I draw because I have to think.

Drawings are drawn today by computers with great precision and dispassionate objectivity. They are a necessary means that carry and communicate architects intentions to his or her colleagues and eventually to the construction people.

Sketches and hand drawings are definitely in less demand, though their importance and usefulness has lost none of its paramount validity. The singularity of the hand drawings lies not in the clarity of their message but in their inherent imperfection. They communicate with no one but their creator.

As our mind is never in total control of our hand it is free to create signs, the interpretation of which is left to us. On more than one occasion I have been surprised how hand drawing can suggest evocative possibilities I would most probably be unable to imagine consciously.

In trying to uncover visually the deeply submerged idea, the hand drawing enhances our perception and receptivity to see its nature. In a way it reminds me of our initial difficulty to understand a new born child. In time when the child starts to speak we gladly follow his or her desires.

Architecture is the most complex of all arts. Many contradictory demands and conflicting interests have to find their needs fairly addressed within the overall solution.

This balancing act requires an insight and command of many fields that no linear, step-by-step analysis can guarantee a successful solution to. The ability to grasp the totality of the problem and bring about a harmonious synthesis is indispensable.

Hand drawings help channel the underlying currents and uncontrolled impulses of our mind into a visual reflection of the germinating concept. However, one can never be sure of the results. Taking nothing for granted Renoir would kiss the canvas before starting to paint.

The architect’s way of thinking is through his eyes.
I draw because I have to think.