In practice today, the architect is paid for drawings sets produced. However, to limit the role of drawings and models merely to instructions for others to follow is to miss a huge part of what the act of drawing brings to the genesis of architecture. Architecture is more than drawing buildings, it is also the conceptualization of what that building is and drawing and modelling act as generative and explorative devices beyond simply communication tools. When the means of creating the drawing are computational and algorithmic, the exercise of thinking with the tool gains new perspectives, grants opportunities and presents affordances.

The course will introduce and discuss computer-aided design (CAD), computational design tools, bottom-up and top-down computational design methods, simulation, and digital fabrication techniques. The course will make extensive use of the Rhinoceros CAD software and the visual programming language Grasshopper. The course will present issues of physical model making, the digital fabrication of models, and how digital technology is impacting the fabrication and assembly processes in the building industry.