Graphic Horizons

This article is associated with an Educational Innovation Project (IE23.0303) conducted at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. The objectives consist of obtaining optimized free-form surfaces through the development of physical simulations using evolutionary computing, a branch of artificial intelligence. The text presents the three main methods used, allowing students to digitally emulate surfaces that are reminiscent of those popularized by architects such as Gaudí or Frei Otto. In an initial phase, students learned to parametrize the geometry of their projects using Grasshopper. Subsequently, physical simulations were introduced to achieve force equilibrium, enabling the generation of structurally efficient surfaces through graphical methods without the need for numerical calculations. Students utilized artificial intelligence to fine-tune predefined parameters, achieving outcomes that were beyond the reach of traditional analog approaches. Finally, students successfully incorporated the surfaces generated through simulations into BIM, thereby defining the architectural project and automating document generation. The process highlights the importance of geometry and algorithmic thinking in the education of architecture students. At the same time, it aims to raise awareness among students about the need to act in an environmentally friendly manner by designing solutions that reduce material consumption and CO2 emissions.

The tobacco drying rooms have been part of the “cultural landscape” of the Vega de Granada for much of the 20th century. This striking architecture reveals the sense of vitality of a territory, transcending immediacy, to become part of the historical story of a community.During the 2022–23 academic year, in the “AFA 1” subject taught at the ETSAG, a graphic research study is carried out on the innate aesthetic and functional qualities of constructions that, representing the essence of industrial architecture, have transformed the geographical environment in which they have been implemented thanks to the gestalt power conferred by its formal forceful-ness and the proliferation fostered by its condition as a prototype, which makes it susceptible to unlimited repetition and serialization.From the double aspect provided by analytical procedures and the semantic, evocative and landscape connotations, the selected teaching proposal is ideal for the learning of a second-year student, as it allows a clear exercise that com-bines graphic skills, initiation to research, constructive understanding, architectural analysis and occupation of the territory.The organized systematization of the teaching procedures applied together with the stimulation of a splendid and close environment are the definitive components of this fruitful course.

This communication aims to present and discuss the results of a didactic experiment developed in the first year of the master’s degree in architecture at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (2022–2023), in which hand drawing—both freehand and technical—was explored as a tool for investigation, knowledge acquisition, and spatial skill development.Building upon the significant collection of drawings created in 1833 by Joaquim Vilanova—an artist and professor at the “Academia Politécnica do Porto”—the curricular units of “Geometry and Architecture” and “Drawing 1”, in collaboration with researchers from the school, presented students with a challenge aimed at reinforcing the complementarity between different architectural graphic expressions.In a school where hand drawing remains fundamental and the teaching of architecture relies on the structural link between drawing and design, this experiment had a dual objective: to revisit, in the context of pedagogical drawing practices, the graphic work of a renowned 19th-century artist and to promote the relationship between curricular units to broaden and articulate the teaching of graphic expression.

Museum visits are a fascinating way to look at the world from the works of art. Apparently, it is possible for visitors to walk through the halls of a museum without hardly stopping to observe the works on display. One can sense in those absorbed gazes of the visitor-traveller an eagerness to gather in a short period everything that hangs on the walls, or perhaps, they intend to retain in the memory any artistic object without pretension or objective, nor criticism or judgment about it. To reflect on this issue of the pleasures presented by a visit to a museum, we wanted to think about the ways of visiting it, from a programmed and organized tour to the free walk through the rooms to finding and contemplating the piece that interests us the most, the lesser-known works or simply its architecture. In this paper, we describe a teaching methodology that, although not unique, allowed a group of architecture students to discover the Museo Nacional del Prado (MNP) from different points of view. In this short tour inside the Museum, it was possible, on the one hand, to improve the ability to observe and, on the other, to enrich skills not previously experienced in drawing.

‘Insisting’ for an educational framework tailored to architects and engineers that incorporates the configurative dimension of spaces underscores the significance of studying and comprehending surfaces from geometric and structural perspectives. Within our specific field of expertise, namely Representation and Drawing, instruction assumes a pivotal role not only in transmitting and preserving architectural/engineering knowledge but also as the foundational element fostering inventiveness and creativity. In this context, a proposed teaching methodology aims, on one hand, to strategically integrate various values—encompassing not only aesthetic considerations but also functional, technical, constructive, managerial aspects, among others—manifested in the cohesive ‘continuum’ of a constructed entity. On the other hand, this methodology seeks to render the creative potential of an architectural/engineering creation conceivable, guiding it towards its utmost completeness while accentuating its inherent continuity. Consequently, it emphasizes the uninterrupted flow of thought and configurations essential for crafting spaces, involving metric properties, relational dynamics, and structural considerations mediated by Geometry. Hence, the configurative and generative attributes of Geometry serve as catalysts for invention, fostering a continuous interplay between rational thought and poetic expression.

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.

The Architectural Design Drawing Taxonomy Table is a didactic strategy for teaching both architectural graphic representation and design. With this table, the students can identify and elaborate aid graphic tools, appropriate for the subjects they learn in the design activity. These supporting tools allow to enhance the appearance and configuration of the form of the design, by approaching it from the partial exploration of the forms themselves, and not from the usual ‘designing process’, which begins with data collection, then its conceptualization, and finally its graphic representation.

