<em>Architizer</em> Article on the Continuing Impact of Hand Drawing

September 7, 2020 James Akers

From author Eric Baldwin on Architizer click (link here):

As a profession and an art, architecture has long been defined by a dependence on line and delineation, by the need to describe buildings and spaces. Consequently, for the majority of human history, the ability to draw by hand was central to the practice of architecture. But as Computer Aided Design (CAD) and digital technology became popularized, the role of hand drawing has been questioned. Today, the debate continues: What is the role of hand drawing in contemporary practice? This question lies at the heart of Architizer’s global ideas competition, the One Drawing Challenge. Both hand drawings and CAD drawings are eligible for the competition, and it will prove fascinating to see which medium entrants choose to tell their visual stories. The following collection looks at the different ways in which architects have utilized hand drawing techniques to represent buildings over the decades, from traditional drafting to modern, graphic imagery. Their incredible variety points to the fact that, as a medium, the storytelling power of hand drawings are limited only by the imagination of their creator. Will hand drawing ever die out? If these sketches are anything to go by, don’t count on it.

The article is full of excellent images showing the hand-drawn “parti” and the final building. Worth a look.