![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJohn-Soane-Design-for-a-monumental-bridge-to-cross-the-River-Thames.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=79&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=feef3be97bc0ca516db6abc0ee9c4a40 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJohn-Soane-Design-for-a-monumental-bridge-to-cross-the-River-Thames.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=158&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=342f2aedd2ff6311746b1fbfda93568c 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJohn-Soane-Design-for-a-monumental-bridge-to-cross-the-River-Thames.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=289&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=be983a922434aac4e731b4bcdc442f3c 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJohn-Soane-Design-for-a-monumental-bridge-to-cross-the-River-Thames.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=386&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=a20a52d9501007444928acc9030f4061 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJohn-Soane-Design-for-a-monumental-bridge-to-cross-the-River-Thames.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=527&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=6500123337ed64e35f1baefd8e051dca 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJohn-Soane-Design-for-a-monumental-bridge-to-cross-the-River-Thames.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=602&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=58908ab3a517c00ab6aa020cd8608361 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJohn-Soane-Design-for-a-monumental-bridge-to-cross-the-River-Thames.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=723&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=9a57da803c22c260ebb6650cd9699d89 1920w)
Figure 1: John Soane, Design for a monumental bridge to cross the River Thames, winner of the RA gold medal, 1777, SM 12/5/4. Photograph: Geremy Butler. ©Sir John Soane’s Museum, London
During his career, Soane collected some 22,000 drawings by other significant artists and architects. There are also 8,000 drawings surviving from his own office in the collections of Sir John Soane’s Museum today. As a member of the Royal Academy, Soane exhibited there regularly, with drawings of his architecture by the artist Joseph Michael Gandy. The image of a design for an entrance to London by Gandy (Figure 2) presents one element of Soane’s ambitious but largely unexecuted plan to redesign a swathe of the city as a grand, ceremonial route. Gandy’s drawings offered an idealised version of Soane’s work, devoid of worldly constraints such as budget, plot size or executed status. As such, the mesmerising and frequently fantastical content of The Architecture Drawing Prize entries would have been understood by Soane as kindred spirits to his own work.
Embassy Nation by Sarmad Suhail (Figure 3), a commended entry in the 2018 Prize, provides a contemporary counterpoint to Soane’s plans for London. It reimagines New York City as a utopian space in which different portions of society interact harmoniously. Both drawings’ proposals reflect the contemporary concerns of the societies in which they were made – celebrating British identity in Soane’s time and migration and integration in the early 21st century.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Unexecuted-design-for-an-entrance-into-London.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=114&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=4dced5c203300cd6918549eb0050ad45 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Unexecuted-design-for-an-entrance-into-London.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=229&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=d82f2ff13b58a817303303fab7f99144 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Unexecuted-design-for-an-entrance-into-London.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=419&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=8cf9d3fd8cff495c5e5821827f88a583 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Unexecuted-design-for-an-entrance-into-London.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=558&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=362ffbeb6b20ccbb878e2f3a8085be4b 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Unexecuted-design-for-an-entrance-into-London.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=763&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=b2e4cf065eb25d7afffb57ea3249e560 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Unexecuted-design-for-an-entrance-into-London.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=872&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=cac1b16e8abb303281991cdd3990c09b 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Unexecuted-design-for-an-entrance-into-London.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1046&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=6b5f7bacbba568079c177660eaa20a4e 1920w)
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSarmad-Suhail-Embassy-Nation.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=546&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=7285ac8e067838e2bb658f65aa2a7407 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSarmad-Suhail-Embassy-Nation.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1092&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=b6cf61310948c250dadb80f19b2dd543 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSarmad-Suhail-Embassy-Nation.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1996&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=30cb0f6238afc3055d074c33bdcdc52f 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSarmad-Suhail-Embassy-Nation.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=2662&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=e7f53d305da706f4c110742745e39713 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSarmad-Suhail-Embassy-Nation.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=3639&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=bb1dd35d122f4b3426d0aca070b580ae 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSarmad-Suhail-Embassy-Nation.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=4159&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=c6394581fe01d946ffc28e77ad640336 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSarmad-Suhail-Embassy-Nation.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=4991&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=cecdbba011331f026994fc3d41b698fd 1920w)
Less glamorous than Gandy’s exhibition drawings, the everyday work of Soane’s office typically focused on drawings for architectural commissions. In order to keep pace with the number of drawings required of his office, from 1784 Soane accepted articled pupils. He took his teaching responsibilities seriously, stressing the importance of draughtsmanship, accurate estimates and an understanding of construction.
