Why Are You Not Using Computers? A Case for Drawing Vernacular Architecture by Hand

Abstract

In the increasingly digitized profession of architecture, opportunities to draw by hand decline constantly. The thorough shift from traditional to digital tools is rarely questioned and commonly justified by the demands of the trade. Cognitive, pedagogic and economic values of traditional documentation methods are easily overlooked, while the craft of hand drawing is under increasing threat of extinction. Taking part in vernacular heritage documentation adventures from China and eastern Serbia to Thailand and northern Pakistan, I witnessed how humble pencils and inking pens enrich human lives. These experiences have transformed me and expanded my own view of the world.

Keywords

• Hand drawing
• Documentation
• Vernacular heritage
• Vanishing craft
• Pedagogy