'Draw' Is More

Drawing has played a central role on the most radical experiments of architectural history. The most daring propositions emerged from drawing, however, its understanding as a mere representative tool has seriously damaged its role at present time. In addition, the discipline has dramatically changed, with the irruption of new computational technologies, leading to a progressive disappearance of the ‘traditional’ drawing from the curriculum of many Schools of Architecture. From our perspective, however, the drawing promotes creativity, expressiveness and a critical approach to reality, regardless the technique. In this article, we describe the methodologies followed by the Graphic Ideation Department of the School of Architecture of Madrid, Spain (ETSAM, UPM), where drawing still prevails. Over the past years, we have implemented a methodology based on drawing as a tool of expression, creation and criticism, to support the design of architecture. The success of the program is unquestionable, and it has been improved through the years. The experience of introducing hybrid techniques (analog-to-digital) into a purely digital environment, was extremely interesting. It provided the students with alternative strategies of conceptualization and expression of their ideas, focusing on the development of a creative process, and not a final product.