Pre and Post-Digital Contrasts in Architectural Representation: from Analogue Drawing to Software Rendering and Generation using Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Jorge Pablo Aguilar Zavaleta

The coexistence of analogue drawing, digital software rendering and image generation using artificial intelligence (AI) has intensified a disciplinary debate on which mode of representation is most relevant in each phase of the project process, without there being a systematic comparative framework that integrates its technical, pedagogical and ethical dimensions, particularly in Latin American architectural training contexts. The objective is to comparatively analyze the strengths, limitations, and implications of analog drawing, digital rendering, and AI generation in architectural presentation, in order to identify hybridization patterns and gaps in educational policy. A qualitative documentary analysis of narrative-thematic scope was developed, informed by the PRISMA guidelines, on sources indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Latin American regional databases, mostly published between 2021 and 2026, processed through thematic and categorical coding with triangulation of sources. A five-phase periodization was identified in the evolution of architectural representation; the comparative advantage of each mode is concentrated at different points in the design process (analogue drawing in conceptual ideation, digital rendering in technical documentation, and generative AI in rapid exploration and communication with non-specialist audiences); Likewise, unresolved gaps persist in terms of authorship, intellectual property and displacement of project competencies. Therefore, a triangular synthesis model between the three modes of representation and a set of curricular recommendations aimed at hybrid literacy and the ethical governance of generative AI in architecture programs is proposed, which constitutes a contribution to the formulation of educational policies in the region.

PDF