Faced with the challenge of optimizing the learning of design, graphic construction, coding, and expression of architecturally complex elements, this essay presents a teaching experience developed in the Architecture Drawing course of the first year of Architecture Studies that incorporates Augmented Reality (AR). After initial experiences providing three-dimensional models of studied objects integrated into AR, which were well-received by students, a specific study was proposed on an architectural element with spatial complexity and recurring assimilation difficulties, namely the stair. This exploration covered the phases of ideation, realization, and communication of that element, utilizing AR as an instrumental resource and motivational trigger.The aim was to use AR to contribute to solve problems derived from the lack of spatial comprehension and communicative resources of students in the first stage of their learning process of Architecture and its representation. Furthermore, the adoption of this new technology is proposed not in isolation, but integrated into a hybrid method that combines traditional drawing with the use of AR. In this way, the experience seeks to incorporate new applications to enhance the teaching-learning process and student motivation as a complement to previously successful methodologies.

The Territory is to be considered today as a complex system in which social practices develop. These are ongoing changes that involve the community as much as the territory itself, generated most of the time by rapid social and technological evolution. As much as we talk about it today, it is only in recent times that attention has shifted to the social system as the cause of territorial transformations. The data relating to these changes are numerous, but to date it is not known how quickly they are transformed because at the same time there is data that is too subjective to be able to codify them in this perspective. Based on these reflections, the contribution will try to talk about the laboratory experimentation conducted in Naples with a group of students from the Department of Architecture. We tried to analyze a portion of the territory by making a qualitative and quantitative reading of it, systematizing the data obtained and crossing them as layers to be turned on or off depending on the topics involved. What initially seemed like a stratified reading based on data that did not communicate with each other, instead gave a common result that had not been foreseen in the preliminary analysis phase.

This paper presents a teaching innovation project that explores the benefits of integrating music into the process of learning to draw by architecture students. The project required students to draw an increasing number of images projected against the clock, to the rhythm of a playlist or soundtrack, the result of collaboration between the professors of the subject of graphic expression and a group of specialists in the field of music, as well as performers and performative researchers. The aim of this work is, on the one hand, that the students become more proficient in making their drawings in a reduced and limited time, and on the other hand, that the quality of their drawings increases the more they draw. In essence, it is intended to solve the difficulties experienced by beginner students when completing their detailed and analysis perspective drawings, improving their quality and speed through quick sketches or synthesis perspective drawings, while trying to generate a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom that fosters the feeling of belonging to the group. The results reflect the positive perception of the project and the direct influence of music in the drawing process itself as a trigger for creativity.

This paper presents a reflection on the teaching of architectural graphics using digital tools, drawing from experiences developed in first-year courses within the field of knowledge. The pedagogical approaches aim to furnish students with a robust conceptual foundation that transcends superficial knowledge of software, fostering a profound understanding of the internal operational logics. We describe a didactic experience structured around four content sections concerning representation, 3D modeling, building information modeling via parametric components, and architectural visualization based on digital post-production strategies. The goal is to achieve a conscious and adaptable utilization of digital tools, surpassing the constraints of mere command-based training. We propose a pragmatic approach rooted in computational thinking that prioritizes conceptual understanding over instrumental training, facilitating effective adaptation to successive technological changes and evolutions.

This paper presents an educational experience conducted at the ETS Arquitectura in Madrid. The main objective was to optimize the acquisition of certain fundamental concepts of Architectural Drawing through the early introduction of automated digital photogrammetry. The aim was to facilitate the visualisation of these concepts, as well as to motivate students with accessible professional technology. Indirectly, the goal was to contribute to the development of selective and critical thinking in students regarding the results and the information they handled, the means and the ends used, ultimately fostering mature and structured graphic thinking.A collaborative challenge was set to carry out an architectural surveying of a selected model, structuring the work phases to achieve the objectives. The final outcome of the process would be a complete graphic description of the model. The experience was subsequently evaluated, considering both the graphic results obtained and the feedback from students expressed through surveys, confirming the initial premises, especially regarding student motivation and understanding of concepts such as formal control, measurement, scale, plans and sections, graphic codes and their hierarchy, and architectural surveying.

Nowadays, the range of subjects that articulates the foundation learning of architectural graphic expression at Spanish University suggests a split behavior. Although the different study programs over the years have reduced its load, its general structure (inherited, in many cases, from one or other departmental traditions) has not changed. The current graphic learning offers architecture student a knowledge sectioned into isolated compartments. They entrench themselves in the sensorial-subjective area, or in the intellectual-objective one of the thinking and expressing architecture by drawing. This type of approaches, guided by a certain linear logic, leads to identify by contrast and opposition in all sorts of formulations: subjectivity vs objectivity, induction vs deduction, free will vs determination, intuition vs deduction, art vs science, conception vs execution, freedom vs constraint… This paper aims to point out those issues that allow us to imagine an associated learning, unitarian and unified, going further into the conceptual and material principles of architectural drawing by means a rigorous point of view. Highlighting the indivisible nature of drawing, and noting its deep versatility, flexibility and expressive adaptability, the text identifies logics based on order, clarity, similarity, precision and strictness, as strategies of reconcile and agreement (of relation and inclusion).

