Rules, Not Patterns, Leads to Better Results

Years ago, during the final stages of a construction project, we faced a challenge. The courtyard design called for stone pavers arranged in rings around a central tree, decreasing in size toward the center. It was a simple idea, but the execution was anything but. Despite months of effort, the design team hadn’t produced a workable plan. The masons were ready to build, but we had no clear drawings to give them, and time was running out.

To solve this, we turned to Grasshopper, a Rhino3D plugin, to create a set of rules for the stone layout. In just a few days, we had 80% of the solution mapped out with computational geometry. But the result felt cold and overly precise—nothing like the organic, handcrafted aesthetic we needed. The stones were irregular in size and shape, and the masons needed guidance that accounted for this variability. Despite these practical needs, the designer was reluctant to stray from the tech-driven solution, resisting any manual intervention.

The situation came to a head on-site. The masons, frustrated and waiting for direction, voiced their concerns. Realizing the impasse, I stepped into the courtyard and began moving the stones myself. This was unusual for me, but the urgency of the situation left no other choice. Seeing this, the general contractor joined in, and eventually, the masons followed. Together, we shifted stones and tested layouts, searching for a pattern that felt right.

As we worked, I started to see a solution: instead of forcing a rigid pattern, we could create a set of simple rules to guide the masons. These rules allowed for flexibility while maintaining the overall intent of the design. I explained this idea, named the pattern after the masonry company to build goodwill, and apologized for the delay. Within hours, the revised drawings were sent out, and the project moved forward.

That experience left me with a clear takeaway: rules, not rigid patterns, lead to better results. Rules provide structure but allow for adaptation, letting creativity and practicality work together. If a group of masons and contractors could solve a problem in minutes by following shared principles, imagine what a design team could achieve when aligned by the same approach. It’s a lesson I’ve carried forward: success often comes from setting the right framework and trusting the people within it.