I remember my sophomore studio’s final project involved a kit of parts. It was a seemingly pointless exercise. And in many ways it was. The kit of parts was merely structural pieces, nothing of any complexity. However, when working with these non-cutting edge buildings (and I suspect even when you do) it definitely becomes an exercise in arranging a kit of parts.
For example the kitchen has counter space, appliances, cooking zone, connections to the breakfast nook, dining room, etc., etc. Especially, when you’re working in an existing building, its a matter of massaging this kit of parts to fit and to work together. Coming up with a great solution, especially in a remodel job is not easy. But it is a lot of fun.
The hardest part of the task is not settling for merely a “good enough” design but coming up with something that is “truly good”.