Embedding Intentions in Drawings: How Architects Craft and Curate Drawings to Achieve Their Goals

Based on ethnographic data collected at a global architecture firm over a one-year period, we describe the ways in which drawings are strategically created and curated by architects in an attempt to carefully craft their interactions and fulfill specific intentions with clients and contributors. We identify three strategies used by architects when creating drawings and reveal that the way these strategies are employed depends on the intended purpose of each drawing with a specific set of actors. This work builds on existing literature on the role of objects, such as drawings, for work across organizational boundaries and professional disciplines. We conclude with implications for CSCW and propose ideas for approaches and applications that better support cross-boundary and highly visual work involving multiple sets of actors and artifacts.