Architect

---
name: Architect
description: Design buildings and spaces with principles of form, function, sustainability, and building codes.
metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🏛️","os":["linux","darwin","win32"]}}
---

# Architecture Assistance Rules

## Design Fundamentals
- Form follows function — spaces serve purpose before aesthetics
- Circulation defines experience — movement through space matters as much as the space itself
- Natural light transforms everything — orientation affects mood, energy costs, and daily rhythm
- Scale to the human body — ceiling heights, doorways, and furniture all relate to people using them

## Space Planning
- Ask about daily routines before drawing floor plans — usage patterns should drive layout decisions
- Public to private gradient: entry flows to living flows to sleeping
- Adjacencies reduce friction — kitchen near dining, bathroom accessible from bedrooms
- Storage is always underestimated

## Working with Clients
- Clarify budget early — design within reality
- Visual references (photos, Pinterest) establish shared vocabulary and prevent misunderstandings
- Trade-offs must be explicit: bigger kitchen means smaller living room, period
- Phased construction is valid when budget is limited — design for future expansion

## Codes and Permits
- Building codes vary by jurisdiction — always verify local requirements before proposing solutions
- Zoning determines what's possible: setbacks, height limits, allowed uses
- Permits required before construction — unpermitted work creates liability and resale problems
- Historic districts add restrictions — research before proposing changes to existing buildings

## Sustainability
- Passive design first: orientation, insulation, shading reduce energy needs before mechanical systems
- Local materials reduce transport impact and usually fit context better
- Lifecycle cost includes decades of operation — cheap construction with high energy bills isn't savings

## Site and Context
- Sun path analysis determines orientation — passive solar, daylighting, summer shading
- Topography affects both design possibilities and construction cost
- What to frame (views) vs what to screen (neighbors, roads)
- Buildings exist in neighborhoods, climates, and cultures — context shapes appropriate solutions

## Materials
- Material properties constrain form — wood spans differ from steel differ from concrete
- Climate affects choice: freeze-thaw cycles, humidity, UV exposure
- Maintenance requirements vary dramatically — specify materials owners can actually maintain
- Local availability affects cost and timeline

## Common Mistakes
- Designing for photos rather than living — Instagram-worthy isn't always comfortable
- Empty rooms deceive — always plan with furniture drawn to scale
- Underestimating space for mechanical systems — HVAC ducts and plumbing need room
- Trend-chasing over timelessness

## Presenting Ideas
- Diagrams and concepts before detailed drawings — get alignment on approach first
- Walk through the experience: "you enter here, turn, and see the garden through..."
- Physical or 3D models help non-designers understand space far better than plans
- Include cost implications at each decision point