- Museum for Architectural Drawing, Berlin
- Make models: 20 Ropemaker Street, part 2
- The value of the drawing
- Balance
- Interview with Lendlease’s Natalie Slessor
- Draw to Make
- Interview with Brookfield Properties’ Stuart Harman
- Betts Project
- Music and the workplace
- Combatting loneliness in the built environment
- Wellbeing and the workplace
- Interview with Brookfield Properties’ Peter Clarke
- An update from Sydney
- Make models: 20 Ropemaker Street, part 3
- Sydney born and razed
- Interview with Argent’s Nick Searl
- Make models: 20 Ropemaker Street, part 1
- The smart workplace
- Interview with General Projects’ Jacob Loftus
- Interview with Chinachem’s Donald Choi
- Make’s past, present and future
- The Architecture Drawing Prize – Not just another competition
- Leaving a mark
- My time with the BCO
- The call of the wild
- Long live the office
- The art of an art historian
- Mary, queen of hotels
- Make models: Portsoken Pavilion
- The Make Charter
- Why Brexit will see a glass half-full emptied
- Make models: LSQ London
- Disappearing Here – On perspective and other kinds of space
- Drawing and thinking
- Drawing to an end?
- Making shops exciting again: Lessons from the Nordics (part 1)
- Make models: Grosvenor Waterside
- Drawing architecture
- The Hollow Man: poetry of drawing
- Above and beyond
- Interview with Lendlease’s Kevin Chapman
- Making shops exciting again: Lessons from the Nordics (part 2)
- Plein air in the digital age
- A “Plan in Impossible Perspective”
- Art Editor’s picks
- Making shops exciting again: Lessons from the Nordics (part 3)
- The future of bespoke HQs
- Make models: The Luna
- World-class architecture
- The Architecture Drawing Prize exhibition review
- The future is bright but not the same
- Employee ownership
- The tools of drawing
- Trecento re-enactment
- Lessons on future office design from Asia Pacific
- The human office
- How drawing made architecture
- Advocating sustainable facade design
- Make models: FC Barcelona’s Nou Palau Blaugrana
- Drawing as an architect’s tool
- Are you VReady?
- Cycle design for the workplace
- The Architecture Drawing Prize
- Make models: an urban rail station
- Reporting from Berlin
- City-making and Sadiq
- Hand-drawing, the digital (and the archive)
- Ken Shuttleworth on drawing
- The green tiger
- Stefan Davidovici – green Mars architect
- When drawing becomes architecture
- Make models: Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
- The role of the concept sketch
- Make calls for a cultural shift in industry’s approach to fire safety
- 2036: A floor space odyssey
- Harold on tour
- London refocused
- Hotels by Make
- Full court press
- Digital Danube
- Don’t take a pop at POPS
- The future of architecture – Matthew Bugg
- The future of architecture – Jet Chu
- The future of architecture – Robert Lunn
- The future of architecture – David Patterson
- The future of architecture – Rebecca Woffenden
- The future of architecture – Katy Ghahremani
- Safer streets for all
- The importance of post-occupancy evaluation for our future built environment
- Put a lid on it
- Designing for a liveable city
- The future of architecture – Bill Webb
- Bricks – not just for house builders
- Designing in the City of Westminster
- Rolled gold
- How to make a fine suit
- Responsible sourcing starts with design
- Is off-site manufacture the answer?
- Developing a design for the facade of 7-10 Hanover Square
- Curious Sir Christopher Wren
- Responsible resourcing should be an integral part of every project
- The socio-economic value of people-focused cities
Simon Lincoln is a partner overseeing Make’s Sydney studio. Simon established the Sydney studio in 2014 and is also leading the design and delivery of Wynyard Place, our first project in Australia. Simon has been at Make since 2005 and worked across the practice’s international portfolio in London, China and the UAE.
Here Simon discusses the role of architectural drawing in his day-to-day job at Make and why he expects to see a “renaissance” in hand drawing soon.
How would you describe your relationship with architectural drawing?
As architects, it would be very difficult to perform our role without the need to draw, whether it’s using CAD, hand sketching or another form. It’s engrained in our profession and our daily working life – it’s inseparable from what we do and how we communicate.
Drawing gives me time to think freely, to explore and resolve challenges of differing complexity.
How often does drawing feature in your workload at Make?
Daily. The typical drawings I produce are quick hand sketches to communicate an idea or solution for other team members, clients or consultants.
Do you have a preference for form (ie, manual drawings versus digitally produced renderings)? Do think these differ in their ability to convey ideas or authenticity?
I don’t have a preference; I think all media can be applied appropriately to the task in hand.
Nearly everyone understands a 3D render, and most understand diagrams. However, few understand 2D plans. Therefore, there tends to be a heavy reliance upon photorealistic renders, which I completely appreciate. The 3D render is often undeniable and well curated, which has its pros and cons.
Now the industry is moving more into the realm of VR and AR. At Make we’re working on several projects using VR, which is very exciting!
Do you think certain types of drawings are better suited for particular types of schemes?
It would be difficult to classify a style or type of drawing for a particular building/project. There is a tool for every job and every stage.
What tools do you gravitate towards when creating a drawing?
I tend to use pen and paper initially, and then I gain some reassurance in CAD/3D.
Do you think architects starting out today have a different relationship to drawing than those a decade or two older than them?
Almost every graduate I interview can produce 3D renders, which is great for us. Not many offer hand drawings in the portfolio. I think we’ll see a renaissance in hand drawing in the coming years. Hopefully this is fuelled by The Architecture Drawing Prize!
In my opinion an individual who draws/sketches has an appeal over students who don’t.
Does the culture around architectural drawing vary across the different countries you’ve worked in?
Our profession is international, and the way we communicate reflects this. There are small differences in the output of the drawings we produce, but the art and culture of drawing remain consistent. Clear communication, legibility and accuracy are required without geographical boundaries.
This Q&A forms part of our series on The Architecture Drawing Prize: an open drawing competition curated by Make, WAF and Sir John Soane’s Museum to highlight the importance of drawing in architecture.
