Digital Sketching in the Early Stages of Architectural Design

the 5th National Conference on Applied Research in Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Management, Tehran, İran, 03 Ocak 2018

In the architectural design, designers are focused on the early stages of the design process or conceptual design.

The ultimate goal of this stage is to find a solution for an existing problem, investigate design space, or explore an idea.

This stage conventionally begins with sketches and diagrams to explore ideas and solutions; the ambiguity and

vagueness of conventional freehand sketching can be a source of creativity.

Nowadays, with the advances in digital technology, there are attempts to integrate digital tools into the

conceptual design in order to construct a digital design medium in the architectural education. Recent developments in

CAAD software shows a shift in focus toward conceptual design interface; but these tools have not developed and still

fail to offer an appropriate design environment for sketching; So application of digital tools in the early stages of

design, has created problems and challenges especially regarding to creativity. Therefore, this research focuses on the

early stages of the design process and investigates the current situation of digital sketching and its related discussions

and challenges in architectural design education. Findings show that professors yet doubt over digital tools but, there

are attempts to study and propose interfaces and programs to enhance digital systems or new ways of working with

them in order to support creativity and sketching.