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Made in Camden by Sear N Ng

 Drawing is the most important tool that
an architect uses in order to generate,
fine tune and communicate architectural
ideas. An architect channelizes her
thought and creativity into drawings of
various kinds in order to realize the idea of
the structure. In a way, the drawing is an
architect’s primary tool, a script that then
determines the act of building. Drawings
are used to illustrate principles, to give
form to ideas and to document creative
processes. Drawing plays a major role in
not just conceptualizing and iterating
what is the role design ideas but also in defining its
materialization and construction. Several
of drawing in kinds of drawing styles have emerged over
the years that facilitate various stages of
architecture? the design and execution process. While
hand drawings allow for quick thinking,
diagramming explores several facets of
the design ideas. Architectural drawings
in the form of plans, sections, elevations
and sectional perspectives etc explore the
formal strategies adopted while synthesis
drawings help in conveying the larger idea
of the building and how it has been realized
with respect to the structure. Drawings
teachs one to observe – developing one’s
visual sense through the exploration of
form, space, light, texture, material and
perspective.
nine
1. Contextual drawings “Let whoever may have attained
to so much as to have the power of
2. Architectural drawings drawing know that he holds a great
treasure.”
3. Architectural detailing
4. Synthesis drawing ~Michelangelo

5. Architectural sketches
6. Photo montage
7. Diagramming
8. Abstract
9. Realistic renders

architecture drawing styles

 contextual drawings
One of the most important generators of formal strategies in a project are the site
conditions and the context that it is set in. The way a design responds to the language
of its immediate fabric determines the value it adds in the larger picture. Whether the
project aims to retain and work with sense of the place or stands out in order to make
a statement, a drawing that perceptualizes the design intervention with its context
is mandatory to convey the respective ideas. Often, architects tend to particularly
focus on the form, function and internal spaces of the intervention and make its site
response a secondary factor. Contextual drawings help in situating a project and
allows one to read the project in symbiosis with the site. These presentation drawings
talk about the larger frame and are a must to convey the architectural sensitivity of
the intervention and how it communicates with the site.

Davi Setyawan

dua studio
 Luca Bosco, Fabio Zampese

This drawing style is essentially an

upgradation of the site plan. It allows one
to visualize the impact of the building.
One can either choose to highlight
the intervention graphically or employ
various tonalities through rendering
in order to convey ideas. To show its
relationship with natural elements like
trees, the topography, water bodies and
with people, movement and experience.
Eva Le Roi
architectural drawings
Plans, sections and sectional perspectives are effective
tools of exploring the spatial qualites during the process
of design and equally helpful in representing the nuances
of a project to others. Harry Wei’s sectional narrative of the
YMBA Microfactory explores light qualites, structure and
movement with extreme detail. Hashim Sarkis details out
the topography and context in his plan, adding immense
character and reason to his drawing.

Hashim Sarkis Harry Wei

Sectional perspetive is an effective drawing style
that adds a dimension to sections. They can be
used to show the spatial qualities in greater detail
and are more easily understood by those not
trained in the profession. Yash Ghorecha is able
to bring out the essence of his project through
Yash Ghorecha
one single drawing. This drawing explores the
relationship between the intervention and its rich
context, maps the movement through the library,
shows the natural ventilation techniques and gives
an idea of the multiple smaller programs through
the activites shown within. One can populate
such drawings with activites and represent how
the project will be perceived and experienced
by people. One is able to understand the design
decison taken to merge the project with its
context by building deeper under the ground in
order to not overpower the surroundings. Such is
the impact and credibility of well made drawings.
The kind of drawing to be made must be decided
on the basis of what one wants to highlight in
the design. The context is kept white which
further brings out the rendered interiors. One can
follow colour schemes or choose to mix colours
aesthetically.
 This drawing talks about the
materials employed as well
as describes the construction
method undertaken while
following a minimal rendering
style and focusing on the
quality of illustartion. Alessia
Macchiavello & Heidi Cort
strike a balance that makes the
sectional perspective beautiful
without compromising on the
information that it is meant to
convey.

Alessia Macchiavello & Heidi Cort

 Plans look beautiful and
impactful with rendered,
detailed context and shadows
add an enriching quality of time
to the drawng. Amruta and
Meet ‘s drawing of a proposed
bus depot beautifully shows
movement paths. The section
is cut in order to highlight
the way their design enables
mobility and the relationship
between the transit spaces and
other ancilliary spaces . The
activities shown add a sense of
the place and give character to
the drawing. The building and
non- building come together
to create these spaces.
Sergio Zalamea

Meet Mendpara, Amruta Halgekar

architectural detail drawings
Detail drawings are made when one has to show specific
design details or innovative design resolutions. While they
are mostly made as a part of working drawings, architects
are increasingly merging the aesthetic qualities of design
drawings with the extensive construction details of WD. As a
result, we see drawings that show activities, spatial qualities
and illustrate fenestration and waterproofing details at the
same time.

Columbia 24
Yash Ghorecha
 Amit Murao

The key to bring out beauty in a drawing is to add every minutest

detail to it. Architectural detail drawings are a perfect amalgamation
of information regarding construction, the materials used and the
technique of building. One can visualize the way a building is made
depending on the detail and elaboration with which the drawing is
created. Students must make it a priority to reach this level of detail in
their design resolution and create drawings that help them comprehend
the making of a structure.
Kizzie Yancey
 Santiago Viale
BINAA
Architectural Synthesis Drawing
Synthesis drawings represent and
explore the larger idea of a building.
They are made in order to give an insight
into the thought behind the project. The
beauty about these drawings is that
their form completely depends upon
the way one chooses to make them and
what one decides to highlight. Exploded
axonometrics are usually used in order to
explain the construction style, program
placement and to show the materials
applied in the building. They can be purely
construction oriented or can be lightly
rendered and populated with humans to
portray the activities happening in the
project. The drawing at the left shows the
interiors of the project by exploding the
roof and one can explore the variety of
levels and scales of spaces underneath.
The synthesis drawing illustrates the
dense context around and how the
intervention is adding quality to the only
open space around by building low and
keeping the roof accesible.

