ABSTRACT
The Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti's treatise On the Art of Building in Ten Books warns architects against "any frivolity, obstinacy, ostentation, or presumption, and anything that might lose him good will or provoke enmity among his fellow citizens”. This strongly worded statement reveals the importance historically accorded to the architect's character. Representation, as an issue in the visual arts, is at least as old as Plato and Aristotle, and initially referred to the imitation of what is seen as well as to the imitation of other artists' styles. Digital media is increasingly becoming everything and everywhere, and it is important to ask what this means for architects' character. For architects, the computer encourages rapid alterations to needed documentation and facilitates viewing a range of options that assist decision making. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
