Reclaiming the Craft: The Power of Sketching & Mass Models in High School Architectural Design

LinkedIn Article: May 7, 2025

Student Competition Sketches and Model

In an era dominated by digital design tools, high-speed rendering software, and AI programs that generate floor plans, check compliance, and model in 3D, it’s easy to overlook the simple, tactile power of a pencil and a block of foam, pieces of corrugate cardboard, or a clod of clay. But for high school architectural design students, sketching and mass model making remain irreplaceable tools for unlocking creativity and spatial understanding.

These analog methods are more than just "old school" techniques—they're foundational to the creative process, helping students build design intuition, spatial reasoning, and the confidence to explore bold ideas.

Sketching: Thinking Through the Pencil

Sketching is not just about drawing what you see—it's about discovering what you don't yet know. It is a fluid, iterative, and deeply personal form of problem-solving.

For students just beginning their architectural journey, sketching helps to:

• Clarify abstract concepts—turning rough ideas into visual form

• Build muscle memory for proportion, perspective, and detail

• Develop design identity, as students gain comfort expressing their unique vision

• Encourage exploration, without the pressure of perfection that digital tools often impose

Even in professional practice, hand sketching continues to be used in concept development and client presentations. Why? Because it communicates thought, not just output.

Mass Model Making: Designing with Your Hands

Massing models are quick, low-fidelity models built with foam, corrugated cardboard, clay, or found materials. For students, they serve a critical role in:

• Visualizing scale and form in real space

• Experimenting with volume and site relationships

• Testing ideas physically, not just on screen

• Building tactile intelligence, where students “learn by doing”

These models encourage students to fail forward—making fast iterations that lead to better solutions. In a world where 3D modeling software can feel overwhelming, physical model making keeps students grounded and engaged.

The Iterative Process: Sketch, Model, Repeat

Teaching students to move fluidly between sketching and modeling builds creative resilience. They begin to understand that good design doesn't arrive in a flash of genius—it emerges through testing, questioning, and refining ideas across multiple media.

This process-oriented mindset is essential for:

• College studio success

• Design competitions

• Real-world collaboration with architects and engineers

By building this foundation early, we’re not just teaching architecture—we’re teaching how to think like a designer.

Why It Matters for High School Programs

At the high school level, integrating sketching and model making into architectural education:

• Makes abstract ideas concrete

• Engages multiple learning styles—visual, kinesthetic, spatial

• Builds students' portfolios with authentic, process-rich work

• Fosters curiosity and creativity in a tech-dominated world

These analog skills become powerful complements to digital fluency. They teach students that design is a journey, not just a software skill.

Design is Dialogue—Between Hand, Eye, and Mind

As educators, consultants, and mentors, we must continue to create space for the analog within the digital. Let's empower our students to sketch freely, model boldly, and trust their instincts.

Because long before there was CAD, there was cardboard. And the future of architecture still begins with the simplest of tools: a pencil, some clay, and a big idea.