Science: Creativity in Architecture is Investment

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Vikki Johansen

Published 2.10.2025

Creativity in design is often seen as a mysterious or spontaneous spark. However, research across psychology, neuroscience, and design thinking demonstrates that creativity is not random, but follows recognisable patterns.

Understanding these patterns is particularly important in the complex collaboration between interdisciplinary teams in architecture and engineering.

This article explores the role of unconscious incubation in creative breakthroughs, and how differing approaches to creativity, technical requirements, timelines and budgets can sometimes create tension in design teams.

It introduces four well-established stages of the creative process that clients, architects, engineers, and economists alike should be aware of—and explains why respecting varied working styles is essential for successful collaboration [1,2].

We also review evidence showing that genuine creative exploration is often underprioritized in construction projects, and discuss what this means for a project’s long-term value, innovation, and quality of use [4,6–8].

The Four Stages of Creativity

Based on Graham Wallas’ classical model (1926) [1,2], creativity can be described in four stages:

1. Preparation – Gathering knowledge and understanding the problem
2. Incubation – Allowing ideas to mature unconsciously
3. Illumination – Sudden insight or the “aha!” moment
4. Verification – Testing and developing the idea

Recognising these stages helps teams respect the necessary time and cognitive resources required for innovation.

Incubation: The Silent Key to Creativity

Incubation is an unconscious mental process where complex problems are processed in the background—often during relaxed activities such as walking or showering. It allows new connections to form between ideas and is critical to creativity, though often overlooked in fast-paced projects [5,18].

Understanding the creative process, allocating sufficient time, and recognising its long-term value is vital for all stakeholders involved in a project.

About Incubation Time

Incubation is a crucial yet hard-to-measure phase in creativity theory, as outlined in Wallas’ model [1,2]. Studies suggest that effective incubation typically requires hours to several days to support problem-solving [3,5]:

• Sio & Ormerod (2009): Meta-analysis shows that incubation periods lasting hours to days enhance creative problem-solving [3].
• Creswell et al. (2014): Informal and stress-free periods are essential for the brain’s creative processes [5].

Incubation Time in Architectural Projects

Although architectural phases are planned over months or years, few explicit recommendations exist for incubation time. This must often be integrated through smart project management, such as:

• Creating short breaks away from active project work
• Ensuring time for reflection without pressure
• Allowing space for unconscious mental work

Summary:

• No fixed standards currently exist for incubation time in construction projects
• Psychological research suggests incubation usually needs several hours to several days
• Design phases should accommodate this through planned disconnection periods

From Unconscious Thought to Innovation

Innovation means creating something new and better. Since every place and building is unique, architecture demands innovation in every single project.

Research indicates that unconscious thought can, in fact, be more effective than deliberate reasoning when tackling complex decisions. This highlights the importance of giving space for reflection and creative exploration, rather than relying solely on structured, rational processes.

Studies further show that incubation – stepping away from a problem and allowing ideas to mature over time – significantly enhances problem-solving and insight [3,5].

In interdisciplinary collaboration, where diverse perspectives must be synthesised, this process is particularly valuable. For architecture, it underscores the need to acknowledge and protect the creative process from the earliest project stages.

Bridging Motivation, Expertise and Relaxed Focus

Incubation works best when paired with:

• Genuine motivation to solve the problem
• Relevant expertise and experience
• A low-stress environment that enables mental “breathing space” [3,5]

From Conflict to Collaboration: Understanding the Creative Process

Understanding that incubation is a necessary part of the creative process builds trust and reduces frustration. When teams trust the process, they collaborate more effectively and produce more innovative and functional buildings.

Incubation is not procrastination. It is an active cognitive phase where the brain processes problems unconsciously—often with better results than focused effort alone [5].

Why Creativity Is Often Undervalued in Construction Projects

1. Compressed design phases stifle innovation.
   • Xue et al. (2014) found that short design phases and low risk tolerance limit new thinking and innovation [6].
2. Repetition lowers quality.
   • Mahamid (2017) observed that time pressure leads teams to reuse previous solutions, which diminishes both aesthetic and technical quality [7].
3. Time allocated for idea exploration.
   • An ASCE study (2015) found that projects with time allocated for exploration achieved greater value and quality [8].  Investment in innovation results not only in project-level but also firm-level outcomes; however, the hypothesized negative impact of barriers has not been found to be significant. The findings also reveal that innovation has major benefits such as increases in productivity and client satisfaction at the project level, improvement of company image, improvement of technical and managerial capability, and gaining experience at the firm-leve

More room for incubation leads to better buildings—more creative, sustainable, and functional.