The first stage of a new project involved a draughtsman being sent to the building site to make survey drawings of the topography and pre-existing architecture (Figure 4). This provided Soane with contextual information for his designs. As the function of a survey drawing is to relay an accurate representation, they are drawn simply, without distracting ornamental flourishes.
Following the survey drawings, Soane produced rough preliminary designs to develop his initial ideas, which were then worked up to scale by a draughtsman. Once Soane was satisfied with the composition, a finished drawing – a neat version – was produced. If this finished product met Soane’s approval, it was then presented to the client to explain Soane’s design ideas with the hope of execution. Certain drawing formats are easier for the layperson to interpret than others. The elevation and perspective view, which show the building head on or give a naturalistic pictorial representation of a building in its setting, were particularly useful for presentation to clients (Figure 5).
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Survey-drawing-of-Wimpole-Hall.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=138&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=fbe1030021a1895b46bcdbac04bb96e8 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Survey-drawing-of-Wimpole-Hall.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=276&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=32798acc489c7872d6010665d5f74499 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Survey-drawing-of-Wimpole-Hall.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=505&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=c7a973104486ba667612b5d47f6017e4 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Survey-drawing-of-Wimpole-Hall.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=674&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=3d87fdeb4e4c2a80b2ea30bff6accb06 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Survey-drawing-of-Wimpole-Hall.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=921&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=9315b383aa612bb14a10c480bc11626b 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Survey-drawing-of-Wimpole-Hall.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1053&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=045b2a3686b634557bd902f915bb3193 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Survey-drawing-of-Wimpole-Hall.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1263&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=2eafbdd00dc5aa030e51d94f718564f9 1920w)
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Presentation-drawing-of-Tyringham-House.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=137&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=cadab4e10fe1e0df00d0894759ca101c 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Presentation-drawing-of-Tyringham-House.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=273&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=d849e15e9ab423a503776bcc23248ca3 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Presentation-drawing-of-Tyringham-House.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=499&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=b8c3de35a6929786ba9a5da31539c24b 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Presentation-drawing-of-Tyringham-House.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=666&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=9fc45404199aa4f754cf0aeea45d537d 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Presentation-drawing-of-Tyringham-House.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=910&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=3e11e68d943b405695e07a84f5d578c9 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Presentation-drawing-of-Tyringham-House.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1040&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=bc875d2d21bd6bb143cc64339d93e3ed 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJoseph-Michael-Gandy-Presentation-drawing-of-Tyringham-House.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1248&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=652f755d203e84af5c4d7b45a12a62f1 1920w)
Entries to The Architecture Drawing Prize demonstrate the continuing appeal of these types of drawings, which convey an overall vision for a project in a way that is both easy to understand and highly appealing. Jerome Ng’s proposal for the redevelopment of Singapore’s Golden Mile complex (Figure 6) reimagines a condemned building as a vibrant, busy and sought-after apartment complex.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=450&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=a2f648c014fe5e9fe5a7d8daaea760ff 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=899&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=b17299c64ed440662ff34244fa5c0a61 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1644&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=2d47e58937057e331be47624224460bb 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=2192&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=b311e415c272825c01b0bd58425bfa29 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=2997&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=49f868746e9877ef4226c52d893b5912 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=3425&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=8cae5481d0b06735c56854ce42bb7e5e 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=4110&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=2e9c56c555962ed1f988271a67e24d59 1920w)
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FGeorge-Bailey-Plans-elevation-and-section-for-a-pigeon-house.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=210&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=b19fe098424bebd4e56c83eb4fce1d9c 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FGeorge-Bailey-Plans-elevation-and-section-for-a-pigeon-house.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=420&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=ddedf9d1dd7cd2c7d7d69ac6bd1f177c 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FGeorge-Bailey-Plans-elevation-and-section-for-a-pigeon-house.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=768&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=351c14a8ce06f6ee7fb2037d0ed712c1 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FGeorge-Bailey-Plans-elevation-and-section-for-a-pigeon-house.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1024&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=45fddfa05a15a2dcedab91d3c40d1525 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FGeorge-Bailey-Plans-elevation-and-section-for-a-pigeon-house.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1400&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=7cedecbf4640f414ae593975a0b4f3cc 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FGeorge-Bailey-Plans-elevation-and-section-for-a-pigeon-house.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1600&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=331c8b3b37a4c1fcdfe27797003e9918 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FGeorge-Bailey-Plans-elevation-and-section-for-a-pigeon-house.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1920&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=e53e3c3b841f9d7848041cb421c927eb 1920w)
