Drawing Board Architecture

"The Renaissance marks the separation of the design sequence from the construction of the building. The effect of this dramatic change was not immediately apparent due to the diverse backgrounds of the notable building designers of the time. Da Vinci, Palladio, Wren, Inigo Jones, Bramante, Bruneleschi, etc., were all involved in various arts and science activities. Architecture was only part of their repertoire."

Jacob Bronowski, The Visionary Eye.

The by-product of a drawing board is drawing board architecture.
What you see is what you get.
The drawing board method incorporates a horizontal rule and a 45°/90° set square.
Observe closely.
90° and 45° angles in buildings are commonplace.
Draw slices of the building.
Observe closely.
Extruded volumes, neither 2 nor 3, but 2 1/2 dimensions are commonplace.
Draw parallel to the drawing surface.
Observe closely.
Cubic volumes are commonplace.
Have fun drawing a curve.
Observe closely.
Few extruded curves in buildings.
Even fewer 3D curves.
Ever noticed how some clients cannot read plans?
Some people haven't learnt the French language either.
It's a way of thinking.
Plans, elevations and sections are a slice of life.
Modelling 3D forms on a 2D surface remains the challenge.
Computer modelling explodes the previous limits.


Related Article: From Drawing Board to Automation: An expanded version of this article with a look at Marshall McLuhan's catch phrase 'the medium is the message' as a context for architectural design.

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