This study explores the historical development, architecture, and potential future applications of the Metaverse in drawing education. Examining its transformative role, the article focuses on 3D modeling, virtual reality, and collaboration, highlighting origins from Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash” and its cinematic interpretations. The paper analyzes the growing interest, evidenced by a surge in Metaverse publications. It discusses the Metaverse’s role in social media evolution, emphasizing immersive experiences and authentic connections. Facebook’s rebranding as “Meta” underscores industry shifts. In design, the Metaverse aids 3D model creation shared on social media for feedback. The study advocates for immersive learning experiences and explores university initiatives. With COVID-19 underscoring remote learning limitations, the paper proposes the Metaverse as a solution, envisioning its potential for laboratory simulations, historical site visits, remote collaboration, and personalized learning. The Metaverse is positioned to revolutionize education, making it more accessible, engaging, effective, and innovative.

The graphic knowledge of new students entering architecture schools shows an alarming lack of ability to tackle, with solvency, some of the subjects taught during the first year of their academic training, even in later years. This situation, together with the limited time available, makes it necessary to rethink and formulate new learning models. After years of experimenting with the subject of Graphic Ideation and Introduction to the Architectural Project, a new systematic approach to learning about graphics has been introduced, consisting of prior work with the model, understanding it as an architectural model in its different scales. This methodological innovation in the course has acted as a fundamental support for implementing, forcing learning and justifying the need for this absent knowledge. The model is presented not as the result of a process, but as a path in itself, where the students discover, as necessary, the graphic tools that will help them to shape this model, and it will be during this process that the student discovers the importance of graphic knowledge. The results obtained using this teaching reformulation surpass those achieved in previous courses, opening up a new path of exploration in the teaching of drawing.

Digital tools are moving students away from manual graphic tools and rendering techniques in technical and design careers. Especially in the initial stages of projects.The research aims to show a series of teaching strategies aimed at developing graphic thinking. It is included within the creative process of the Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development student. Graphic thinking and manual expression skills have been enhanced. The purpose is to show ideas and represent them graphically during the design process.The development of an innovative teaching experience is shown within the subject of Design Workshop I. The results obtained reveal the student’s ability to interpret, abstract, synthesize and represent a musical piece. The graphic tools used have been points, lines and planes. The development of the exercise uses the knowledge acquired in the first block of the subject called Component Analysis: Conception of shape and volume.

In this study, I address how graphic objectives, in an architectural drawing course, can be visualised from the moment students start to acquire certain digital representation skills and a minimum level of fluency in speculating on what they wish to communicate. Thus, the main contribution of this work is a method for comparing the results based on interpreting pairs of opposing concepts, for example, in procedural questions such as “colour used real/colour used not real”. This method adopts Osgood’s semantic differential technique to collect the evaluator’s opinion. Subsequently, three categories are selected and converted into axes in a Cartesian topological space. I show how the Osgood’s technique is applied in three cases: an architectural work by Rogelio Salmona; another by the Oopeaa studio; and another by Patiño and Peña. The procedure ends up with a final graphic for a group of ten works (the 3D map, a visual framework), and reveals whether the drawing course objectives follow any trend or whether the proposed meta-image system can extrapolated to other graphic production domains.

This paper outlines an initiative that aims to integrate teaching and research through the exploration of artistic fields adjacent to architecture with the goal of fostering student motivation by creating new opportunities. The exercise utilizes a collection of Pablo Palazuelo’s geometric abstraction works as a basis for creating graphic proposals for the design of utopian cities. Two competitions were promoted as a result of a signed agreement between the university and Pablo Palazuelo Foundation. Additionally, this experience has been incorporated into projects developed within the Urban Design course.After discussing the reasons that led to the choice of this author as a source of initial references, the works selected for the statements were discussed and the works submitted by the students were analyzed, both in terms of their content and graphic characteristics. The scope of the study is defined, on one hand, to the selected works by Palazuelo, and on the other, to the results of the last two competitions that centered on creating projects for ideal cities, using Palazuelo’s work as a starting point.

LEGO LAB is a pedagogical experience developed at the university level that investigates how play can stimulate curiosity, creativity and self-learning in adolescents and adults. An experimental process where, through different activities and oriented exercises, the game system with Lego pieces is used as a common thread for learning the tools of architectural graphic expression in new generations of architects. A pedagogical strategy that simultaneously runs through multiple analog and digital processes that are fundamental in the communication and ideation of contemporary architecture.

