./datable

PRESERVING BORN DIGITAL ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS

Between Paper and Pixels: Transmedial traffic in architectural drawingTU Delft and Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam

Nov 30 – Dec 1, 2016

Henk VanstappenDATABLE

Developing preservation strategies in relation to the design process

./datable

I. The Problem

./datable

Analog drawing

./datable

Analog drawings• Carrier: paper• Information: ink• Hardware: eye• Software: brain• Context, scale: legend

./datable

Born digital drawings

© Abel Cahen

./datable

Born digital drawings

• Carrier: disc• Hardware: Intel PC• Software: Windows + AutoCAD• Information: shapes, attributes• Context: file properties, metadata

./datable

Digital information hierarchy

./datable

MiniCAD hierarchy

./datable

Obsolete format risk

./datable

II. Preservation strategies

./datable

Computer museum

./datable

Computer museum

• Hard to manage• I/O limits• Hardware will fail

./datable

Emulation

./datable

Emulation

• Complex, error prone• Licensed OS• Periodical updates

./datable

Migration

© Abel Cahen

./datable

Migration

© Abel Cahen

./datable

Migration

• Open format (DXF, DAE, PRC, PDF)• Possible information loss

./datable

[end of

manual.]

./datable

Migration information loss

© Crepain/Binst architecten

./datable

Migration information loss

© Crepain/Binst architecten

./datable

availability openess intelligence other

3DM ✖ ✖COLLADA ✖DGN ✖ ✖DWG ✖ ✖DXF ✖ ✖ ✖IFC ✖ ✖ ✖IGES ✖ ✖OBJ ✖ ✖ ✖PDF/A-2/3 ✖ ✖PDF/E ✖ ✖PDF/E-2 ✖PRC ✖ ✖STEP ✖ ✖SVG ✖U3D ✖ ✖VRML ✖ ✖XRD ✖

./datable

III. The use cases

• Administration (e.g. construction permit)• Re-use in architectural practice• Architectural history: “documenting the design

process”

./datable

III. The use cases

• Administration (e.g. construction permit)• Re-use in architectural practice• Architectural history: “documenting the design

process”

./datable

A simple design process typology

1. Analog creatives2. Digital creatives3. Born digital designers

./datable

1. CAD as a digital drawing board

./datable

1. CAD as a digital drawing board

• Creative process is analog (sketching)• 2D drawings by collaborator

• Preservation strategy:– migration to PDF/A-2 or DXF– printing is an option…

./datable

2. Creative use of digital tools

© Abel Cahen

./datable

2. Creative use of digital tools

© Abel Cahen

./datable

2. Creative use of digital tools

./datable

2. Creative use of digital tools

© FRANKEN/ARCHITECTEN

./datable

2. Creative use of digital tools

• Multitude of tools and formats• Often mixed analog/digital process

• Preservation strategy:– Document creation process and tools– Rigorous selection–Migrate key documents to open formats (dxf, dae,

tiff, iges, pdf/a-2, …)

./datable

3. Born digital design

./datable

3. Born digital design

./datable

3. Born digital design

• Parametric design and scripting• High information level in files (BIM)

• Preservation strategy:– Document creation process and tools–Migrate documents: PRC, PDF/E-2

./datable

IV. Conclusion

1. No turnkey solutions2. Significant properties depend on:

a. creative process b. use case

3. Significant properties determine appropriate archival formats

./datable

thanks!

henk@datable.be