Towards a Paperless Studio

Abstract

The infusion of digital media into the practice of architecture is changing how we design as well as what we design. Digital media has altered the process of design and the culture of design education. The question before us is how does one transition from a completely analog system of representation to one of complete computer immersion or the "paperless studio". Schools of Architecture have already begun to struggle with the physical issues of integration of new media (infrastructure and economics). But the pedagogical integration of new media should be of a greater concern. New media and its forms of representation are challenging traditional skills of communication and representation, (i.e., sketching, hand drawing and physical model making). The paradox facing architectural practice today is the integration of new media into a realm where traditional or manual forms of representation are ingrained into how we think, produce and communicate. We must ask ourselves, must new media be held to the traditional forms of representation? Changes in practice as well as design education should look to new media particularly modeling and time-based media, with the opportunity for further exploration of our ideas, the creation of new forms, and a new vocabulary. The creation of new forms comes with a responsibility of seeking new forms of representation. To achieve a level of fully digital investigations, a foundation in the area of new media must be provided for in today's demanding curricula. It is my position that if digital media is considered a tool for design inquiry then it must be integrated at an appropriate level where fundamental design methods are taught. The problems facing the integration of digital media stem from the fact our field is dominated by traditional methods of process, communication, and presentation.