Step 2: Collect, organize, and analyze facts
Peña, Problem Seeking — Ch 3 §Step 2 — Collect, Organize, Analyze FactsDescription
Facts by themselves tell us nothing — they have to be organized and analyzed before they reveal their importance. Classify facts under the four considerations: form (site, climate, materials, code), function (occupants, activities, area-per-person), economy (budget limit, local cost indices, operating costs), and time (schedule, phasing, anticipated change). Discriminate between immediately useful facts and details that belong in a later phase.
Why this exists
Programmers drown in two ways: too little information forces design-through-design, while too many irrelevant details cause the architect to anchor on minor data points. The four-category classification surfaces what's missing and demotes what isn't yet pertinent.
Categories
Source
Solver enforcement
Browsable only — the solver does not currently enforce this directive (no spec-level data to check against). This entry exists so the architect personas can cite it in conversation and the user can read what the rule says.
Related directives
- Main Entrance · Pattern 110
- Half-Hidden Garden · Pattern 111
- Private Terrace on the Street · Pattern 140
- Building Edge · Pattern 160
- Opening to the Street · Pattern 165
Last reviewed 2026-05-14.