Architecture in the Age of Platforms: What Role Does Software Play in Practice Today?

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How many software tools and platforms are involved today in developing a contemporary project? From designing a single-family house to a public library, relying on just one or two programs is no longer common. Instead, multiple tools combine, overlap, and interact throughout various stages, including analysis, design, rendering, coordination, and construction. This widespread use of software in the virtual world reflects not only the technical complexity of today's practice but also a more subtle yet equally significant shift: software has become less a specific tool and more an environment that accompanies and even challenges the process.

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While some choose to maintain a certain distance, others integrate these technologies intensively into their workflow, even merging computational design with craftsmanship or applying augmented reality to build structures without the need for physical guides. The truth is that software does not assume a leading role on its own but through the value each person decides to assign to it. Although not strictly indispensable, its presence invites broader reflection: What place does it occupy in the architecture we create today? How does it relate to our decisions, our time, and our ways of designing?

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Cite: Enrique Tovar. "Architecture in the Age of Platforms: What Role Does Software Play in Practice Today?" 01 Jul 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1031629/architecture-in-the-age-of-platforms-what-role-does-software-play-in-practice-today> ISSN 0719-8884

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