Introducing | Digital Architecture
Softwares are set to optimise at an unprecedented pace
From augmented reality for representation and 3D printing for manufacturing. To STAAD for structural analysis. To a multitude of software for project and construction management. Today, almost all functions from design to execution depend on digital tools.
While cloud processing and multiscalar collaboration will be the popular on-demand design services. Extensive material and process libraries will be the future architectural monopolies. Software and its working are about to optimise at an unprecedented pace. It is a near-future certainty.
Information Technology (IT) is building on years of experience in the industry. Value-creation is being achieved by creating new content from existing information packets. Newer permutations and combinations of tools and processes are being rolled out rapidly.
These changes need us to prepare for the ramifications. We need to reconsider how we invest in our own skill development. It is has become very important for us to understand what technology to invest in. It is a value borne both in time and money.
As the industry moves towards digital automation, IT will become indispensable. In turn, human interventions will become ever more dispensable. This will force us to question our roles as designers, consultants and managers. Software should be able to replace the skill and not the professional.
The mutual effect IT and architecture have had, opens newer avenues for both. The column, Digital Architecture, will explore the impact of this revolution on architecture. As an industry and as a profession, both. It will investigate the notions of being a ‘digital architect’.
We’ll delve into computing, embodiment and the digital landscape that encompasses architecture. We’ll take stock of history, principles, ethical dilemmas and possibilities of this transition.
We will trace the development that has happened so far and try to peep into the future based on what we know now. We’ll highlight what tools we currently have and how they are best utilised. We’ll learn the underlying concepts and their future applicability. This will give us an insight into how they may influence us as individuals.
The column will help you identify the elements of digitisation that concern you. As you learn more about these concepts, you will get better at harnessing their potential. The column will attempt to provide awareness of these concepts, options and their possible outcomes. It will enable you to make decisions that are better aligned to your objectives. Digital Architecture’s prime interest is to encircle what it means for the industry — to the regular architect, student and a patron — in their day-to-day practice.
About the Author
Vidhi Wadhawan is an architect and infrastructure designer dabbling in poetry. She is a graduate of the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Bhopal and is currently a postgraduate student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. She has interned at Rubber Soul. She received a special mention in the “2017 Berkeley Prize Essay Competition.”
About the Illustrator
Gunjan Nanchahal is an architect, visual designer and illustrator. She is a graduate of the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore and Chitkara University, Chandigarh. She has experience working at Trampoline Design, Epistle Communications, Ground 11 Architects, Tessera Architects and Architecture Continuous. Her works are available on her website.
About the Publication
Zeyka is a post Covid, tech-enabled Architecture and Interior Design startup. The architecture, interior design and renovation industries are opaque and hard to navigate markets. Zeyka provides knowledge and transparency to homeowners and designers, making their processes more informed and efficient.
Originally published at https://www.zeyka.in on June 10, 2021.
