Objectivity and the Aesthetic Design Process

Abstract

The aesthetic design process is sometimes limited to dealing solely with personal likes and dislikes, creating a totally subjective situation that leads to significant design decisions made on the basis of the strength of individual personalities rather than on any fundamental aesthetic content. A bridge type selection case study is provided to illustrate and discuss a technique to develop a logical process and bring some objectivity into aesthetic decisions. The case study involves a major 10-lane bridge 815 m (2,670 ft) long through an urban park. Because of the controversial nature of the project, a citizens' design committee was established to provide design oversight. Broad underlying issues such as land use, form and circulation, and scale and proportion were presented to the committee to form a baseline for subsequent activities. Open discussions with the committee were used to focus on the relative importance of each issue. On the basis of these discussions, aesthetic design criteria were developed in order to rank various alternatives. Conceptual designs, which were developed after preliminary discussions with the committee, were ranked by the committee according to how well each satisfied the previously established aesthetic design criteria. The recommended alternative, from an aesthetic standpoint, was simply the one with the highest ranking. Although aesthetic considerations will always involve questions of individual taste and opinion, the technique described can be used to bring a degree of objectivity to decisions about aesthetics.