Having a student of architectural design in the house has been a fantastic learning experience for me. Often we envision budding architects learning fancy design software, CAD programs, etc. This, of course, is key to becoming a great architect but there is another enormous part of the architect’s and designer’s education and it involves “hands on” design. This begins with a pencil and paper, building models and developing your creativity and intellect in what many would think is the “old fashioned way”.
One of the great advantages of sketches for communicating the design is that they are a representation of the design decisions rather than a demonstration of them. This distinction helps the designer and client focus and evaluate the concept, structure, mechanics and dynamics of the space that needs to be designed for better organization and for aesthetics.