Traditionally, an architect would need to do a range of different sketches and produce professional drawings when designing a property. Electronic design software has changed this a great deal by making it easier for people to produce designs. There are advantages to using CAD (computer aided design) but hand drawn images and physical designs also still have an important part to play.
The best thing about hand drawn designs and tangible models is that they take much more effort to make. This means architects need to put more into them. It also opens up the door for creativity and exploration. With software you can make an exact design in a very short space of time but this means you won’t have the chance to encounter problems and devise unique, creative solutions to them. Imagine how many of the most beautiful examples of architecture around the world would be different if the designer hadn’t drawn them by hand and had to shape and work on them.
Software does dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to design a building but in some cases this can be a negative, leading people to rush through designs before they have had time to consider and adapt them fully. This could be part of the reason why many examples of modern architecture seem to fail or even attract the ire of people. With hand drawn designs more care needs to be taken and designs naturally have more time to evolve and grow.
The most unfortunate thing is that even with all of the benefits they offer many architects are swapping traditional methods for newer, easier ones. The result could be very sad for the architectural sector, especially if it causes architects and designers to rein in their creativity.
The best way to produce residential or commercial architecture that people will love is to develop the design slowly and take time with it. It is very rare that good things come from rushing. More common is that speed brings unforeseen issues that require costly resolutions.
At Coffey Architects we take time with our designs and use a combination of traditional and modern methods to come up with beautiful and practical designs that fulfil the requirements of our clients. If you’re planning a commercial or domestic project anywhere in the world and require the assistance of a skilled architect in London we would be happy to help you produce buildings which are perfectly suited for their purpose. We make modern technology work for us rather than allowing it to dominate our work, and ensure that all the buildings we design work for the real people who inhabit them.