The way I do the things I do...

One of my many social network followers has asked a question regarding my sketchbook of ideas (and if I even use a sketchbook), which got me thinking about how I come up with the designs of my houses.
My process starts by just thinking about the block and the brief.  Usually this is while doing something mundane where my mind tends to wander (like driving or mowing the lawn), but most of the time it is while standing on the block having some initial discussion with the clients.  I tend to be able to picture the completed house in my head and can walk through it's rooms as I move over the site.

Once I get back to my desk, I usually get out the sketchbook and just draw (rough as guts) an initial layout of rooms and spaces.  In the Queensland climate, the flow between indoor and outdoor living spaces is a very important aspect of my design style and this, along with the swimming pool, are the key element around which everything else seems to evolve.

I might then sketch out a few details and design elements in more detail just to get my head around how certain junctions will occur within the structure.

After this though, I sit in front of the trusty iMac, start up Autodesk Revit and begin putting the design into the computer in 3D.  This is where I am the productive when it comes to designing as I have a certain knack of being able to get the design from my head to the computer with only a few cursory glances at the sketchbook.  My fellow students whom I studied architecture with were always astounded at my ability to do this, but I have found that I can think through a concept in my head easier than trying to articulate it in sketch form.

So I guess this is the best way I can articulate how I design the houses I do.  It basically comes down to..."I do it in my head".  Probably not the most in-depth answer that @actuallyAndy was chasing but I've probably got a really good answer...it's just in my head somewhere!