The forms of nature, including the human body, have an implicit geometry, sometimes not visible without an analytical eye. Within the framework of studying conic curves, first-year Architecture students were asked to geometrize the faces of their grandparents, seeking these curves in the general features and in the detail of the marks that time has left on the face. With small creative exercises like this, it is intended that students internalize and apply the theoretical content learned in class.Through visual references, they have been introduced to the world of graphic design and illustration, providing them with examples and tools for geometric abstraction and the search for simple elements in the apparent complexity of a face.The mix of the endearing with the theoretical, the visual with the three-dimensional, colors with lines has made this exercise a enriching experience. With this presentation, the aim is to analyze how the quality and depth of knowledge in the concepts addressed have been increased through this small exercise.

The initiative “Landscape, Heritage, Cave Dwellings, and Tourism” represents an ongoing teaching project at the School of Architecture in Granada since 2018. The project involves the active participation of the areas of architectural graphic expression, architectural projects, and architectural constructions. Within this framework, the task of teaching architecture has transformed into a genuine academic laboratory where diagnostics and proposals have been developed in various work areas. These have evolved into novel research projects due to the lack of rigorous prior documentation, becoming case studies that are now groundbreaking. The inclusion of cartographic contributions has been instrumental in guiding academic efforts towards student learning. This educational approach has delved into topics not previously explored in specialized literature. The educational outcomes carry a significant applicability intent, aiming to foster knowledge transfer to society at large and, particularly, to the Geopark. Moreover, they serve as a means of raising awareness about the crucial role of architecture in this distinctive territory. The continuous engagement in this dynamic teaching methodology contributes to the creation of a unique academic environment that integrates research, education, and the dissemination of valuable knowledge about the Geopark of Granada.

This paper analyses different types of movable models that can be used for learning purposes related to Geometry within Architectural Graphics scope. Their use is considered both as finished objects, to be shown and manipulated, and as a hands-on activity, to be carried out by the students, with a pedagogical approach close to constructivism. The objectives of their use include the recovery or intensification of haptic and visual aspects, as an aid to enhance the understanding and exploration of the properties and possibilities of geometric surfaces. It also aims to promote reasoning and deductions about the key elements of curves and surfaces and the links between them, based on the analysis of their variations. Current availability of visual programming languages for the definition of virtual movable models would allow that reasoning. The methodology involves the study of historical models made with different approaches and their possible application in current teaching conditions. Variable arrangements and pieces of built architecture related to them are also considered. The results of the research point to the existence of a wide range of doable examples, albeit with adaptations to the means available, and to a very positive impact of their making.

On the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona in 1929, a group of four professionals made a series of trips through Spain, between 1927 and 1928, with the aim of collecting graphic information that would serve them to carry out the project of the commission they had received: The construction of the Pueblo Español of Montjuïc. The venue was meant to be a replica of traditional Spanish architecture that would be at the service of citizens and tourists that Barcelona would receive during the event. In this research work, carried out with students from the Vallès School of Architecture (ETSAV-UPC), a fragment of that trip in which they visited Valderrobres, La Fresneda and Arnés, in the province of Teruel, is reproduced. It was in Valderrobres that they found the model that they would use as a source of inspiration for the construction of the Town Hall of the Pueblo Español, a building that presides over the Plaza. Thanks to this fieldwork based in drawings, measurements and photographs, a comparative analysis will be obtained between the original and the reproduced model, which will allow us to draw the conclusion that what really interested them was the reproduction of façade details rather than the building itself.

The teaching strategy of the course ‘Drawing, Analysis and Ideation’ taught in the first year of the Degree in Foundations of Architecture demands an active role for students that goes beyond the consumption of didactic content, to take on the role of producers of graphic material accompanied by critical reflections. The proven importance of the physical space where teaching takes place encourages the promotion of experiential learning outside the classroom whose vocation of reality explores the everyday urban environment and counteracts the excessive abstract bias of the conventional approaches of other subjects in the degree. With these premises, the pedagogy that accompanied the 2021–2022 course under the title ‘Alicia goes on tour’ (Alicia se va de viaje) structured an atlas of weekly statements that rehearsed a double learning loop based on iteration inside/outside (the classroom), based on the analysis/project cycle, and where the asynchronous development of each weekly practice favored among the students a work rhythm with more involvement and quite surprising responses. The results obtained improved academic performance and corroborated the training of the learning community in the face of creative uncertainty, helping to develop contextualized, situated, integrative and relational knowledge, as well as to investigate the understanding of the complex ecology that underlies the city where, for the most part, they will have to carry out their professional work as architects.

The analysis and exploration of crystalline networks or Cartesian spatial networks associated with geometric forms, together with their spatial dynamics and optical illusions caused by the genesis and manipulation of their representation, are a fundamental propaedeutic tool for architectural graphic expression applied to the study of geometry and drawing in broad spectrum as the technical basis of the discipline. In the initial subjects of architecture, largely graphic, acquiring skills requires effort, work and spatial vision that can be faced when knowledge is acquired and transmitted from sources tangent to the discipline itself. The brain learns and is activated when it is motivated and excited. For this, curiosity for drawing and its expressive and communicative potential is key. Providing graphic subjects with sources and “new and unpredictable stimuli” such as Riley’s abstract art and optical games for their communicative value and expectation, Jamnitzer’s geometric goldsmithing for its precise detail of the technical drawing of geometry, or Le Witt’s cubes for their value of growth and creation of spatial patterns, are three of the didactic and research tools under study in this research.

