50 Years of Architectural Drawings
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 by Jafo | Discussion: Life, the Universe and Everything
As some might know, I was 'class of 72' at RMIT Architecture and had actual drawings [not CAD] that dated from then all the way through to the last which was in 2018 [OK, so 46 years].
Managed to move plan drawers a few times, even after actually 'retiring'.
Every time I thought "these are a record of a heck of a lot of blood, sweat and tears' I couldn't see myself parting with them as scrap-paper-in-the-recycle-bin.
Then I had an idea..."digitize" them. Modern Mobile Phones have a half-decent camera...all I need to do is photograph them and dump the paper [tracing and ink].
Easier said than done. There are a lot of them, but so far I've got 86 images recorded...on one hand that's about 180 meg, but it's a few Kilos lighter and 1 drawer looks empty.
Only 6 more to go..... 
Reply #2 Tuesday, January 27, 2026 7:41 AM
You might try Adobe PDF scanning app for iOS and Android for scanning those precious documents Paul, and turning them into pdf.
I'd have suggested MS Lens except it's being discontinued as of Feb. 9, 2026.
Let me add, that's a nice looking house.
Reply #3 Tuesday, January 27, 2026 7:43 AM
I hope you keep some of your paper ones. Architectural drawings are beautiful in their own right.
Reply #4 Tuesday, January 27, 2026 7:47 AM
You might try Adobe PDF scanning app for iOS and Android for scanning those precious documents Paul, and turning them into pdf.
Nah, they're not 'precious' anymore as all of them have been built. The issue is they won't last forever anyway as they are actual tracing paper which is heat and moisture sensitive. It was 42c today which is what prompted the rethink.
That one above is 40 years old, and I actually drew it before settlement...we didn't move in until Feb, 87.
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Reply #1 Tuesday, January 27, 2026 7:31 AM
This is an example of an easier way to keep a record....1.3meg, no paper cuts ...