UNCOVERING CONCEPTS AS A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF ARCHITECTS' PREFERENCES IN THE DESIGN PROCESS

Abstract

Architects’ preferences in the design process are often interpreted as matters of personal taste or intuitive creativity, which makes them difficult to analyze systematically within an academic framework. This paper revisits William M. Peña’s Problem Seeking theory, with a specific focus on the Uncover Concepts stage, and proposes it as a conceptual model for understanding how architects’ preferences are formed during the design process. Using a qualitative–conceptual research approach based on critical literature review and theoretical synthesis, the study positions Uncover Concepts as a cognitive–reflective mechanism that mediates between design inputs and architectural decision-making. The analysis integrates Peña’s framework with theories of problem framing (Lawson), reflective practice (Schön), and architectural cognition, in order to explain preference formation as a structured conceptual process rather than a subjective outcome. The findings suggest that Uncover Concepts functions as a conceptual filter through which goals, facts, needs, and constraints are interpreted according to architects’ values, experiences, and professional orientations. This process results in a specific conceptual orientation that subsequently guides design decisions. The paper contributes theoretically by reframing Uncover Concepts from a programming tool into a core cognitive mechanism for preference formation in architectural design. The proposed model offers a clearer theoretical foundation for future empirical studies on architects’ design thinking and provides insights for advancing research on architectural cognition and design processes.