Part of The Architecture Drawing Prize annual programme sees the category winners’ drawings exhibited at Sir John Soane’s Museum. This year the exhibition is accompanied by a virtual retrospective in the Vault of Contemporary Art (VCA) showcasing previous winners, which will also be projected in the museum’s Foyle Space. Both the exhibited hand-drawn, digital and hybrid works in the museum’s galleries and the virtual retrospective celebrate how communicating ideas are at the heart of what makes a strong architectural drawing – be it purely conceptual or relating to a project intended to be built.

Designed by Make Architects, the VCA platform utilises the placemaking skills of architects while addressing the desire of curators to offer richer content to viewers. Arranged around ten themes, ranging from Light, Space, Shade to This Crowded City and Dystopian Visions, the virtual retrospective embraces digital architecture’s ability to now complement the experience of viewing art in person. Virtual presentations of art are becoming increasingly important, enabling museums to share their collections, and broadening opportunities for people to access and appreciate art.

The 2022 Prize winners have been selected for demonstrating a range of approaches – from the representational and sublime in the hand-drawn category to the highly abstract and conceptual in the digital category, as well as hybrid drawings that wittily and deftly play with traditional architectural renderings.

Visitors can navigate the rooms one by one, exploring the artwork up close and in depth by clicking the green button to the right.