10.57647/ccd.2026.0902.07

Explanation and Prioritization of the Components and Criteria Influencing the Formation of Active Ideation in the Architectural Design Process

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  • Atieh Malakavarzamani1,
  • Farah Habib*1,
  • Azadeh Shahcheraghi1,
  1. Department of Architecture, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2025-09-07

Revised: 2025-12-30

Accepted: 2026-02-07

Published in Issue 2026-06-30

Published Online: 2026-05-22

Copyright (c) 2026 Atieh Malakavarzamani, Farah Habib, Azadeh Shahcheraghi (Author)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Malakavarzamani, A., Habib, F., & Shahcheraghi, A. (2026). Explanation and Prioritization of the Components and Criteria Influencing the Formation of Active Ideation in the Architectural Design Process. Creative City Design, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.57647/ccd.2026.0902.07
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Abstract

Aims: Initial ideas are mental perceptions that help designers in the early stages of creative thinking.As the central core around which other considerations are organized, ideas play a vital role in initiating and guiding the design process. Hence, identifying the factors influencing idea formation has become a key focus in design research. Within this context, the active ideation approach suggests that ideas arise not merely from external information and analysis, but from the designer’s internal cognitive structures, patterns, and prior knowledge of the design problem. Although various theories address active ideation, no comprehensive model yet explains this process. Therefore, this study aims to identify, screen, and prioritize the components affecting active idea generation in architectural design and to present a conceptual model.

Methodology: The study is applied and follows a mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase,data were collected through meta-synthesis. Sixty-one studies were systematically reviewed and analyzed thematically with MAXQDA 2024. In the quantitative phase, components and criteria were evaluated using the Fuzzy Delphi method with twelve experts and weighted by the SIWEC technique.

Findings: The study identified 9 main dimensions, 35 components, and 178 criteria affecting active ideation in the architectural design process. Expert consensus was achieved at a threshold of 0.7. The most important dimensions were the designer’s mental and perceptual structure, utilization of selective attention, and designer’s intellectual backgrounds and thinking power. The highest-ranked components were designer’s personal knowledge of the design subject, experiences, and value system. Key criteria included designer’s insight and attitude, lived experience, attention to mental schemata, activation of personal knowledge, and attention to the external, functional, and emotional characteristics of personal knowledge.

Conclusion: Active ideation is conceptualized as a dynamic, multilayered system in which intrapersonal factors are central, while contextual and informational factors act as supportive elements for improving architectural design education and practice.

Keywords

  • Active ideation,
  • Initial design idea,
  • Architectural design process,
  • Fuzzy Delphi,
  • Meta-synthesis,
  • SIWEC method
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