On Tools and Representation

Abstract

Technology and tools have contributed a great deal to human evolution in terms of how we think, live, and work. The design domain has also witnessed and experienced changes in technology and design tools. Once a 'master-builder,' the architect has today become merely a designer, as fundamental tools of design introduced to the profession, such as paper and standardized line weight lead pencils, have drawn the architect away from the construction site and closer to the drawing board.
Similar examples led researchers such as Visser to define the domain of design as having certain commonalities as well as distinct characteristics, depending on the design situation. In the same vein, this study takes the design tool as a design variant and investigates how it has affected the way architects present their work. To achieve this, issues of Yapı magazine from 1973-2015 were retrieved and representational graphics of projects published were categorized.
It was noted that after the introduction of 3-dimensional representations in the 1990s, the use of more realistic diagrams and images grew, and this led to the reconstruction of the relationship between the architect and his audience, and made it a more inclusive, experiential and process-oriented relationship.

Keywords

• architectural design
• design representation
• design tool.