The Value of Investing in Creative Process

In most building projects, economics is a critical factor. Life cycle cost analyses (LCC)—typically based on a 60-year period—indicate that architectural fees usually account for only 1–3% of the total life cycle cost. At the same time, design decisions made early in the process can influence up to 80% of these costs over a building’s lifespan [9–14].

This highlights the substantial economic potential of allocating more time and resources to a thorough and creative design process. Recognising creativity as a structured—yet non-linear—process allows professionals to navigate complexity, reduce conflict, and develop solutions that are technically sound, socially responsive, and future-proof.

Though investments in the design phase—such as architectural services and time for exploration—typically represent a minor proportion (about 1–3%) of the total life cycle cost of a building, their impact on functionality, maintenance, and longevity is considerable [9–14].

Research suggests that conscious design decisions made early can reduce maintenance costs by 15–20% [14], and that design errors in early phases often lead to increased costs later. The magnitude varies per project, but the financial burden is significant [15].

Furthermore, recent studies underscore that creativity requires time—and that the incubation phase, where ideas mature unconsciously, is crucial for innovative outcomes [3,5].

Estimating Architectural Fees Over 60 Years

• Design and initial building cost ~ 1% of total LCC [9]
• and construction costs account for ~20% of total LCC [13].
• Architectural fees typically range from 5–15% of construction costs, depending on project size, complexity, and service scope [12–14].

Fee estimates over total life cycle:

• Low estimate: 5% × 20% = 1.0% of total LCC
• High estimate: 15% × 20% = 3.0% of total LCC

Conclusion: Architectural fees usually account for 1–3% of a building’s life cycle costs.

In other words: Time for creative thinking during design is not a luxury—it’s an investment in quality, sustainability, and long-term value.

References and further reading

1. Wallas G. The Art of Thought. 1926. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358294937_Theories_of_Creativity
2. Sadler-Smith E. Wallas’ four-stage model of the creative process. Creat Res J. 2015. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10400419.2015.1087277
3. Zhong C, Dijksterhuis A, Galinsky A. The merits of unconscious thought in creativity. Psychol Sci. 2008. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18947357/
4. Elforgani MSA, Alabsi AAN, Alwarafi A. Strategic approaches to design teams for construction quality management and green building performance. Buildings. 2024;14(7):2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072020
5. Creswell JD, Bursley JK, Satpute AB. Neural reactivation links unconscious thought to decision-making performance. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:215. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00215/full
6. Xue X, Zhang R, Yang RJ, Dai J. Innovation in Construction: A Critical Review and Future Research. Emerald Insight. 2014. Available from: https://www.emerald.com/ijis/article-abstract/6/2/111/145175
7. Mahamid I. Effects of Design Quality on Delay in Residential Construction Projects. J Civ Eng Manag. 2017. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352663671
8. ASCE. Investigating the Components of Innovation in Construction Projects. 2015. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284442897
9. Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG). Life cycle cost analysis. Available from: https://www.wbdg.org/resources/life-cycle-cost-analysis-lcca
10. Shaw et al. Life cycle cost analysis at scale: a reference architecture-based approach. Emerald. 2024. Available from: https://www.emerald.com/bepam/article/14/5/713/1236228
11. Seruggaa et al. Key influences to cost modelling and analysis in off-site construction: research trends and GAP analysis. Arch Eng Des Manag. 2024. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17452007.2023.2282127
12. Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). How do I calculate an architect’s fees? Available from: https://www.architecture.com
13. Paulson BC. Designing to Reduce Construction Costs. J Constr Div ASCE. 1976.
14. Brynildsen Ø. Livssykluskostnader i tilknytning til boliger. SINTEF Byggforsk. 2016. Available from: https://sintef.brage.unit.no/sintef-xmlui/handle/11250/2418837
15. The Guardian. The unconscious process that leads to creativity: how ‘incubation’ works. 2025. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/sep/10/creativity-unconscious-process-incubation

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