Dallas Center for Architecture

A Window Into the Architect's Mind: The 37th Annual Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition

For centuries, architects have used visual imagery to assist in the design process—from Egyptian temples sketched on papyrus and Michelangelo’s perspective drawings to “back of the napkin” sketches and 3-D modeling.  These drawings from their mind’s eye assist in the translation of idea to reality.  They help us to understand the architect’s vision, and, through the alteration of these drawings, architectural ideas find form. 

Since it began almost 37 years ago, the annual Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition has grown from an event that recognized hand-drawn renderings of local architects to a competition that encompasses architectural delineations made in a variety of media by students and professionals the world over.  Organized by AIA Dallas, the “KRob” is the longest-running architectural drawing competition anywhere. The competition is named in tribute to Ken Roberts, the Dallas architect who organized it. Roberts died in 1974 at age 34.

The exhibition will feature almost thirty of the more than 400 entries received from 28 countries in the 2011 competition.  The exhibition is free and open to the public from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.