Despite all of the benefits of the Digital Realm, some say that it limits the creativity of designers. It has been said that designers too quickly move into production mode and spend too much time modeling rather than designing by hand. Some think that one is more likely to miss an important issue if they are wrapped up in intensive modeling on the computer, and that hand drawing or sketching provides for better all around designs. Perhaps it is the designers that still cling to the traditions of pencil and paper and resist working in the digital realm that lack creativity. When working within a 3-dimensional program, one starts to achieve a strong sense of space. When drawing on paper, one draws lines that represent beams or site boundaries. When modeling, one actually forms an environment, and advanced environments cannot be diminished to simple silhouettes. If a designer has the computer compatibility and the persistence to learn a modeling program, it is my argument that better designs can be produced because it is actual building, not representative building. After all, the most creative work in architecture today is produced primarily by architects who design entirely within the digital realm.

Zaha Hadid produced a building for BMW that was completely dependent on the digital realm and it yielded groundbreaking results in its streamlined appearance.




Herzog and DeMueron’s plans for the Beiking Olympic Stadium in China will also break the rules of traditional architecture. The aesthetics of the project were strictly developed on a computer.



JDS architects and Snohetta Architects produce some of the most visually stimulating and exciting renderings and animations in the field at the moment.




Show me water color or perspective drawings that can do that.