Double Diamond Framework in Architectural Design?

While the terminology may not be as common in architecture, its design process aligns closely with the general principles of the Double Diamond framework.

Discover/Research

In the discovery phase, architects immerse ourselves in the project’s requirements. This phase often involves asking clarifying questions to understand the hierarchy of priorities and ensure a clear definition of the problem.

Define/Synthesis

With insights gathered during discovery, architects move on to defining the challenge and crafting our strategic approach.

Develop/Ideation

This phase is all about exploring solutions. Architects gather references and create multiple design options that address the program's demands. It’s a diverging phase, where ideas are tested and refined with input from both the team and the different stakeholders.

Deliver/Execution

Finally, architects present the best options to the client for feedback. Based hearing back the input, architects iterate and refine the design before finalizing the solution for delivery.

Final thoughts

Architecture consists of several design phases, and the Double Diamond Framework is applied to each of them. In subsequent phases, iterations build upon the results of the previous phase, where earlier work serves as research for the next. This iterative process allows architects to refine and optimize the design throughout each phase. However, once a building is constructed, further iteration becomes much more challenging, which is why architects emphasize thorough collaboration and ideation to achieve the best possible solution early on.