The Architecture Machine: The Role of Computers in Architecture

Today, it is hard to imagine the everyday work in an architectural practice without computers. Bits and bytes play an important role in the design and presentation of architecture. The book, which is published in the context of an exhibition of the same name of the Architekturmuseum der TUM at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich (October 14, 2020 to January 10, 2021), for the first time considers – in depth – the development of the digital in architecture.

In four chapters, it recounts this intriguing history from its beginnings in the 1950s through to today and presents the computer as a drawing machine, as a design tool, as a medium for telling stories, and as an interactive communication platform. The basic underlying question is simple: Has the computer changed architecture? And if so, by how much?

• First comprehensive overview of the history of the computer in architecture
• Publication in support of the exhibition of the Architekturmuseum der TUM
• 40 case studies with more than 200 historic images