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Annotated Bibliography

Have technological developments in drafting programs affected the use of drawing in Architecture and the creativity of Architects?

Alex Ancona Professor Malcolm Campbell English 1103 October 17, 12

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Annotated Bibliography Brillhart, Jacob. Architectural Drawing in the Digital Age. Classicist. 9. (2010): 114-121. Print. This article is about how the development of computer drafting programs has diminished the use of drawing in Architecture. The author believes that new computer programs and technology are exciting to use, yet are invaluable in some instances. He states that they dont fully engage Architects in the design process and that it compromises the creative capabilities of students and Architects. The author also calls Architects and students to explore the use of drawing through a sketchbook. This article is from an academic journal and the author, Jacob Brillhart, according to his firms website, is a practicing Architect who received his Bachelors of Architecture from Tulane University and Masters from Columbia University. He is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture. This source is a very opinionated source, clearly conveying the side of the argument that technology has negatively affected the practice. It identifies the problems caused by using digital programs opposed to actual drawings to represent ideas and presents the idea that nothing can become as thorough in the design process as a drawing. This article has reinforced how I feel about my topic, as I agree with the authors statements. I too believe that drawing is an integral part of Architecture and is irreplaceable and invaluable. I will be using this source, as it clarified for me the value of drawings in Architecture that computer programs do not provide. Graves, Michael. Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing. The New York Times 1 Sep. 2012. Web.

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This is a newspaper article in which the author explores the idea that drawing is disappearing in the practicing world of Architects and that many Architects today use computers instead. He states that there is something valuable in a drawing that a computer generated model does not do. That is, that drawings are the interaction of our minds, eyes and hands. This idea that drawing uses all the skills required of an Architect, while computers do not is found in another one of my sources. He argues that computers take away what drawings offer, a sort of design dialogue of our thought process, while computers only simplify the process. Michael Graves is an Architect and emeritus professor at Princeton. He shares opinions found in other sources and also supports the idea that technology has negatively affected the use of drawing and the creative capabilities of Architects. He discusses drawing more as a process, as well as the value in each stage of drawingsomething that computer technology skips. This source offers further insight into the idea introduced to me in another source. Read, Brock. Planning With Pixels, Not Pencils. Chronicle of Higher Education 50.12 (2003): A29. Web. This article takes the opposite view of the other sources exploring the benefits and usefulness of computer programs in Architecture. It talks about the idea that computers allow students and architects to look at their buildings in a different way than drawings allow. Technology allows the buildings and designs to be looked through instead of at, as in a drawing. This article approaches the technological advances in Architecture as an opportunity and a benefit to the field. According to The Chronical Read is the web editor and a regular contributor, who has written many articles. There doesnt seem to be any bias in this article, although the viewpoint is one sided. It is interesting for me to read this

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article because it does present some of the positive contributions of technology in Architectural design. However, it also portrays drawing as an old-fashioned, outdated form of design and that hampers creativity. I disagree with this, instead I believe that drawing and computer programs can equally be used as creative tools.