A discussion on the importance of the architectural design process

Abstract

The brief plays an important role in the architectural design, making it possible for the designers to consider the complexity that exists in the conception of urban spaces and buildings. During the Fifties, architects and engineers, aware of new scientific developments, endeavored to apply new methods in the architectural design process. After several research groups on design methods were created along the following forty years, including a research initiative on the brief. In Brazil, those design methods have not had a direct influence on architectural practices, nor on civil engineering and architecture training and research. This paper discusses the brief and its contribution to the architectural design process by discussing development methods, standards that define their content, and their presentation form, aiming to contribute for its effective application.