David Macaulay, the self proclaimed “explainer of things,” has been drawing and illustrating architecture for the past 30 years. In The Art of Drawing Architecture, the National Building Museum showcases Macaulay’s knack for deconstructing buildings and showing their many layers from various perspectives. Preferring simple materials, such as pen and ink, Macaulay recreates vast spaces on single sheets of paper.

Spanning his career, the exhibit starts by documenting his most recent work, Mosque, a book published in 2003. Vast amounts of research go into his books, and highlights from Macaulay’s extensive creative process are displayed here, from studying the real buildings and taking video and photographs, to preliminary sketches, scale models, and final illustrations.

The exhibit travels backwards in time highlighting Macaulay’s interest not only in architecture, but engineering, as well. Drawings of bridges, domes and skyscrapers line the walls, ending with samplings from Macaulay’s first books. Pages and concept drawings from the Motel of Mystery (1979) and Great Moments in Architecture (1978) show Macaulay’s wit and criticisms, questioning the built environment. The majority of the collection is simply hung, in mitered plywood with a glass covering. Inside, the drawings and illustrations are held up by simple push pins.

Photo copyright David Macaulay; Courtesy National Building Museum