They give it form and function in the form of construction documents or blueprints. The outline makes it way into the hands of the builder. The construction crew gathers together the materials and begins to bring the building to fruition. Before long the entire world can see the vision the architect had and it is ready to be inhabited.

It all starts with a spark of imagination and the ability to see something from nothing. The inspiration can be from an object, necessity, or past buildings. Architects in the field must know from where to draw their inspiration. Each one is different. One may see an inspiration in nature, such as a falling waterfall.

Others might view the classical structures left to the world from the Renaissance era. Some may find another architectural engineering style to be a wonderful work of art in itself. Frank Lloyd Wright has inspired countless architects with his incredible structures. People want to own a home designed in the same architectural style of Wright. Builders should be becoming fairly used to the growing trend with consumers to own a unique home or office.

Design development is a series of processes. First there is the inspiration and the research. It then progresses to discussions with the builder and then to the customer who requested the design services.

These three steps to building a structure are the same, regardless of whether the building is a cathedral, a suburban home, a sprawling mansion or a 100 stories tall office building. They all start out with the beginning idea and then are actualized based on that thought.

It may seem fairly simple when you look at the process broken down into specific steps, but the design development stage is actually quite complex. It is one thing to have an inspiration or a spark of an idea and quite a different thing when the mechanics of the building must be addressed.

After all, you cannot place the entire weight of a structure onto thin sheets of glass. Mathematical calculations must be used to ensure the building is erected to the proper specifications and codes. It all starts with an idea, a vision, and before long that vision becomes a reality.