Designing Automobiles the architectural way
Let no one make no mistake about the Automobile industry’s dedication to creativity and new ideas, in fact the automotive industry’s need for creativity is on par with that of architecture and these two fields always cross parts when the need of innovation props up. From the design of Automotive assembling plans to designing the interiors of car cabins, architectural procedures play a huge part in developing aesthetic yet functional designs as well as maximizing the relatively small spaces a vehicle’s interior presents for decoration.
The exterior of automobiles have always had strong ties with architecture as most modern cars are built to be compact in handling the variety of functions they handle. You can see this collaboration in the streamlined designs of most cars as well as the way each and every component—tires, side mirrors et.—are built to fit as one system. The design of these near perfect component arrangements is made possible with the use computer aided-design (CAD) tools to design and test automobile prototypes before manufacturing.
Today, automobile designers say that the design and arrangement of a car’s interior—seats, dashboard etc.—is the most compact and well-designed architectural environment available across all industries and this is because the architects pay so much attention to little details. This is because like architectural structures, automotive interiors are modeled using certain themes. The architect models the driving cockpit to fit a driver’s build and mannerism, an interior decorator works on the design and coloring of its aesthetic components while the engineer ensures that all these components do not diminish the functionality of the car. To achieve these, CAD software applications are also used to design and arrange these components to make a perfect fit. These tools are used by architects, interior decorators and engineers to pull of the comfortably designed interior of that car you so much love.
Make no mistake for these designs come with their fair share of problems such as placing electronic components in their respective orders and linking them to a central control unit in the engine. This situation can be likened to arranging the electrical circuits in a commercial building and linking them to a central control unit and in most cases architects jumble up wires which leads to confusion.
The failure of Ford’s attempt to continue recreating his Model T classic cars in the 1930’s showed that the average person no longer looks at an automobile as simply a transportation vessel but as a personal possession that should be designed to meet his or her personal taste and need for comfort. The strides made by modern day automotive architects have since helped bridge this gap for the average automobile is now a compact unit made up of aesthetic pleasing designs that do not hamper the cars functions in any fashion and as stated previously, a good eye and the use of professional computer aided-design goes a long way in designing the architectural masterpieces we see in today’s automobiles.
– The CAD Chief
