Architecture and Technology
After studying architecture and technology for several weeks, I have come to the conclusion that the tech revolution should not be viewed as an inherently negative thing or an inherently good thing. After listening to our guest lecturer's lesson, I was even more in awe of digital design possibilities than I was before. I am in Design in the Digital Age this semester, though our curriculum barely scratches the surface of the world of digital design. We learned about the amazing possibilities of Google SketchUp, though we didn't get much into the abstract shapes that make Franky Gehry famous. I think progress in any field is necessary, particularly so in the field of design. The potentials for the future of design are endless, thanks to the computer programs involved in architecture these days. The shapes we can make are incredible, and should be valued as quality architecture.
However, the tried-and-true methods of design should never be abandoned. While the modeling of your design on a computer is useful for seeing your building in 3D before it has any solidity to it, hand drawing the plans is still an important way to understand your building. Our graphics may be getting fancier, but the essential elements of design have always stayed the same, and should continue to stay that way.
We can't say that the tech revolution is the whole future of the design field. It is an addition to the methods of design that have been used for thousands of years. SketchUp makes our designing easier, but at the end of the day, it is our hand-drawn designs that will determine our success.