The Death of Drawing Architecture in The Age of Simulation by Scheer, David Ross

THE DEAH OF DRING

Te Death ofDrawing ofDrawing explores the causes and eects eect s of the epochal shi om drawing to computation as the chief design and communication

medium in architecture. both amed the thinking t to hinking architects and organized the designDrawing and constuction process place of architects at its center. Its displacement by building inrmation modeling (BIM) and computational design recasts both the terms in which architects think and their role in building production. Author David Ross Scheer explains that, whereas drawing allowed architects to represent ideas in rm, BIM and compuational design simulate experience, making building behavior or  perormance  perorman ce the primary objct of design. The author explores may ways in which this displacement is aecting architecture: the dominance of perormance criteria in the evaluation of design decisions; the bluing of the separation desig design n and construc tion; the undermining of architects' authority of over their proects by automated inrmation sharing; the elimina tion of the the human body as the common undation of design design and experience; the transrmation of the meaning of geometry geometry when it is perormed by computers; the chaging nature of design when it requires computation or is done by a digitally enabled collaboration. Thoughout the book, Scheer examines both the theoretical bases and the practical p ractical consequences of these changes. Te Death of Drawing is a clear-eyed account of the reasons r and consequences of the displacement of drawing by computational media in architecture. Its aim is to give ability assess the impact of digital media on their own architects work and the to see bothtothe challenges and opporties of this historic moment in the history of their discipline.

Te Death ofDrawing is accopanied by a bog and rm at DeathOf Draing.co. The site atres the book's illustrations in color and oers interested readers the opporunity to initiate and paricipate in discussi discussions ons related to the book.

 THE DEATH OF

Davd Ross Scheer

hisaMaster of Architecture degree o Yale University in 1984. received He brings broad background in practice, teaching and research to his tg about the eects of digital technologies on architecture. He has taught architectural design, history and theory at several schools o architecture around the U.S. and has lectred and written extensively on building inrmation modeling (BIM). He has explored the uses of BIM and other digital technologies in his practice r nearly twenty years. As a longstanding eber of the advisory group of the AIA Tecnology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Counity Counity (and its Chair in 2012); Mr. Scheer has gained a broad aareness of the the

DRING Architecture in the Age of Simulation

evolving uses and eects ofBIM and coputation throughout the building industry.

David Ross Scheer

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LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published 2014 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, N 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4R Routledge  an imprint of the lor & Francis Grop, an irma bsiness © 2014 Taylor & Francis The right of David Ross Scheer to be identied as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ront cover image, paperback edition: Wesley Taylor, sketch of the "Spirit Bell (2008). Part of a competition entry r the Contrabands & Freedmen's Cemetery Memorial. All rights reserved. No part othis book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any rm or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaer invented, including photocopying and ecording, or in any inormation storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing om the publishers. Trademark notic: Product or corporate names may be rademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only r identication and explanation without intent to ininge. Liba of Congress Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Scheer, David R. The death of drawing : architecture in the age of simulation/ David Scheer pages cm Includes index. 1. Architectural design. 2. Achit ecural drawingPsychological aspects. 3. Building inormation modelingPsychological modelingPsychological aspects. I. Title.  NA2750.S34 2014 2013035065 720.284dc23 ISBN: 978-0-415834957 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0415-83496-4 (pb) ISBN: 9781-315-81395-0 (ebk) Acquisition Editor: Wendy uller Editorial Assistant: Emma Gadsden Production Editor: Jennir Birtill Typesetter: Keysroke, Station Road, Codsall, Wolverhampton Typeset in Times

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Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ teational Ltd, Padstow, Coall

For my mother, Lynne Ross Scheer, who loved champagne and ideas.

Frontispiece, Karl Friedrich Schel, "Die Erndung der Zeicheunst ("The Origin of Drasmanship, 1830). This painting depicts a story by Pliny the Elder about a gl named Diboutades who traces he shadow of her departing lover as a keepsae. This story has been taen up by many painters as an allegory r the origin of painting. In Schel's inteprettion, however, it is used o describe the nature of architectural draing. As Robin Evans points out in Te Projective Cst, t least tree tures indicate this. First, the light is that of the sn which casts parallel rays, maing the shadow an orthographic projecion. Second, there are no buildings in Schiel's painting, indicating that drawing must precede biling. Finally, Dibotades is not maing the drawing,  but directing someone else, reecting the distinction between the vision vision of he architect and its translation into d rawing.

CONTENTS CO NTENTS

Source: Image courtesy ofvon der Heyt M useum, W upperal.

Ackowledgments Ackowledgments

Introduction

xiii 1

1

Representation and Simulation

19

2

Drwing an hitecture

49

3

Building Infrmation Modeling

103

4

Computational Design

131

5

Simulation and Architecture

167

6

Siulation and Ideation

195

Postscript

225

Bibliogphy and Frther Reading

229

Inde

235