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We present an essay entitled “Crafting the Architectural Measured Drawings” written by Serra Akboy-İlk. Akboy-İlk explains that:
“for centuries, measured drawings have been the major communication medium to acquire an understanding of the built environment and to deliver ideas of construction and design. The value of measured drawings as educational tools to learn about the architectural context as well as signifiers of the cultural values have transcended the importance of these two-dimensional illustrations as ephemeral depictions of building forms and materials. In the midst of an architectural culture increasingly utilizing three-dimensional virtual surrogates along with the state-of-the-art surveying and representation methodologies, however, the production of measured drawings have been relegated to a narrower focus in the documentation projects.”
We conclude by sharing supporting ideas from the book Why Architects Still Draw (2014).
>> We encourage you to browse The Plan Journal and explore for yourself
In the TPJ article “Crafting the Architectural Measured Drawings” the author Serra Akboy-İlk explains that:
“in an architectural documentation field heavily dominated by automating tools where the outcome of the field data is measured through the accuracy of survey points, it is crucial to remember that architects’ engagement with the built environment is as significant as representing the material culture.”
Akboy-İlk compares an architect's crafting of measured drawings to that of an ethnographer gathering information about inhabitants of a given time, place and culture.
First floor plan drawing of the concession building, Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, Manhattan, New York County, NY (HAER NY-138-B (sheet 3 of 6)). Drawing delineated by © Susan Bruns and the Author.
Serra Akboy-İlk holds a BArch from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, İstanbul, Turkey; a MA in Cultural Heritage Management from Koç University, İstanbul, Turkey; and a PhD in Historic Preservation from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
>> We invite you to read Akboy-İlk’s essay available in THE PLAN Journal, vol. 2/2017, no. 1
In the book Why Architects Still Draw, the author Paolo Belardi argues that there is “meaning of measurement in a digital era.” Beyond the documentation of width, height, and depth there are cultural and historic dimensions that require understanding. Despite our age of data-driven design software, Belardi provides a strong argument for the value of culturally informed architectural drawings.
English
136 pages
MIT Press
February 2014
7.03 x 5.16 x 0.42 inches
ISBN-10: 10262525488
To learn more, check out: Why Architects Still Draw
“Crafting the Architectural Measured Drawings” and Why Architects Still Draw encourage the reader to ponder about how the design tool kit is evolving and what that might mean for our future spatial environments.
Why support + read TPJ?
The Plan Journal is intended to disseminate and promote innovative, thought-provoking, and relevant research, studies, and criticism related to architecture and urbanism. The journal grew out of an awareness that academia is all too often engaged in research that’s disconnected from the real-world challenges that face different professions, and that research is only possible for a small number of professional organizations, and, even then, with limited platforms for its dissemination. The overarching aim of TPJ is therefore to enrich the dialogue between researchers and professionals so as to foster both pertinent new knowledge and intellectually driven modes of practice.
How does it work + why does it matter?
Prospective contributors are encouraged to submit proposals or complete manuscripts to the Editor-in-Chief. Subject to positive feedback, proposals can then be developed into complete manuscripts and submitted for review, using the dedicated portal on the TPJ website.
After preliminary approval, manuscripts will be forwarded to suitably qualified people for commenting. TPJ is committed to following a rigorous double-blind peer review process using at least two reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief may also occasionally invite recognized academics, critics, or professionals (including members of the editorial board) to contribute to the journal without going through the peer review process, if warranted by the author’s reputation.
