Experimenting Graphically with the Relationship Between Form and Function Through Parametric Digital Models

This paper describes a teaching proposal for the Drawing subject in Year 1 of Architecture focused on the use of digital graphical tools to learn about the relationship between design intention and architectural form. Based on a specific problem presented at the beginning of the year—the reconstruction of an important architectural work—students are required to model the work, focusing on the ideation process that has made it possible rather than on the end form. They then develop a personal design preserving the original creative premises. The novelty of the proposal resides in the fact that the digital model incorporates conditioned geometric control parameters that simulate the intentions of the work’s authors, enabling students to investigate possible formal variations by altering the parameters. The student architects can therefore investigate, question and rework their solution to the problem, with guidance from the teachers as and when necessary. The students’ active role in the learning process leads to very positive results, in the opinion of both students and teachers, as gleaned from the surveys conducted at different times, students’ participation in class and their performance in the practical tasks.