This article reports the educational experience of the elective course “Ateliê Ca(ó)tico” – Cha(o)tic Atelier – offered in the bachelor’s degree of Architecture and Urbanism of UFRN (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte). The methodological procedures of this course emphasise the observation and the techniques for representation using drawings and collages. In this sense, the practice of urban perception and the act of “being present in the place”, as a way of (re)cognising the space undergoing intervention, was encouraged. The activity was performed in the city of João Pessoa in Paraíba and initially consisted of trips to the City Centre and Varadouro neighbourhoods because of their important heritage acquis. Also, these neighbourhoods present issues with neglect of properties and cultural appropriation of public spaces. After that, a synthesis panel was built; this panel guided the elaboration of proposals to the defined areas focusing on the visual and physical integration between Varadouro and the City Centre, and proposals for the usage of the selected buildings considering the habitational demand and sociocultural appropriation of the area. Regarding the construction of panels, it could be confirmed that the means of artisanal representation – using drawings and collages in both phases of perception and proposal elaboration – contributed deeply to the embodiment of the intentions of this project, thus stimulating creativity along the process.

The text presents a methodological approach to teaching Descriptive Geometry that emphasizes the importance of teaching through stories and real situations, rather than relying on the memorization of procedures and abstract concepts. It suggests the use of real or virtual models, made possible by the support of digital technologies, for a better understanding of spatial operations, and the use of different educational resources. The program and method are restructured to establish connections between the subject matter and real-world contexts, in order to motivate and engage students. Long-term projects, called ‘semester-long’, are introduced to promote autonomy, mastery, and purpose in learning. These projects allow students to experience a state of ‘flow’ in learning, through the practical application of geometry in architectural projects. In addition, they incorporate elements of gamification that encourage progressive learning, planning, and social recognition. The overall goal of this methodology is to improve the teaching of Descriptive Geometry, developing practical skills, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of geometry in students.

Teaching drawing to new architecture students with their eagerness to learn quickly, requires us to look back to the past in order to be able to move forward in teaching the present. As experienced teachers, we need to question how we teach. Beginners are always the same age, but we teachers are one year older each academic year. The aim of this paper is to provide answers for students and teachers as we seek a shared space where we can all learn – some for the first time and others once again. Drawing outside, away from the classrooms, changes the locus of our everyday learning. We move away from academia and at the same time become aware of new sensations, quite different to those experienced in formal settings. Discomfort, wind, cold or heat, the sun on our skin, all enliven our senses and prepare us all on equal terms for the task of drawing. Teacher and pupil are less distant, our heads and hands are at the same height. The experience gained from several days drawing outdoors allows us to embark on a new learning from memory based on what we have learned.

The incorporation of a gender perspective, through the study of works by forgotten or unrecognized women architects in history, society, and educational system, is considered essential and unavoidable in the teaching of the degree in Architecture to achieve the principle of equality between men and women in education. This research project stems from the teaching experience conducted over the last two academic years in the Architectural Graphic Expression 1 course at the School of Architecture in Granada. Its objective is to ensure that the visibility of pioneering women in the architectural field accompanies the teaching-learning process of the graphic representation systems explained. The results obtained demonstrate that, in addition to achieving the objectives of the course itself, especially those related to spatial vision and mastery of graphic language through Descriptive Geometry procedures, it has transversally succeeded in giving special meaning to the practices that have generated knowledge within a deeper and more equal context.

This research aims to capture the nuanced perspectives of educators on the importance and application of freehand drawing within contemporary design curricula around Madrid. As the design world increasingly leans towards digital methods, this paper critically examines the implications of this transition for student learning, creativity, and their ability to solve design problems effectively. It investigates the complexities and educational challenges in embedding this traditional skill into a curriculum that is becoming increasingly more digitally oriented.By analyzing the experiences and views of educators who have navigated the shift from traditional to digital-focused design, this paper explores the current state of freehand sketching within the context of contemporary design and architecture education. It explores the generational differences, teaching challenges, and evolving perceptions regarding its role in the creative process.This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on how design education can maintain a balance between embracing innovative technologies and preserving the foundational skills essential to creative discovery.

Landscape is multidisciplinary and complex and requires a comprehensive approach to its analysis, which necessarily involves the study of how it is perceived (European Landscape Convention, 2000). In this sense, the subjective paradigm, as defined by Lothian (1999), maintains that the aesthetic sense of place depends on the interaction between landscape and observer, which is why there is a need to generate tools to study this dimension.This paper proposes various graphic strategies that can be useful when representing the perception of landscape, highlighting those that consider its subjective aspects, giving rise to a complete vision of the landscape that surrounds us, whether natural or urban. In this way, an overview is made of different graphic mechanisms, from the most figurative to the most abstract, including ‘serial visions’, the representation of the passage of time, ‘sensorial cartographies’ and the use of collage as a tool for simplifying the landscape. This generates an operative repertoire for representing landscape, which allows us to understand its perception from multiple facets, creating a holistic vision of the natural and urban landscape.

