by man of 051200 » Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:33 pm
Thank you both for your thoughts. I struggled with this one too and prior to seeing your responses, I completed a post to DesignerHacks after incorrectly completing the question on his CDS quiz. He informed:
According to the AIA Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice:
"Architectural programming is often described as 'problem seeking.' It is the essential preliminary step that informs the subsequent design process. For design to be successful, the design problem must be clearly defined. Only by understanding what the problem is can an effective solution be developed. As a result, thoroughly defining the project- fully seeking the problem - is imperative... It is important to keep in mind that, while programming involves design thinking, it is not design per se. Programming is intended to define the problem rather than propose a solution."
The handbook goes on to define 6 steps in programming: research the project type, identify goals, gather data, analyze information, identify programmatic strategies, and establish quantitative requirements.
In practice, it's common to see programming to turn into an initial design than just the presenting of a problem. Note that's not the intent of the AIA or how the test defines it. It is intended to be a pre-design exercise that is abstract and comprehensive but not design.
Thought I would share that I agree with vrcat...and that you both may appreciate me affirming your deductions.
Thank you for both for your time and insight!