Representation of the architectural design: a short critical review

Abstract

The current article discusses the representation concept and its effects on the understanding of the architectural design process. This brief study is intended mainly to provide the necessary reflections for ongoing changes in the requirements for the study of architecture, particularly in regards to the artistic nature of the architectural design, the creative role of drawing and modeling in the creation of the design, and the constructive nature that is inherent to architecture and intrinsic to all artistic work, inasmuch as it materially changes the world. The article is divided into five parts. The first four sections discuss the ideas of Paul Valéry, Henri Focillon, Luigi Pareyson, and Susan Sontag, while the last part presents the author's concluding remarks.