BIM vs. Drawing I

BIM to conventional drawing compares like watching a movie based on a novel.

Reading a novel is a creative act. Our imagination is challenged to conjure up the imagery that is based on the story. We imagine the setting, the characters and are free to add what has not been mentioned by the author - letting alone the act of interpretation. Watching a movie is consuming a readymade imagery. In fact it is hardly possible to picture anything differently from the screen when seeing a movie first and then reading the book.

Drawing a plan thus is a creative act as well. The architect is challenged to imagine space in his mind therefore the lines on paper/ screen are signifiers representing volumes. Drawing is a speculative act that exposes itself to surprises the minute it becomes physical through a model.

Designing with a 3d model is an act of immediate and precise spatial confirmation. The architect consumes a readymade imagery instead of creating it.

‘So much the worse for those who lack imagination’ writes LeCorbusier in ‘Vers Une Architecture’. He thus highlights the ultimate skill that makes a good architect - the ability of spatial thinking. Well - I suppose - the good news is that no matter how imagery is created at the end it is also the architect’s judgment that decides over good or bad architecture.