Drawings: From Crayons to CAD
The architects who practised in Pune from the 1940's to the 1990's have been part of a metamorphosis in terms of architectural drawing styles. Starting with hand-drawn and hand-rendered presentation drawings to digitally produced renderings, one can see many different technological advancements in the way drawings are presented to the client. From the thickness and transparency of the paper to the various media, inks, chemical printing and digital prints; one can see a rate of change like no other period in time. The evolution of the now ubiquitous digital drawings is also interesting in that it starts as a means of replicating hand-drawings and evolves into a base to be rendered upon by hand to finally a self-sufficient medium.
Academic drawings of an Art Gallery design
Grandeur and modernity reflected in an art gallery design. This Exam submission from the early 1940s is one of the oldest sheets of ‘The Pundlik Collection’. Draughted and rendered by Mr. Ratnakar Gangadhar Pundlik, these beautiful drawings were submitted for the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects examination.
The plan is at the centre, the rendered elevation at the top and some sections and details at the lower end of the sheet. It uses a muted colour scheme with watercolour as a medium to impart a subtle wash. These drawings were made by hand on thick cartridge sheets. The guidelines were draughted with pencil and finished with ink.
Academic drawings of an Art Gallery design - comment 1
The architect has artistically rendered the background of the elevation in watercolour with an ombré effect. Some colours are added for a touch of vibrance and to train focus on the entrance block.
Academic drawings of an Art Gallery design - comment 2
A freehand pencil drawing of human figures acts as a subtle measure of the scale.
Academic drawings of an Art Gallery design - comment 3
The plan composed squarely in the centre draws the most focus and discloses the inner spaces, all labelled by hand and assigned a distinct flooring. This has been showcased by different hatches or a light wash of colour.
Academic drawings of an Art Gallery design - comment 4
The North arrow is a recurring feature in architectural drawings. This particular one has achromatic colour blocking and is styled into simple geometric shapes, in line with the architectural design itself. The title of this drawing is handwritten. Note how the architect used two guidelines- top and bottom– for maintaining consistency in the lettering size. An imaginary guideline in the lower third is seen if one follows the As and Rs. The typeface style is sans serif and modernist. The slanting and stylised ‘S’ particularly indicates Art Deco influence.
Half inch detail for the RIBA examination
Yet another academic submission from the ‘Pundlik & Pundlik Collection’, this drawing is a creative juxtaposition of the elevation and section of the same entrance detail of an art gallery. This becomes evident when one observes that the line between the section and elevation drawings are matched at every level with every detail. This type of presentation drawing is called a ‘half inch detail’ where half an inch represents one foot. This scale is large enough for one to see detailed rendering and decorative detailing as seen here. Since this is a submission for a prestigious examination, the drawings are made to impress the examiner with the architect’s rendering skills.
Half inch detail for the RIBA examination - comment 1
The watercolour rendering in this drawing displays artistry. The architect has used sciography – the projection of shadows – in both the elevation and section. The elevation shows dark shadows dropped at an angle whereas the interiors on the right show light shadows to depict the curvature of the ceiling coves. The flame shown in the 1st floor section has been meticulously detailed with its warm light bathing the fluted columns behind it.
Half inch detail for the RIBA examination - comment 2
The plan is aligned with the orthogonal projections in the elevation and section. Notice the continuation lines that project to the ground floor but not to the first. The walls in the plan are rendered with a solid, grey wash.
Half inch detail for the RIBA examination - comment 3
Here we see the stamp of the exaimining institute - The Royal Institute of British Architects or RIBA– the sign of the examiner, and the full name and signature of architect Ratnakar Gangadhar Pundlik.
Design development of a Modernist bungalow
Departing from the Beaux-Arts style of the past, this rendering leans towards a high modernist style. We have taken a leap into the 1960’s architectural practice of the firm “Architects United”. This was a significant time in Pune with young architects starting their independent practice without in-house structural engineers. This drawing of a private bungalow has been made on a tracing paper, showing just four rendered elevations. These kind of design development drawings interestingly contain pencilled notes and revisions.
Design development of a Modernist bungalow - comment 1
This sculptural element at the entrance seems to be a mural echoing the cubist volume play and colour scheme of the house. The use of primary colours in a composition of rectangles brings to mind Piet Mondriaan's paintings.
Design development of a Modernist bungalow - comment 2
In design development drawings such as these, we often find scribbled notes and annotations made during architect or client discussions. These comments would have been used to make changes in the next set of drawings.
Design development of a Modernist bungalow - comment 3
The drawing beautifully captures Architects United's subtle play with the tactility of different facade materials. The elevation rendering depicts a variety of textures: from exposed stone work to smooth plastering. These have been denoted by using a wash of colour or by a specific hatching pattern. The stippling hatch seems to denote a rough plaster- like pebble-dashed plaster- which was a popular finish at the time.
Design development of a Modernist bungalow - comment 4
The signature of architect Abhay Sharma's is an artwork in itself! The widely spaced letters of his name are onnected with long horizontal traits and stops are rendered as circles. Three playful circles at the bottom complete the aesthetic.
Workers' housing in diazo print
This drawing is made by architect Avinash Pundlik. Note how within two decades, the graphic conventions changed completely and his drawings are unlike his father’s grand, detailed renderings. The birds’ eye view is typical of modernist rational approaches. Here, a technique called diazo printing, also known as “ammonia printing” is used. Such prints were made to create multiple copies of the drawings, and have the characteristic grey-blue colour palette, eventually fading to pink, resulting from the chemicals used.
Workers' housing in diazo print - comment 1
Unlike in earlier drawings, which tend to focus solely on the building at hand, by this time architects paid attention to the surroundings of the proposed design. Even though it is a presentation drawing for workers' housing, the street and setting have been clearly described in this sensitively composed perspective view. The neighbouring buildings, represented by abstract blocks, help in understanding the scale and urban context.
Workers' housing in diazo print - comment 2
A careful observer will note the signature of the draughtsman along with the date. This subtle attempt to establish authorship may indicate that preparing presentation drawings became a specialised practice. Perhaps is was the job of a dedicated draftsman in the office or it may have been outsourced to a third party.
Workers' housing in diazo print - comment 3
Architectural firms typically devised a standardised name plate or 'vignette' containing the name of the architectural firm along with the office address, drawing number, client's name etc. This template could be easily copied and adapted with the new printing techniques.
Coloured rendering of revival style apartments
Yet another couple of decades have passed since the diazo printing. We now have rendering as a form of advertisement. Not only do these views of the Mughal Gardens building by the architects Space Designers' Syndicate give the client or user an idea of what the final building will look like, it is also used as a means to sell the design to prospective buyers. In order to make the view as realistic as possible, the rendering techniques are more heavy-handed than they ever have been. Light washes depicting the sky have become detailed cloudscapes and human outlines are realistic and three-dimensional.