Should Soane’s client approve the presentation drawings, an entirely new series of working drawings were required. These provided comprehensive instructions to builders and artisans so that Soane’s designs might be faithfully reproduced in three dimensions. The majority of these were plans, elevations, sections or perspective views. A plan illustrates the footprint and sometimes the internal arrangement of a building (Figure 7); a section cuts through a building.
Technical and highly functional, both Soane’s office drawings and entries to The Architecture Drawing Prize demonstrate that plans, sections and site studies can be aesthetically pleasing, original and ambitious. For example, Chenglin Jin’s Re-Reading Metropolis (Figure 8) uses the conventions of a site study to convey an ambitious proposal for changing the way districts in San Francisco relate to one another. Meanwhile, Jerome Ng’s Memento Mori: A Peckham Hospice Care Home (Figure 9) uses sections through the building to demonstrate its potential benefits to its users as well as the way the building is constructed.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FChenglin-Jin.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=166&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=cd7b5813f0ffb15678ee11394d22e37f 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FChenglin-Jin.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=333&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=95b78624617bcd58ca5f2093f76118d1 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FChenglin-Jin.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=608&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=4ce2d7680f7ca303374d0537ce7018fc 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FChenglin-Jin.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=811&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=bfaa07e018e92262cf3bded844f03dba 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FChenglin-Jin.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1108&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=d6b08835e9c1c535f9160feec0762f7e 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FChenglin-Jin.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1267&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=fa49561f1deb1017de142ca0140c95d7 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FChenglin-Jin.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1520&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=fb6849f0def357095213195bdf5301c9 1920w)
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=237&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=01dec0346d4379ee539a39de928430fb 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=474&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=cf29da1bd16839a831ed9b6bad3d0823 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=867&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=017a3c63bb9e9b0a18c20a5510c74da6 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1156&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=d8c15a79fc9da84362e59d7365082c9e 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1581&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=50e342a8b9fb803dc6b587aad392953b 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1807&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=4bbf57d4a5422a33a2b361438b34d3c1 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FJerome-Xin-Hao-Ng-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=2168&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=90d8bcf5301baa1e60a079f757ef50c7 1920w)
In 1806 Soane was elected Professor of Architecture at the RA, an ideal calling for an architect who took such care over training his articled pupils, and he compiled 12 lectures detailing the history of architecture. These were illustrated with large lecture drawings (Figure 10), which are thought to comprise the earliest attempt at a graphic history of world architecture.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-RA-lecture-drawing-showing-an-Egyptian-temple.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=122&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=e37df2f1f791fa91d185f602b99728f0 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-RA-lecture-drawing-showing-an-Egyptian-temple.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=245&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=2bf2db02242a060ccd996c60e66dc6d7 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-RA-lecture-drawing-showing-an-Egyptian-temple.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=448&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=3cd7ab36dcf1439b1d80de202be1795d 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-RA-lecture-drawing-showing-an-Egyptian-temple.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=597&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=90c470dca4dd39e5a37dc537bf1983f7 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-RA-lecture-drawing-showing-an-Egyptian-temple.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=816&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=4c15e69d02744e60d705553df34374b6 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-RA-lecture-drawing-showing-an-Egyptian-temple.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=933&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=4dcaeadfe14a9671805baf12ede66e47 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-RA-lecture-drawing-showing-an-Egyptian-temple.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1119&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=e898623f422e414143f5caa0947a1ce3 1920w)
Figure 10: Soane office, RA lecture drawing showing an Egyptian temple, c. 1806–19, SM 24/7/2. Photograph: Ardon Bar-Hama. ©Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.