In this brief presentation, we question the importance and possibility of hand drawing or analog methods in the presence of digital technologies, as well as its role in architect education. We argue for its coexistence alongside digital technologies and emphasize its significance in the training of future architects. We assert that drawing is a form of communication intrinsic to human existence. Furthermore, it is a kinesthetic-cognitive act where perception, memory, and reasoning are intertwined in the process of architectural design conception.

Play is a driving force for creativity. People are able to invent, imagine, improvise and go beyond limits when they enter the world of fun. We take advantage dynamics of the game as useful skills which help students to understand both geometric shapes and operations that manipulate them in architecture. Using the content taught within this subject -complex geometric shapes-, students are required to design playful kind of spaces previously experienced (skate park, roller coaster, slide circuit or rope park). In this paper, these projects are presented along with the supporting theoretical and teaching framework, as well as the lessons deduced from them.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the most common way of learning to draw or to paint was to copy exemplary works. From Romanticism onwards, the progressive orientation in painting towards expression and a freer interpretation of reality gradually relegated this mode of learning based on master-apprentice relationships and on the idea of imitation. The ensuing decline of figuration and the tendency towards abstraction led to valuing the creative process to validate the final artwork outcomes. In creative processes, we operate formatively: we solve the problem posed through iterative testing and corrections. An alternative way of sparking ideation is to analyse how major artists work and to emulate them. Therefore, rather than imitating or copying a specific model, we propose to emulate an artist’s modus operandi or that of a certain artistic movement. The idea of process can be reinforced through preparatory sketches or by directly proposing serial work exercises that encourage creativity through intense production. Thus, learning how to combine, organise, and reuse the material produced based on solid references constitutes a production stage that leads to crystallising the process in the finished work.

Artists and architects since the Modern Movement, like Albers or Le Corbusier, experienced in their artwork that color is important for depth and amplitude estimation, but without a scientific background. Investigations have commonly addressed the illusion of color depth in 2D, namely chromostereopsis, and more recently the evaluation of egocentric distances in real scenarios compared with VR, but there are scarce results on the role of color in the distances and size evaluations of interior architecture. This text aims to describe two methods that we implemented using VR to obtain an objective numerical estimation of the size variation of a room because of the color. This methodology required a reliable colorimetric control of the VR displays and the psychophysical responses of the observers. Results indicate that VR for perceptual matching tasks and visually directed motor actions is an accurate tool to evaluate the size of virtual interiors with different colors; however, it was found that color differences did not cause an important effect on perceived size. The existence of some visual cues related with the geometry of the rooms might be in the roots of this result and should be reconsidered in the future.

This study builds on previous research to assess whether text-to-image technology can correctly generate images of residential floor plans. Three tools are tested: Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and Dall-E. The process involved: (1) using reference images to generate text descriptions, (2) crafting prompts from these descriptions and testing them on the three AI systems, (3) merging text requests with reference images, and (4) using hand-drawn sketches to create technical architectural drawings.In general, the tools showed potential but were deemed not yet suitable for producing architectural designs due to a lack of syntactic and functional logic. Midjourney emerged as the most effective, consistently generating 2D planimetric images and producing quality results when combining textual descriptions with reference images. On the other hand, Dall-E underperformed in responding to text requests and deviated significantly from delivering the desired images, although it excelled at describing images via ChatGPT, a task at which Midjourney faltered. Stable Diffusion was noted for striking a balance, offering quality close to Midjourney and better text descriptions through Artbot. It also showed promise with its unique ability to create images from hand-drawn sketches, a feature not available in the other tools.The improvements shown by those tools within a short time suggest that they will continue to advance and might soon generate accurate architectural drawings from text descriptions and rough sketches, constituting an important help tool for architects.

Is it possible to ‘see’ in perspective? Starting from this question, the study proposed here seeks to offer new horizons of usability for pictorial works by blind and visually impaired people, through the application of the theoretical notions of descriptive geometry, algorithmic digital modelling and digital manufacturing. The objective of the research is to create tactile in the round supports that are consistent with the projective system of the perspective representations found within the pictorial works of art, through a semi-automated process that allows what is represented to be translated into solid perspective in paintings. Using a specially created algorithm, it is possible to generate such transformations starting from data obtained from a reverse perspective process. Within the few Italian museums that make tactile models available for the blind, which allow the paintings to be ‘seen’ by touch, one can only find artefacts in low perspective relief which are not able to translate completely the complexity and ‘depth’ of the scenes depicted, effectively mortifying the entire synaesthetic experience. Furthermore, to expand the horizons of enjoyment of figurative works of art and guarantee maximum inclusiveness and accessibility to blind and partially sighted people, the themes of haptic perception were explored in depth, in an attempt to create a physical model capable of translating and temporalizing the perspective space depicted within the pictorial scenes examined.

