Annotation as Analysis: Interpreting Architectural Drawings

Annotation as Analysis: Interpreting Architectural Drawings – Due Friday, October 9 by 5pm EST (Moodle)

Building on the methods of primary source analysis developed in class, students will select one or two architectural drawings—a floor plan, site plan, section, elevation, etc.—of a historical health space, such as a hospital, clinic, maternity ward, or rehabilitation center. The selected building should be a specific historical example explored in class or in the course readings. Other building examples may be approved on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the professor.

Students will use the drawings as primary sources, identifying and analyzing at least four locations or features within them that reveal how the building organizes bodies and constructs particular notions of health, access, and care. These might include particular rooms or spaces, circulation routes, thresholds, services, materials and surfaces, or other architectural features that merit closer interpretation.

The deliverable will include:

1. An annotated image of the selected architectural drawing(s), with at least four markers identifying the locations or features that you will analyze.

2. A written analysis of approximately 1,000 words (~250 words per annotation) that explains what each location or feature reveals about the intended design and use of the space. Your analysis should place these architectural details within their broader social, cultural, and political contexts, connecting what you observe in the drawing to the historical themes and questions explored in the course.