Drawing Conclusions

Typically, foundation course within architecture curricula are conceptualized in one of two ways; as either introducing students to the discipline or testing the student for some talent that indicated a compatibility with its course of study. In both cases, however, the courses are viewed as delivering content that is specific and unique to the discipline of architecture. Drawing, often one of those things taught in foundation courses, are similarly conceptualized. It is view as either a discipline-specific mode of representation, or a means to liberate talent (or some other pre-existing but as yet unrevealed quality) from an untapped student.This paper proposes an alternate conception of foundation courses and, in particular, drawing courses. It argues that foundation courses in drawing and design should teach not only discipline-specific skills but also broad-based critical thinking in much the same way that English Departments do through reading and writing. One aspect of critical thinking is reasoning skills. Reasoning is chiefly concerned with basing one’s beliefs and actions on conclusions which warrant drawing from gathered and appraised observations and evidence. This paper will present two projects that draw a parallel between these reasoning skills and the traditional architectural skill of orthography. These projects teach orthography in such a way that the student draws (literally) a conclusion about an object based on gathered data, observation, and verifiable evidence. The conclusion is in the form of measured drawings; the evidence is a verifiable measuring process.

Volume Editors
Marilys R. Nepomechie & Robert Gonzalez

ISBN
0-935502-54-8