Drawing in participatory processes of ecosocial transition plays an interface role in presenting information, synthesizing and communicating participatory diagnoses and shaping the ideas co-created with communities. Since the Aalborg Charter for Sustainable Cities to the Urban Agendas, participation and sustainability form an inseparable binomial. The 3rd World Habitat Summit laid the foundations to link the Right to the City with the formulation of strategies, plans and projects of transition towards sustainability, deploying the Sustainable Development Goals along the territory. What forms of expression are the most appropriate in each phase of these processes according to their purpose? What techniques are most suitable? To address these questions, we establish dialogical relationships between the theory of production and social management of habitat and the theory of architectural graphic expression. With this theoretical framework we will analyze the drawings presented to the participants in the elaboration of the “Huerta del Carmen en Transición” and we will draw conclusions about the relationship between purpose, technique and form of expression of these drawings.

Teaching furniture design is an opportunity to train students through the ability to sketch and manufacture a product. This article presents a protocol for practical learning of the procedure for digital fabrication with a machine accessible tool to any educational center or a small-scale industry. It is very applicable as a curricular teaching package with consideration of a microcredential. The 3-axis CNC milling machine has outstanding qualities for adopting solutions that act in the context of Design for Manufacturing (DfM) especially in the field of Design for Environment (DfE). Such qualities are essential in the training of responsible designers in accordance with the 2030 Agenda. The availability of technicians with this type of digital skills in the work market could be an enhancer for industrial growth of small and medium-sized companies at a regional level. The tools and instrument presented are ideal for materializing the ideas of the projects developed by the students. Throughout the learning process, acquaintance and work with digital graphic tools is essential to master automation processes.

The singular nature of architecture, compared to other types of artistic experience, admits the spatial component as the main reference for understanding an object. While scientific advances in the production of digital models have allowed for more and more interaction on the part of the common user, in the field of communication for the blind and visually impaired, we still often rely on physical models that make touch the instrument of the subject's overall perception. Storing so much information in a model that only acts on one level of perception could be reductive and compromise the experience of the user who would find himself interacting with a scaled-down product with only some of the features of the real object. The aim of the study is to proceed by integrating the gaps in the image formation process resulting from the processing of sensory data, reconstructing the path of information that, thanks to virtual reality, translates into stimuli that are easier to understand.

The environmental crisis in the building sector calls for immediate mitigation strategies. Sustainable material selection has proven to be one of the most prominent ones. In traditional project execution, material selection is typically associated with the procurement processes. Nonetheless, it is imperative to incorporate its consideration from the early design phases as an integral component of a holistic design approach. Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology allows Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) professionals to manage substantial volumes of information with parametric qualities in a collaborative manner. Despite the technological advancements in implementing various evaluation methods within the BIM environment, literature highlights consistent challenges that hinder its widespread adoption within the industry. This research proposes a visually-oriented strategy to integrate material selection seamlessly into the BIM framework. Leveraging the parametric qualities of BIM facilitates the incorporation of supplementary data pertaining to material sustainability, presented in a clear manner, and forming part of the primary workflow. Consequently, relevant stakeholders can benefit from assisting in the decision-making process during the early stages of design. In the long term, a comprehensive graphical representation of data holds the potential to foster the integration of environmental sustainability practices in the construction sector.

Digital Twins models were used basically to connect heterogeneous data and to allow the dialogue between different disciplines. But Digital Twin can also be considered a visual interface for complex information system, for simulating, monitoring, analyzing processes in order to define management strategy and sharing information. Thus, a Digital Twin can also be represented by a simplified 3D model as long as the level of detail respond adequately to analysis to be performed. In this paper we present the methodological process to define a fast generation of Digital Twin of churches using ChurMa (Church Maker), an algorithmic tool that allows you to obtain a 3D model of different types of Churches based on semantic decomposition and configurational rules. Starting from a preliminary study of many Churches in Campania aimed at identifying the appropriate level of detail suitable for reading by macro-elements, we derived the shape grammar rules used as input data to best adapt the parametric model to different compositional solutions. The main research goal is to define a parametric model, quickly adaptable to most of churches in Campania. We are testing ChurMa to evaluate potential and limits in order to improve the tool. We are working on the user-friendly interface definition to allow the use of ChurMa even to unskilled users and to promote dissemination in different fields of applications.

This research delves into the intricate realm of documenting historical subterranean galleries, an area relatively understudied due to the inherent challenges of the working environment. Nonetheless, recent advancements in laser data capture techniques and photogrammetric processes have sparked a veritable revolution, resulting in a notable enhancement of both capture efficiency and level of detail achieved. Classical photogrammetry has gradually given way to topographic laser scanners in many documentation projects, which had dominated almost the entire market. However, new digital photogrammetric processing techniques, portable sensors and mobile scanning equipment are introducing a simple and efficient working methodology in the field. Laser devices embedded in tablets and mobile phones are becoming increasingly accurate and powerful, offering the opportunity to explore and evaluate their capabilities in the specific context of underground galleries. The qanat, an ancient method for collecting and transporting water through underground galleries utilizing gravity as the propelling force, serves as an exceptional testing ground for these innovative technologies. These historic constructions, prevalent throughout the Iberian Peninsula, are intricately linked to the founding of certain cities, such as Madrid. The central area presents a peculiar typology of these infrastructures that deserves meticulous documentation and in-depth analysis.

