collection of drawn human figures by famous architects reflects their style + sensibility

collection of drawn human figures by famous architects reflects their style and sensibility
all images courtesy of noor makkiya

in architectural renderings, human depictions are typically used to offer a clear sense of scale, helping the viewer understand the proportions of the project. while many contemporary plans use cut-and-paste photoshop figures found extensively online, architects of the past often hand-sketched people into their architectural illustrations. even though many creatives use these characters to communicate the spatial dimensions of the environment, others use them as a means of artistic expression, even projecting their own portraits and personalities into the human form.

to exhibit these tendencies, new york-based architectural designer noor makkiya has collected 21 drawings of humans by famous architects for the series ‘figures’. ‘if we compare drawings from different architects, we frequently find differences in body shape and body activity — as practicing architects often represent their own ideologies as a reference for understanding the human physical condition,‘ makkiya says. from the simplified shapes of SANAA to the wildly geometric lines of frank gehry, makkiya shows that people can learn a great deal about an architect’s style and sensibility through the human figures they choose to represent in their work.