Contribution to the 2014 Design Communication Association Conference (DCA): Design & Graphic Palimpsest [Dialogue-Discourse-Discussion], Southern Polytechnic State University, Atlanta GA, October 2014.

Abstract:
Created in 1994, AlICe – Computer Laboratory for Conception and Image in Architecture – is a teaching and research unit treating issues related to architectural analysis, architectural representation and graphic communication. Besides research projects, the laboratory aims since 20 years at educating students to a critical understanding of contemporary architectural representation, using both traditional and digital media within a framework deeply rooted in history and theory. The field of experimentation for this educational project is architectural analysis since the examination of an existing architectural object (built or not) constitutes an ideal starting point for a student to start challenging his understanding of architectural representation, pristine from design ideologies. Students proceed to examination of compositional grammars and formal vocabularies, and postulate analytical interpretations by understanding and exploring several media, conventions or projection techniques, regarding their specificities. They are likely to combine pencil sketching, 3d modeling, filming, 3D printing, photogrammetric data acquisition or even procedural scripting for well-documented experimentations of canons of architectural representation. By focusing on the meaningful relationship between architectural discourse and a set of adequate – sometimes customized – media, they set up an analytical critical thought linked to a graphic outcome.

Projects form the following students are featured in this article: Arthur Lachard, Youssef El Jachemi, Emar Essaadouni, Hicham Benjelloum, Eléonore David, Raphaël Padovani.

Link to the full text