The Pros and Cons of Full-scale Design Mock-ups

Communicating the design intent of the architect to the client has always been a challenge in the design profession—finding a way to bridge and speak a common, universal language to convey the design has been something that has been refined over the centuries that architecture as a practice has evolved.

From the traditional hand-drafted (drawn) plans to computer-aided design (CAD) that prints out the plans, to the newest iterations of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in which a full three-dimensional model of the design is done using the computer, architects and other designers have been trying and evolving the way design information can be presented to non-designers in an effective way.

One process, however, has often been overlooked (at least, here in the Philippines). It’s one that provides a superior way of delivering the design intent of the architect: design mock-ups. A design mock-up means making a 1:1 scale model of the design (often of interiors and the floor plans) so that the client can move around the design and physically comment on possible changes and design revisions of the project. This is done either virtually with digital video “walkthroughs” and perspectives or with a physical set so that, as mentioned before, the client can touch and feel the place even before actual construction. But for now, we are talking specifically about the physical mock-ups.

Physical mock-ups

A physical mock-up is done technically either in the schematic or design development phase of the design process; here, the design is still being modified and adjusted before it is “locked in” (theoretically) before making any preparation of the plans that will be used for the government permits and the construction of the project.

In the book, Planning, Design, Construction of Health Care Facilities (3rd Edition) by The Joint Commission, this is explained as such:

“Postoccupancy research has shown that use of mock-ups can prevent flawed or awkward design layouts from being replicated hundreds of times (for example, in a block of patient rooms), or avoid a major safety and/or operational issue in the case of complex rooms. Those surveyed report that the catches that were made during mock-ups more than covered the return on the investment made to provide the mock-ups.” (JCI, 2015)

What this means in terms of design is that having a mock-up done can actually save the client money in the long run because design changes and potential conflicts in the design intent can be managed and intervened on when the client can physically interact with the design. Physical mock-ups provide accurate design communication between the architect and the client.

Other advantages of a physical mock-ups as described in the book are below. Note that these are direct quotes from the book. I find that it explains them pretty well:

1. Help communicate sense of the space. Mock-ups help to communicate the reality of space to the staff who will work there and the patients and families who will use the area.

2. Enable test-drives. Mock-ups allow staff, patients, and families to, in effect, test-drive the space to ensure that it accommodates its intended functions.

3. Facilitate feedback. Mock-ups allow stakeholders to make informed recommendations for necessary design changes or improvements; stakeholders include staff, patients, and families.

4. Ensure safety-focused design. Mock-ups help to ensure a safety-focused design that addresses intensive care needs, as well as ergonomic and security considerations.

5. Allow for process simulation. Mock-ups can also be used for simulation of current or redesigned processes. The processes can be routine, such as medication delivery in a patient room, or complex, such as those involved in an emergency code.

6. Provide training for transition. Using mock-up rooms for training until the completion of the remodeled or new space can be useful in minimizing transition errors.

Challenges

As you can see, physical mock-ups are a very effective tool for architects to communicate design. However, there are (unfortunate) challenges when it comes to using this in actual practice.

1. Location. When doing a mock-up, the “where” is something that is difficult in actual practice. This is one of the reasons a physical mock-up is not generally done here in the Philippines. Unless the client or the architect has a large empty and flat space to work on, it is a little difficult to find the space to make a proper mock-up. (Remember, the mock-up is a full scale model, so it should be the same size as actually building the floor plan).

2. Time. This refers to both the time it consumes during the design process and the time for the client to interact with mock-ups. It takes time to build physical mock-ups and then further time for the client to walk through it and interact with it. This process eats up time, which the architect may not have depending on the scheduling demands of the project. In terms of the client schedule, getting the client (and their end-users) to commit to multiple meetings in order to visit and interact with mock-ups. (You will be surprised how hard to do this in actual practice!)

3. Manpower. On the part of the architect, it takes quite a large number of staff to do a physical mock-up. Also, the larger the floor plan, the more time it will take to do since it has a larger floor area to complete. Depending on the materials used for the mock-up as well, it will take time (as mentioned before) to do this—and the more staff is made to work on the mock-up, the fewer staff can do design works in the architect's firm. Not to mention, the more complicated the mock up, the more staff will be needed to complete it.

While mock-ups might be great in theory, at the end of the day (at least here in my country), it is rarely used due to the constraints I mentioned here. The challenges with location, time, and manpower often outweigh the potential benefits of the physical mock-up in real life.

"A physical mock-up is done technically either in the schematic or design development phase of the design process; here, the design is still being modified and adjusted before it is 'locked in' (theoretically) before making any preparation of the plans that will be used for the government permits and the construction of the project."