By Peter Ahrends

Stream of Sketches features drawings made by Peter Ahrends in the process of designing a selection of 60 different projects at the celebrated architectural practice of Ahrends Burton Koralek. Intended neither as presentation drawings nor artworks, these personal sketches and accompanying commentaries serve to illuminate how initial ideas and thoughts are explored, tested and developed in the mind of the architect.

While digital design and communication have revolutionised the efficiency with which our built environment is made, ‘Sketches’ reminds us of the continued value of drawing by hand, not only to express a conceptual idea but also as an integral part of a creative thought process. Each of the featured projects, many of which remained unbuilt, is represented by a selection of drawings and a narrative by Ahrends. Some of the sketches are first ideas made at the outset of a project, some represent random avenues that are later rejected, while others reveal the unfolding development of ideas as a design emerges.