From Representation to Reality: 19 Projects that Rethink Representation Techniques

Graphics, even before language and writing, were the first means of communication and significance for humanity. Drawing is the act of replacing reality with representation, that is, replacing objects with images encoded in each of the graphic representation systems.

In architecture, graphics stimulate the imagination and are the basis of project thinking since they do not only constitute our code of communication but configure our ability to express ourselves in disciplinary terms. In fact, at first, the drawing is constructed in the mind of the architect, before it looks for support from any type of instrument.

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In this way, the drawing, in all its forms, guarantees learning and better management of the architectural space. As Rafael Moneo said: “Visual education gives a certain discipline in the eyes and in the hand and both come from the learning of drawing. Drawing helps you explain and is a way to help you get a judgment of the scenes, to see the corporeity of the scenes […] Visual education gives the drawing.”

The following collection of drawings shows the changes and similarities between the author’s graphic and the finished work. Some are generative drawings, process drawings, and others are post-project drawings; making up a collection of graphic explorations of great inspiration for us.

This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: The Future of Architectural Visualizations, proudly presented by Enscape, the most intuitive real-time rendering and virtual reality plugin for Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad, and Vectorworks. Enscape plugs directly into your modeling software, giving you an integrated visualization and design workflow. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about our ArchDaily topics. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.