Architecture evolves through the act of building as well as theoretical research. This selection of drawings, models, and photographs from the Heinz Architectural Center reveals some of the ways that architects investigate construction techniques, explore the possibilities offered by new technologies, and represent cities in new and provocative ways. Architects may collaborate with professional photographers or take up the camera themselves, and the resulting photographs can point to the aesthetic and social concerns at the heart of an architect’s entire body of work.

The works on display reflect a constant exploration and iteration of ideas. The culture of architecture is never static. To borrow a phrase from architect Thom Mayne, architecture is a “state of becoming.”

Architects and Photographers in the Exhibition

States of Becoming is organized by Raymund Ryan, curator-at-large, Heinz Architectural Center.