Ancona

1 Alex Ancona Professor Malcolm Campbell English 1103 6 November 2012 Has Drawing Gone the Way of the Dodo? Technologys Effects on the Use of Drawing in Architecture Architecture is something that surrounds us everywhere we go. From the grocery store and church, to school and work, the buildings that we move past and through all define architecture in their own ways. Some are poor designs, the product of cheapness and demand, while others are masterpieces and considerably, works of art. The wellknown buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright, dotting the American landscape, and others from a more modern age, like the skyscrapers of the great cities have something in common. They all underwent an excruciating and extremely tedious design process. But today, instead of using pencil and paper, most architects are turning to the benefits of computers and the latest software to assist in the design of a building. These programs have their perks, like quickening design processes and allowing more elaborate forms, but could they lead to the downfall of drawing in the practice of Architecture? With computers doing all the work, why use pencil and paper? Drawing, although somewhat old-fashioned, still is necessary and an indispensible tool. What could a piece of paper and a pencil possibly be useful for? For as long as buildings have been in existence drawing has been used to plan and develop their designs. From the simple diagram to the up close detail, drawings represent what we see and show information that otherwise might be invisible. As an architecture student

Ancona 2 myself drawing is a way to visualize and view the effects of the design choices I have made. According to practicing architect, Michael Graves in an article published in the New York Times, Drawings are not just end products: they are part of the thought process of architectural design. Drawings express the interaction of our minds, eyes and hands (Graves). The easiest way to see what I am thinking as a student is to draw. Just as writers jot down ideas and scribble outlines, architects draw to make note of ideas. Graves goes on further to define the three types of drawings he does, the referential sketch, the preparatory study and the definitive drawing, each with their own purpose and uses (Graves). Definitive drawings are the clean, crisp lines on fancy glossy paper you see hanging on the walls of studios or presented before a client. But surely an architect doesnt just begin and end those. A referential sketch may be the beginning for a design, an idea seen elsewhere, a source of inspiration. The referential sketch serves as a visual diary, a record of an architects discoveryIts not likely to represent reality, but rather to capture an idea (Graves). When a drawing is done, it forces the artist to realize and actually see what they are looking at; they are recording and building information. The studio desk of any architect is probably not what would be expected. Other than ordered and organized, paper and sketches are the occupants, showing the chronology of drawing after drawing. They show a process that results in a personal, emotional connection with the work, something that a computer just wont do. Technology results in a design that is done more by the computer itself than the architect. Graves supports this in saying, Buildings are no longer just designed visually and spatially; they are computed via interconnected databases (Graves).

Ancona 3 Architects have made it clear that technology has its benefits. It has spread into many of the firms across the country and is part of the education that many aspiring architects get. Besides well take any assistance we can get in shortening the work from an all-nighter to a couple of hours. The first reason that Architects use programs is just that. It is quicker! Computers, with their automated steps and processes assist the architect in almost every imaginable way. It can rotate a piece of the design, cut a section, show a certain viewanything the Architect wants, the computer can do it. But does the shorter amount of time spent actually designing mean that the thought is less? Architect and Assistant Professor at the University of Miami, Jacob Brillhart, says in an article from Classicist, The blind dependence on CAD and other software and other tools increases after architecture school as young designers continue to design things they do not understand. Working under sever time constraints, they make maximum use of the copy and paste commands, pulling details, elevations and wall sections from past projects and reassembling them (Brillhart). With a computer one can simply input a few keystrokes and the task is instantaneously done, a drawing is done without once looking at the consequences and results. He goes on to add, When one draws, one understands and remembers; when one uses the right click command, one does neither (Brillhart). Although more efficient in a way, programs that replace drawing take away part of the architectural design process. So is drawing heading the way of the dodo? Is there a possibility that

computers will inevitably replace the pencil as the primary tool in an architects office? For some the answer seems quite obvious. In an article from the Chronicle for Higher Education, Paul S. Anderson says "The discipline could be in the midst of

Ancona 4 an enormous shiftI don't think this will necessarily happen, but I could certainly anticipate, 20 years from now, never seeing anyone drawing by hand (Read). Fortunately for many, this is a scary thought. Micheal Graves says, Architecture cannot divorce itself from drawing, no matter how impressive technology gets (Graves). Hopefully this remains true, as drawing has already played in important role in my Architecture education as well as being a rewarding experience, whether in design or observation. Drawing has been a form of expression; part of art for centuries and it is the combination of this age-old skill with the technologies of today that makes Architecture the interesting and intriguing field that it is. It is a balance between the two that will result in the best Architecture.

Ancona 5 Works Cited Brillhart, Jacob. Architectural Drawing in the Digital Age. Classicist. 9. (2010): 114121. Print. Graves, Michael. Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing. The New York Times 1 Sep. 2012. Web. Read, Brock. Planning With Pixels, Not Pencils. Chronicle of Higher Education 50.12 (2003): A29. Web.