Survey of Architecture: Practice and Instruments

This survey of architecture spans antiquity to the present, considering how culture and technology impact architectural design and practice. We explore the development of tools from simple scribes and compasses to today’s Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM). We also discuss the literary and art record and view examples of instruments, drawings and buildings.  

David Thompson, FAIA, is a retired senior vice president of RTKL, an international architecture and engineering firm. His projects have received local, state and national awards and include the visitor center to the U.S. Capitol, rehabilitation of several U.S. Naval Academy buildings and more. He also served as executive architect for the post- 9/11 reconstruction of the Pentagon.