The research stands in continuity with the processes of valorization and communication of the architectural heritage of the twentieth century, already undertaken during the last years through the use of the digital medium.The digitization of archives, conducted through the development of models derived from the critical reading of architectural drawings, has led to the need to define new approaches to the translation of geometric and semantic components. Indeed, such translations develop from a complex process of interpretation capable of communicating a whole series of unseen values and significances that have remained latent. Digital models today must therefore be able to preserve and convey such complexity.This research proposes a workflow focused on the use of typical HBIM processes and tools, declined for the particular case of on-paper architectures, as active tools of study and interpretive reinterpretation.The case study is the model project for a Marinara Professional School, designed by architects Salvatore Rattu and Bruno Virdis, for the city of Cagliari during the early second half of the twentieth century.The digital reconfiguration in the HBIM environment allowed the opening to new paths of semantic redefinition of the drawings, facilitating the decomposition, documentation and communication of values related to the architecture of the twentieth century.

Digital fabrication technologies can be powerful tools for architectural representation, assisting during the fabrication of physical models and prototypes useful in architectural design. The use of these technologies can contribute to complement conventional architectural drawings by allowing the creation of physical models, prototypes and architectural models of constructive details or structural elements, to be used as visualization and communication tools to explore different solutions during the design phase. Therefore, it seems appropriate to reflect and work towards a better integration between the latest digital fabrication technologies and architectural graphic tools to assist the architect. This paper will try to deepen on the applications of digital fabrication in the field of Architecture, based on the projects carried out in Fab Lab Madrid CEU, the Digital Fabrication Laboratory based at CEU University, reflecting about the potential of milling machines, laser cutters, 3D printers and molding and casting technologies to materialize ideas and projects.

This work presents a Python script that allows generating homographies in the Rhinoceros 3D CAD software. The script generates a plane figure that is a homography of another plane figure selected by the user. To do this, eight points are used as input: four in the source figure and four in the homographic figure. The interest of the script lies in the fact that the user can obtain the homographic figure without knowing the homographic relationship between both figures, that is, without knowing the relative positions between the projection point, the source figure, and the homographic figure.

Advances in photogrammetry and immersive visualization through virtual reality (VR) provide the opportunity to restore disappeared or decontextualized heritage environments to their original splendor. A paradigmatic case is that of the Spanish Gothic stalls, most of them currently dismantled and in the best-case scenario, partially exposed in different locations. The present work, based on a previous work of digital recontextualization of similar heritage environments carried out by the authors, develops a VR application that enables interactive visualization of the interior of Girona Cathedral, incorporating heritage elements currently missing or decontextualized such as its ancient Gothic choir. The proposal allows users to ‘revisit’ the nave and visualize it as it was originally conceived, in a hyper-realistic way, at any time and from anywhere. Photogrammetry techniques have been used to reconstruct the decontextualized elements, and they have been repositioned within the virtual model in their original position. Their incorporation into the application offers users the opportunity to switch between the current and original states, allowing them to establish hypotheses about their original conditions and configuration. This approach represents a novel strategy for the study and dissemination of decontextualized heritage.

The city is a complex reality of uses that can be analyzed and represented through maps. The difficulty relies on the fact that the same piece of land in a plan view may contain different uses at different heights. This paper presents a method to graphically represent the functional complexity of cities through the colorimetric subtraction. We study the case of Barcelona, where the uses provided by the Catastro are grouped into three categories according to their rhythm: Regular, Variable and Intensive. Each group is assigned a CMY primary color (cyan, magenta, yellow). On the map, each building is represented according to the CMY color corresponding to its use, or according to the resulting color from the mixture of two or three primary colors (red, green, blue or black) if the building hosts several rhythms. The result shows that the distribution of urban rhythms is not homogeneous and varies significantly between urban areas. Intensive (31.5%) and Regular (25.9%) rhythms are the most common in Barcelona. It also makes it possible to differentiate areas of identical urban morphology (Eixample) but with very different activity and life (e.g. Passeig de Gràcia and Poblenou). This method can be applied to other cities as well, making it a useful analysis tool for urban planners, policymakers, and researchers.

Artificial intelligence continues to seamlessly integrate in our daily lives, sparking immense interest in its optimization across various sectors. Architectural design and environment digital creation could receive huge benefits from this technology evolution. This study delves into a specific application of AI: the generation of both rendered and conceptualized images to facilitate project communication. Leveraging Stable Diffusion, a generative diffusion model, in conjunction with Control Net—a multi-layer AI control tool—different iterations were conducted. A deliberate configuration of variables allowed for localized variations stemming from standardized input instructions, showcasing the breath of possibilities these technologies offer in architectural communication and digital creation. Classifying 720 images based on the applied control type, this research systematically compares the characteristics and biases of the utilized variables to scrutinize their influence on the resultant outputs. Rooted in an exploratory and propositional approach, this work sets the stage for subsequent in-depth investigations and advancements in architectural AI research.