The development of computer-aided design (CAD) systems in the 1960s and 1970s marked a significant turning point in the field of architecture. With the introduction of digital platforms, technical drawings could be created with greater speed and accuracy than traditional hand drafting methods. This eventually led to the replacement of manual drafting with computer-aided drafting, which is now the standard practice in the industry.

In subsequent decades, CAD systems continued to evolve, with 3D modeling becoming a key feature in the 1980s. By the 1990s, CAD had advanced to the point where complex geometry, forms, and surfaces could be created through parametric capabilities and topology-based modeling. This, coupled with advancements in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) tools, made it possible to fabricate complex architectural designs with data that was output directly from digital models.

These technological advancements paved the way for some of the first built works of architecture that were designed primarily within 3D models. The Yokohama International Passenger Terminal, for instance, designed in the mid-1990s by Foreign Office Architects, was conceived primarily in section as a series of digitally modeled surfaces that curved and folded to create an architectural topography.

CAD drawings also include technical drawings produced through building information modeling (BIM) tools. These parametric modeling capabilities link three-dimensional geometries with two-dimensional drawings, allowing changes made in the 3D model to automatically update the associated 2D technical drawings, and vice versa. BIM software has become a useful digital workflow for managing the design and construction of large-scale architectural projects that are complex.

One such example is the Marqués de Riscal Winery in Elciego, Spain, designed by Gehry Partners, LLP, which utilized Gehry Technologies’ Digital Project BIM software to create 3D models that are associated with 2D projections. In addition to embedding data in the 3D model, BIM software allows for greater consistency and reduced errors between the 3D models and 2D technical drawings.

Marqués de Riscal Winery in Elciego, Spain

Marqués de Riscal Winery in Elciego, Spain - CAD Drawings

Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Foreign Office Architects, Yokohama International Port Terminal, Yokohama, Japan, 1995–2002. Oblique drawing of the transverse sections. Courtesy of Farshid Moussavi Architecture.

Gehry Partners, LLP, Marqués de Riscal Winery, Elciego, Spain, 2003-2006. Floor plan drawing.