How can the SCAMPER method improve your problem solving in architecture?

2 How to use SCAMPER in architecture?

SCAMPER can be used at any stage of your architectural design process, from the initial concept to the final presentation. Whether used individually or in a group, as a brainstorming tool or as a refinement tool, SCAMPER provides seven questions to help you achieve or improve your design. To start, define your problem or goal and choose a question that suits it. Generate ideas by using the question to spark your imagination, then evaluate and select those that are most promising, feasible, and original. You can repeat this process with the same or different questions until you are satisfied with your solution. Additionally, applying SCAMPER to your selected ideas can further improve or modify them.

3 Examples of SCAMPER in architecture

To illustrate how SCAMPER can be used in architecture, let's look at some examples of how famous architects have applied some of the questions to their projects. Frank Gehry substituted conventional materials such as brick and stone with metal and glass for iconic buildings like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Renzo Piano combined a traditional museum structure with a futuristic greenhouse for the Biosphere Museum in Genoa, a unique space that hosts a tropical forest and a marine aquarium. Zaha Hadid adapted the natural forms of mountains and glaciers to create the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi for the Winter Olympics. Norman Foster modified the shape and size of a dome to make the Reichstag Dome in Berlin, a transparent and energy-efficient structure that symbolizes democracy and unity. Thomas Heatherwick put an old grain silo to another use for the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, a stunning museum of contemporary African art that preserves the industrial heritage of the site. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe eliminated unnecessary elements and ornamentation for the Farnsworth House in Illinois, a minimalist and elegant masterpiece of modern architecture. Santiago Calatrava reversed the direction and orientation of a bridge to create the Turning Torso in Malmo, a twisting and sculptural skyscraper that offers panoramic views of the city and the sea.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?