Drawing Type and Technique Vs. Experience of Space

To begin to realize how a space engages with sense we have to go beyond basic orthographic drawing. To realize a space with its full integrity we must think on all levels of the drawing type, technique and scale. Thinking beyond section, plan and singular perspective to gain access to the experiential qualities of a given space. Looking into a drawing rather than viewing a drawing is of concern when designing for visual and haptic sense.

Working between drawing type and scale also Recognizes the phenomenology of space that we design. Without actually ever being built we can architect a space with a phenomenological experience through transitioning drawing types because it allows for the thorough investigation of spatial composition. Whether it be material detail or how a space ‘feels’, working between scales of drawing type is imperative to design these spaces correctly.

Drawing type, technique and scale are imperative to addressing visual and haptic senses. Steven Holl tells that the body experiences space through a series of perspectives in which the building becomes a manifesto of overlapping perspective. Holl may be suggesting that to properly engage with our sense of space, we need to intertwine drawing types, constantly altering between each medium. This allows for a greater understanding of the inherent visual and tactile relationship within the spatial compositions that can be designed.

Working from plan to perspective is effective in realizing spatial composition and recognizes the scales of sublime and picturesque details. In plan the reference to materiality and hapticity of a given space is near impossible. In perspective however,  we gain a better understanding  of the two because the space is given a different dynamic of that space for which to analyze how our visual and haptic sense may interact.

Working from section to perspective also investigates the spatial composition and materiality of spaces; perhaps even more so than any other. this is because the height and width of space correlate immediately between each type of drawing, making it easier to design space that correctly references visual and haptic senses.