Yash Ghorecha
 CROstudio

Urban Omnibus
 Rashmi Varma, Charvi Parakh

The drawing above synthesises the various pause points in the course of moving through the project and that is done by imposing specific views against the backdrop of
the axonometric of the project. The drawing is populated with humans and the zoomed in views depict how one perceives the project and utilises the extending plinths.
This drawing is created in order to put forward one speific idea while parallely adding layers of the density and sparsity of context, movement and locations of pauses.
Traits, that are essential in a thoroughfare project. Such drawings can be used by students for their juries in order to talk about their larger ideas.
The drawing below is an exploded axonometric that explores the
materiality and construction techniques of the structure. Trees are
shown alongwith contour lines that give an idea about the topography
of the context. The architects have also detailed the activities within
the structure while keeping the drawing quality crisp.

Fabio Zampese, Luca Bosco

Architectural Sketches
Sketching is a powerful process that
helps in discovering the best ideas and
solutions to a design problem by allowing
quick iterations. The development and
evolution of a parti which refers to the
concept of an architectural design is often
obtained through several sketches that
analyze form, space, orientation, details
and by visualising the structure.

Manthan Batwal
 Glenn Murcutt

Architectural sketches are all about

communicating design ideas quickly, whether
it is design development or working out details.
It helps to convey ideas, work out functionality,
visualize movement, and highlight ideas that
require interaction. Glenn Murcutt, Australian
award winning architect has always relied
heavily on sketches in order to bring out
discreet character of elements in his practice.

Robert Architects
 Sketches assist in discovering
potential issues and solutions
early on as they essentially
are thoughts translated on
paper. Mohammad Pilaveri,
an architect and illustrator
has taken up Instagram to
showcase his design process
and architectural sketches.
An intuitive sketch lets the
mind think freely and is
known to generate many
more innovative ideas than
the rigid softwares. Thus,
architects have always made
it a point to first brainstorm
through sketches and then
develop on their designs.
As in a practise, it is always
better to come up with several
iterations and then develop
on the best design rather
than work on a single design
and then keep dealing with
its problems and not develop
the design well.

Mohammad Pilaveri
Paul Lukez

Plan b arquitectos
Photo Montages and Collages
Photo Montages are
essentially impositions
of photos on drawings,
or a collage of a variety
of rendering styles and
images coming together
in order to convey ideas
or highlight a concept.
It is a contemporary way
of putting forward ideas
and is being increasingly
taken up by architects to
add add newer aspects to
their design. It is largely a
visual thinking technique
that can also be used to
represent one’s ideas.

Pintogopn club
 gras

Individual elements, drawings, clips come together to form a visual that creates spaces. This drawing style works on the principles that the whole
is greater than the sum of its parts. These drawing styles can be used as proposal images or analysis drawings that break down the semantics
of a place and then put them forward in a way that initiates thought.
 Karine Sarkissian studio

Karine Sarkissian’s ‘Modern Breakthrough’ is a public space design in Copenhagen, Denmark. She’s used a photo montage to talk about her
design proposal where 3 traingular elements incorporate different type of activitythat surround them. Graffiti wall, grass areas facing the park,
skate park, stairs to be used for level change and seating, and a wooden deck to purpose the market on the north side. This public space design
brings together past and present, and considers all ages and activities as it becomes a ‘montage of possibilities.’
 Sasaki associates

Existing images can be used to sketch further

design proposals on. Such technique is
effectively used for Urban Design proposals
that heavily rely on the site conditons.

Eldwin Timothi
 Diagramming
Diagramming is the representation of a set of
architectural concepts in a project. Like its design
principles, elements and components.

Fernando Neyra Centro Neanderthal

 vivi estreda

Diagramming is also used to trace the evolution of a project in terms of design

ideas and to represent the formal gestures made to come up to the existing
design. Diagrams must be crisp, clear, easy to understand and informative.
 Abstract
This drawing style is used to convey larger ideas that are not
necessarily limited to a project. These drawings are based on a lot of
interpretation and instigate thinking about concepts.

Nicholas Alias- tower london Creative Max ideas

 Kartik

This technique has endless possibilities when it comes to

putting forward an idea. It can be hand drawn, computer
generated or a mixture of the two. The intention of the
drawing influences the design and making of the drawing.
This method can be very helpful for students as well as
practitioners to tap into their creative side and add fresher
perspectives to their design thinking.

Famed Architects
Realistic Renders
This technique is extensively used
at the end of the design process to
visualize the end outcome of design.
This requires a proficiency in various
softwares.

We Architecture‘s Roskilde Campus

New Aarch School- Adept
Danny Nolan

El Prado Extension, OMA

Assembly Studios uses 3DS Max,
Vray and Photoshop to generate
realistic renders as a part of their
architectural drawings set. Such
drawings are appreciated by
clients and can further be used for
competitions.

Assembly Studios
 I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing
is faster, and leaves less room for lies.

Le Corbusier

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Curated by Rashmi Varma