beginning i've always used autodesk products like autocad
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and revid but just this past year thanks to some of the collaborations
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that we've been doing i've been learning a lot more about the other creative industries
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that autodesk is involved in they're not just leaders in the architecture or construction industries,
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but also in manufacturing, media, entertainment.
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And they have this goal of empowering innovation everywhere to solve challenges of all scales.
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If you want to learn more about some of the innovative projects they're part of, I'm going to leave the link to my visit to the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco right here.
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Revit is a building information modeling software with the ability to generate things like area calculations
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or window schedules or door schedules directly from the model it automates a lot of the things
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that historically architects would have had to do manually i personally
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think in order for architecture to move into the future we need to automate more
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and more things so that we can focus on the important things like designing
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and working with clients honestly i can't imagine revit not being a part of my workflow
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if you're a student they have financing options meaning with a
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valid education email you can use the product for free they also have tons of free tutorials
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and resources to help you get started to get started with your subscription click on the link in the description
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as architects we try to create order and that goes for elevations as well for this project Once again,
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because we did have this net zero target, the building science team gave us the maximum area of windows that we could have on both facades.
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We also had requirements for overhangs with a fairly strict depth.
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So working within these two constraints, you know, as well as the interior functions, you start to develop the elevation.
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Trace is probably the best tool for developing rough ideas
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because no idea is too precious and you can layer ideas one on top of another.
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You can start to develop the elevation by deciding what areas to highlight, use proportions or the golden section to break up the facade.
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Just like you did with the plans, you start diagrammatically and then you start to build in details or ideas for materials.
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Once I've got the idea, I bring it back into Revit to get a better sense of how it works in 3d
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and once I model it in 3d I do another printout of these different views
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and I just keep developing more and more iterations either on paper
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or on my iPad and it's a workflow
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that seems to work for me you know that saying a picture is worth a thousand words
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renderings are a very important part of the process because no matter how good of an explanation you have for your project,
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if you can't inspire them about how this could be, they're not going to shell out millions of dollars to build this thing.
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The rendering is the thing that sells the project to the client or the city or the stakeholders so we typically
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develop multiple renderings throughout the lifespan of the project.
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We do it during schematic design and as we develop the design and everyone gets to have feedback on the design, like the client or the city or the community.
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And through this, you refine and develop the design even more.
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Now, this covers the architectural design process in very, very broad strokes.
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And I haven't even touched on how your consultants could impact the design.
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If you're wondering about how we actually work with consultants and the role of each of the major engineers, I have a video on that.
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I'll leave it right here.
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And if you're curious about how to develop a concept for a real project, I'll leave the video right here.
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Remember to like this video if you found it helpful, subscribe if you're not already a subscriber, and hit the bell if you want to be notified as soon as I release a new video.
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I also have a newsletter and a discord port server, I'll leave the links to both in the description.
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And with that, I'll see you guys in the next video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Architectural Design Process Explained”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: project, process, design, develop, client. This video has 80 sentences and 1779 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:10. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| architecture noun | /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/ | The art and science of designing and managing the construction of buildings and other structures, particularly if they are well proportioned and decorated. |
| passive adjective | /ˈpæs.ɪv/ | Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction. |
| requirement noun | /ɹɪˈkwaɪɹmənt/ | A necessity or prerequisite; something required or obligatory. Its adpositions are generally of in relation to who or what has given it, on in relation to whom… |
| developer noun | /dɪˈvɛləpɚ/ | A person or entity engaged in the creation or improvement of certain classes of products. |
| consultant noun | /kənˈsʌl.tənt/ | A person or party that is consulted. |
| architect noun | /ˈɑɹ.kɪˌtɛkt/ | A professional who designs buildings or other structures, or who prepares plans and superintends construction. |
| layout noun | /ˈleɪ.aʊt/ | A structured arrangement of items within certain limits. |
| sketch noun | /ˈskɛt͡ʃ/ | A rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not intended as a finished work, often consisting of a multitude of overlapping lines. |
| elevation noun | /ˌɛlɪˈveɪʃn̩/ | The act of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher; said of material things, persons, the mind, the voice, etc. |
| maximize verb | /ˈmæksəmaɪz/ | To make as large as possible. |
| breakdown noun | /ˈbɹeɪkˌdaʊn/ | A failure, particularly one which is mechanical in nature. |
| subscription noun | /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/ | Access to a resource for a period of time, generally for payment. |
| architectural adjective | /ˌɑɹkɪˈtɛkt͡ʃəɹəl/ | Pertaining to architecture. |
| rendering noun | /ˈɹɛndəɹɪŋ/ | The act or process by which something is rendered. |
| manually adverb | /ˈmænj(u)əliː/ | By hand. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| break up verb | To break or separate into pieces. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| set out verb | /ˈsɛt‿aʊt/ | To explain something, or give exact details, usually in writing. |
| take up verb | To pick up. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 31 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, they're, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: elevation /ˌɛlɪˈveɪʃn̩/, subscription /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, efficient /ɪˈfɪʃənt/, shell /ʃɛl/
- Long words — get the stress right: architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/, developer /dɪˈvɛləpɚ/, architectural /ˌɑɹkɪˈtɛkt͡ʃəɹəl/, manually /ˈmænj(u)əliː/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like architecture, passive, requirement.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.