Drawing and Modeling: Analog Tools in the Age of BIM
Publication: AEI 2011: Building Integration Solutions
Abstract
This paper explores the role of hand-drawing in Architectural Engineering (AE) education, given the increasing importance of Building Information Modeling (BIM) with its new techniques for representing and developing design ideas. Clearly BIM offers numerous advantages to AE students, and its prevalence in industry means that it should be a central component of AE education. But it is also a "disruptive technology" in the sense that its adoption prompts larger strategic questions—in this case, how to teach design and how to shape the curriculum. Specifically, this paper probes the interface between analog and digital techniques. Typically, conceptual design ideas are explored by hand-drawing—the proverbial `napkin sketch' or `back-of-the-envelope' diagram—while further development and documentation happens on the computer, leading to the final product. But should the process be so linear? How can AE programs more fully explore the complex interactions between brain, pencil, mouse and outcome? We conclude that students generally embrace digital modeling but have some difficulty incorporating hand-drawing into the design process, so it is beneficial to introduce some techniques. We also conclude that students should be encouraged to use hand-drawing throughout the design process, in parallel with modeling, rather than following a linear process of drawing first and modeling second.
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© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published online: May 7, 2012
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