IAR 212 Computing in Architectual Design

Computing In Today’s Design

In today’s design, most firms use computer generated design for the majority of their projects. Computers are crucial in today’s society, and even more so in the design world. All physical environments are designed to meet certain needs and as these needs are always changing, so is the computer-generated software used to create them.
The computer has helped change the speed and accuracy of architectural and design projects tremendously. Scales and proportions can be figured out with a great simplicity thanks to computers. The software’s that made design and architecture easier were created as if they were building blocks. Each edition of software was designed and created to bring design to the next level. Making changes to the previous edition of software helped unite the progress. The very first company to create software that would lead to a new realm of design was Macintosh. The company used computers with engineering in mind more so than architectural design. The purpose was to solve equations that described the energy of determined and undetermined configurations.
In the early 1970s society started to see more computer systems in architectural firms. While most of the final decisions were manual the computers helped speed up certain mathematical and technical aspects of the design. Today every architectural firm uses almost only computers when it comes to their designs and plans. The technology has advanced so much that the architects find it faster which in the end enables time for more projects, which makes more money. The computer does just about everything for the architect if they know their dimensions they just point and click.
While the architectural firms that still use hand drawn plans are few and far between, I foresee they become obsolete in the future. Today’s society thrives on technology and having the newest, fastest product on the market. The ideals of society are mirrored in design. In today’s society people are big on the idea that faster is better newer is stronger and as a result I believe hand drawings will be long gone before we know it.