The Second Life of a Red Line Correction Set
What do with all those large prints after they’ve been bleeding red ink? Most architects will tell you there is not much energy left after a submittal of any kind whether it be a building department submittal, a city council hearing or a client presentation. Before applications are filled out, power points are presented or checks are written, we architects must be our own best critics and redline our drawings. This is always the most humbling of experiences, because I am always quite sure that I was being more careful.
The most challenging part about my work is that you have to strive to both perfect in a “nat’s ass” kind of way and also a larger than life kind of visionary. Someone who can see things before they are there and imagine a space, a feeling, a detail even before anyone knows how to build it.
Like a movie director, I imagine something and how it will play it out. What that shaft of light will do at different times of day, the changes to the life on the sidewalk around this new door, how the employees will actually use that new window sill.
Still as good as these imaginings may be, they are only as good as the set drawings describing in detail how to get there.
There is something beautiful about a set of drawings. In fact each page is a work of art in itself if it is done well. The line weights differentiate an otherwise flat image, the larger page is divided into graphically pleasing smaller ones and text is introduced into neat columns. When you squint the page is in harmony and when you take out the eyeglasses every line is perfect.
Well, if only this were always true. Thank goodness we have second chance to make it so after comments are returned to us. In the meantime, checking in with the larger visionary within, here is what I did with recent redline set of mine.
Redlines in progress, I always highlight what I have corrected in ACAD file leaving blotches of color on otherwise monochrome pages. This got me thinking…
Why not spend an afternoon enhancing my mistakes, the vision for the project… not to mention, that is a lot of big sheets of paper that I hate to see go to waste.
Here are architectural drawings A0.0 through A11.0 on my studio wall, together they measure 13’ wide by 7’ high. Below are some closer views and details.
Moral of this story, never let a big piece of paper go to waste. Now YOU….go out there and make something of your mistakes!
– Lara
