DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE

Just looking at the Eller Theatre makes you want to tap your feet. Designed by Gould Evans Associates in Phoenix, the finely proportioned glass rectangular volume hosting dance studios seems to pirouette above a lush green lawn, while its rust-encrusted, woven-wire scrim cha-chas along, inviting you to join the conga line that winds its way along the building. Next week ArchitectureWeek contributing editor Michael J. Crosbie continues this two-step with the building. (Photo by Timothy Hursley)

RENDERING PLANS IN CAD

The floor plan is arguably the single most useful method of architectural documentation. So, it is little wonder that a favorite presentation tool is the rendered plan. In the days before CAD, making one might mean using pens to shade the walls of a drafted floor plan and manually drawing in entourage items like furniture, trees, people, and cars. Throughout the last decade of growth in the use of CAD tools, architects have tried to mimic the qualities of the hand-rendered plan presentation. Next week, Evan H. Shu, FAIA will share some ideas and techniques.