Programming and Site Analysis
Programming and Site Analysis
The IDFX tests whether you can turn a client’s needs and a site’s constraints into a defensible design brief. Programming is problem seeking, not decorating: gather goals, facts, concepts, and needs, then write a problem statement. Use interviews, observation, questionnaires, and document review; separate stated wants from measured needs. Quantify headcount, adjacencies, equipment, storage, growth, and hours of operation. Site analysis covers orientation, solar path, prevailing winds, views, noise, access, parking, utilities, topography, drainage, floodplain, zoning, setbacks, easements, and existing structure. Record sources and verify with a survey.
Core rules
- Build a space program by room, net area, occupancy, and special systems.
- Convert net to gross with a realistic efficiency factor; 70–80% is common for offices, lower for dense clinical or lab space.
- Test the program against the site and building shell early.
- Distinguish code-required area from client-preferred area.
Worked example
A tenant needs 45 workstations at 80 net sf, three offices at 150 sf, a 300 sf conference room, a 250 sf break room, and a 200 sf reception. Net program = 3,600 + 450 + 300 + 250 + 200 = 4,800 sf. At 75% net-to-gross efficiency, gross target = 4,800 ÷ 0.75 = 6,400 sf. A 6,000 sf suite is not “close enough”; it is 400 sf short before growth.
Traps
Using net area as gross area; ignoring columns, core, and circulation; accepting a site without checking zoning or easements; and treating a client’s wish list as a verified program.