Entries to The Architecture Drawing Prize illustrate the continuing allure of architectural history as a rich source of inspiration for architects today. Ubaldo Occhinegro’s Utopia (Figure 11) imagines a perfect city as a condensed history of western architecture, using ancient temple forms, renaissance domes and piazzas, and contemporary skyscrapers and organic forms. Meanwhile, Man Yan Lam’s work (Figure 12) demonstrates the importance of drawing in preserving lost architecture. His series of drawings of Hong Kong shopfronts record an aspect of the city that is quickly disappearing. This mirrors the many lost buildings preserved through drawings in Soane’s collection, not least his own masterpiece, the Bank of England (Figure 13).
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FUbaldo-Occhinegro.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=147&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=275da61bd3dd55caff0a47101341f8a0 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FUbaldo-Occhinegro.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=294&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=7427380c64f46338ef16f83e60aa694b 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FUbaldo-Occhinegro.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=538&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=45473fa858bb2b9791718dbc20c98d7e 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FUbaldo-Occhinegro.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=717&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=bbd6b0c9282f02979317bfc8d83921ca 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FUbaldo-Occhinegro.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=981&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=ac042c2b025f4b47f702dc31bca124aa 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FUbaldo-Occhinegro.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1121&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=5dca8b3d7b461ffd4dd05c12952d9fb5 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FUbaldo-Occhinegro.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1345&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=e5edf2ebfb0edc7c09a8d23b9ad0c280 1920w)
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FMan-Yan-Lam.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=209&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=ad9f51981d015b2f13489b25f41aecc3 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FMan-Yan-Lam.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=418&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=fd63bccf29269dd5383248fa133f4b22 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FMan-Yan-Lam.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=764&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=3e919a17e7d4e0335d0fb332ed66a1a7 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FMan-Yan-Lam.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1019&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=5322cfd8eddf999230c65aa62b47c3c1 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FMan-Yan-Lam.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1393&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=997db6998c022e6c21ca0bb0f8ae4bee 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FMan-Yan-Lam.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1592&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=baa8becf39572fc0bdcec21cc80af332 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FMan-Yan-Lam.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1910&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=a36b3cbae7f4fcbff7f6c3f832d19930 1920w)
The 8,000 Soane office drawings and over 300 entries to The Architecture Drawing Prize so far illustrate the variety and quality of Georgian and contemporary architecture. Soane preserved his drawings to inform and inspire architects of future generations. They were produced with goose feather pens and horsehair brushes, as opposed to the modern utensils and computer programmes used by the artists of The Architecture Drawing Prize, but Soane would have admired the skill, creativity and understanding of architectural history that is evidently still flourishing.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Composite-drawing-of-the-Bank-of-England.png?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=119&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=2d6bc8a327cd201048d89e7c4d0981c3 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Composite-drawing-of-the-Bank-of-England.png?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=239&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=a339dacdc0a5c678018018862d44c371 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Composite-drawing-of-the-Bank-of-England.png?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=436&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=c406d053318b1a8cfc451fa4febafa88 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Composite-drawing-of-the-Bank-of-England.png?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=582&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=5bd5ebddd4927003d0ddc4a212459b56 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Composite-drawing-of-the-Bank-of-England.png?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=796&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=022ea548292b9891b67680fcdf35c573 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Composite-drawing-of-the-Bank-of-England.png?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=909&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=50cfb6b3a563be125ec315cc64aaa37d 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F12%2FSoane-office-Composite-drawing-of-the-Bank-of-England.png?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1091&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=0b251e028fc29044f64f144bbf833404 1920w)
Figure 13: Soane office, Composite drawing of the Bank of England: 12 watercolour views of various parts, interior and exterior, 1822, SM P84, ©Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.