Theory
Drawing as translation (the generative gap)
Explore in the Atlas →Architectural drawing is not the transcription of a building that pre-exists it but a generative gap between conception and construction. The geometry, conventions and inhabited textures of drawing license, distort and sometimes invent the architecture; each projective system produces a different architecture.
Representation Knowledge Sign
Details
- Introduced
- 1986
Referenced by
- The Projective Cast: Architecture and Its Three Geometries articulates
- Robin Evans proposed
- Translations from Drawing to Building articulates
Sources
- Robin Evans. Translations from Drawing to Building. Architectural Association, 1986.
Cite this entry
First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026
CLAD. "Drawing as translation (the generative gap)." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theory/drawing-as-translation/. Accessed July 17, 2026.