Drawing Proper/Drawing Improper - Softcover

Hirth, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 196185659X ISBN 13: 9781961856592

Publisher: ORO Editions, 2026

Synopsis

• Highly visible drawing contributors from the academic community in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom
• Diverse, easily digestible content that is marketable to architecture and design students, and young practitioners
• The first book of its kind to appear in years, which comprehensively encapsulates contemporary architectural drawing practice

Drawing Proper/Drawing Improper is a meditation on contemporary architectural drawing practice framed through 56 artifacts created by 28 architectural firms from around the globe. Each drawing replies to a simple prompt: How can architectural drawing be dutiful? How can it be mischievous? This open-ended question invited diverse responses, spanning the spectrum from practical to whimsical.

By presenting this dichotomy—dutiful or mischievous—the book’s drawings expose the diverse and often conflicting values embedded in the practice of representing architecture. Some adhere strictly to functional rigor, while others embody open-ended explorations with no fixed outcome.
In this way, Drawing Proper/Drawing Improper expands the scope of architectural drawing, revealing the diverse motivations and approaches within the field. The collection is a testament to the diversity of thought and method that characterises architectural practice today.

Accompanied by descriptions of the works and a series of reflective essays and interludes by Anca Matyiku and Marc Swackhamer, editor Kevin Hirth brings varied drawing practices into conversation, offering a dynamic cross-section of contemporary architecture.

Contributors include: Current Interests, Perry Kulper, Frank Fantauzzi & Charie O’Green, CJ Lim, Lanza Atelier, NEME Studio, Norman Kelley, Office CA, William O’Brien Jr., The Open Workshop, Outpost Office, T8 Projects, Nada Subotincic, SORT // Studio, Variable Projects, Mark West, Design Earth, Alam Profeta, Studio Ames, Studio Sean Canty, Now Here, Bair Balliet, JaJa Co, CJ Lim, Medium Office, HouMinn, EXTENTS, and Hume Coover Studio.

About this title

About the Author

Kevin Hirth can be found in the mountains and city streets of Colorado. His design practice, KEVIN HIRTH Co., founded in 2013, has been published widely for its valued architectural design and novel drawings. Kevin is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Architecture at the University of Colorado Denver. Credited Contributors (essays): Anca Matyiku and Marc Swackhamer

From the Back Cover

A meditation on contemporary architectural drawing practice framed through 56 artifacts created by 28 architectural firms from around the globe.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

•“The body of work, diverse in scope and limitations, presents a contemporary thesis about architectural drawing that is increasingly inclusive, aware of its typological categorizations, and curious about the utilities of a wide range of conventions.”•“Setting aside attempts to categorize, to pull into alignment, or to make a larger statement on the trajectories of cultural practice around us, let us assume that drawing can be entirely open-ended.”•“The boundless and open-ended nature of the drawings gives a sense that one might walk through a room crowded with work and see architecture everywhere and nowhere.”•“Collectively, the contributors represent diversity in practice and present a cross-section of approaches to how architects communicate.”

Edition details

• Publisher: ORO Editions
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 196185659X
• ISBN 13: 9781961856592
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 88