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Computational Design Thinking and Thinking Design Computing
Abstract
In alignment with the rapid advancement of cyber-physical technologies in an information age, we are faced with complex problems that go beyond the kinds of challenges that designers had to deal with in the past. For many of these challenges we do not have established theories, methods, or tools to solve the problems. Therefore, it is critical for architects to not only have expertise in established design methods, but also to be able to rapidly and creatively develop new theories, skills, and technologies. This paper seeks to contribute to the core curriculum of architecture programs by exploring opportunities that benefit from advancements in computation as an innovative approach to teaching digital tools. The paper explores how computational thinking can be used in design as a new way of thinking, making, solving problems, and developing techniques and technologies to nurture creative processes, practices, and design outcomes.
The paper presents how advancements in technology and computation may change the process of design. Intelligent Design Systems are introduced as a successful example of teaching “Computational Methods” by the author in several architecture schools’ core sequences in the United States. Computational Methods introduces students to computational thinking and fundamental concepts of computation through explorations with generative and analytical technologies. The goal of the course is to explore and elaborate the potential of computation and the role it can play as a part of one’s design process; not as a collection of specific tools, but as a way of thinking about design.
... Computational design in architecture needs to be contextualized and reviewed alongside the development of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) in architectural practice and criticism [26,27]. Aish [27] identifies three distinct but overlapping periods for the development of CAD in architecture: two-dimensional (2D) drafting, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and computational design. 1 In the early 1980s, 2D drafting was adopted by architects for the representation and specification of buildings as a set of independent 2D drawings [27]. ...
... In contrast, by directly engaging in the act of programming to implement custom algorithmic procedures as a design method, designers liberate themselves from these built-in design paradigms [13,35]. Besides, computation offers an efficient and accessible method to integrate, negotiate, and satisfy large sets of complex requirements common in architecture projects, such as programmatic, structural, and fabrication constraints, to generate robust and viable design solutions [13,26,36]. ...
... In the architectural context, Terzidis [36] argues that instead of implementing algorithms to develop computational design processes that simulate conventional design procedures, they can be studied as design methods for the exploration of novel design solutions, which affect the way architecture is generally conceived. However, according to Menges and Ahlquist [26], and Gramazio et al. [7], in contemporary architecture, computation, or generally speaking, digital design, is still mainly positioned as an effective instrument for implementing conventional design approaches. Against this background, this chapter reviews the computational design of nonstandard timber structures that are manufactured with digital fabrication technologies. ...
The research described in this dissertation investigates a novel computational design method and couples it with the cooperative robotic assembly of bespoke timber frame modules to facilitate the design, planning, and construction of nonstandard modular timber frame buildings. This research aim is formulated in response to a dominant critical gap found in contemporary timber architecture: the design of the majority of nonstandard timber buildings follows a top-down, form-making approach with minimal consideration of material and manufacturing constraints. This form-making approach results in the employment of post-rationalization to facilitate construction. Accordingly, a key criterion for developing the novel computational design method described in this dissertation is to identify, formalize, and integrate constraints of a prototypical robotic manufacturing process into the early phases of the design process to minimize the need for post-rationalization while making feasible the realization of innovative architectures.
Three key research objectives are identified and experimentally explored: 1) Design techniques for cooperative robotic assembly of bespoke timber frame modules, 2) Design techniques for modularizing robotically assembled timber frame buildings, and 3) The incorporation of these techniques and their constraints into the development of an integrative computational design method. These objectives are developed through computational design studies and physical prototypes and validated in a real-world case study building. The results of this research demonstrate that through the development of cooperative robotic assembly techniques of timber frame modules and formalization of their constraints as key design drivers, the presented computational design method has the potential to bridge the gap between design and making. Furthermore, the case study building reveals the architectural implications of this research through its expressive and highly differentiated timber frame structure, responding to performance criteria such as structural requirements. Hence, this doctoral research contributes on two main fronts: to the development of integrative computational design methods for robotic timber assembly in architecture; and to the advancement of current approaches in modular timber frame construction, offering invaluable potential for the design and manufacture of highly articulated timber architecture.
... As Oxman stated, "while principles, theories and methods of CAD have been basically based on imitating paper-based design, the novel concepts of digital design models are reintroducing a different medium of conceptualization, replacing paper-based media" (Oxman, 2008, p. 106). Thus, computing and computerization (CAD) concepts are different from each other (Ahlquist & Menges, 2011;Terzidis, 2003). Computation increases the number and the content of information by revealing dependencies among data sets. ...
... While CAD aims to create an object, the computational design, which can also benefit from computer technologies, starts the process with properties of small parts and relationships between units of the design context. It is based on formation rules and reveals the information that generates the form as a dynamic system (Ahlquist & Menges, 2011). ...
... The computational design thinking is formed depending on various developments in areas, such as system theory, cybernetics, morphogenesis, and biology (Ahlquist & Menges, 2011). It is based on a perception that enables designers to evaluate the purpose of design not through the final product, but through the generation process. ...
The current technologies have created a shift from Computer Aided Design to Computational Design in architecture. Computational design allows inquiries into what can be implicit knowledge in traditional design thinking, enables the definition of the mechanisms of design process and formulations of design knowledge and representation, and defines generative and evaluative knowledge. The purpose of this study is to discuss how Cellular Automata can be utilized in design studios to develop computational design thinking, through the examination of Frazer’s and Herr's studio works. After finding matching concepts and comparisons of Cellular Automata methods used in two design studios, the concept of ‘computation’ in Cellular Automaton studies and contributions of using this generative method in design studio will be discussed. In other words, this study will examine the content of Computational Design Thinking through Cellular Automata applications and their contributions to design education. As a result, since Cellular Automata methods are exploratory processes. They enhance seeing, reaching the whole from the parts, noticing the relationships and patterns between the parts and re-inventing them during and after the generative process. For these reasons, Cellular Automata have an important role in the development of computational design thinking in design studios with different concepts and setups.
... Frazer (1995) coined the idea of an evolutionary architecture which relates to generative design processes. While such design methods use evolutionary or learning algorithms to create new content in a morphogenesis, as formulated by Menges and Ahlquist (2011), parametric design concentrates on the interaction between individual design aspects. ...
... From his point of view, differentiation is important and the design result needs meaning in the sense of the project being worked on (Alexander, Koolhaas, & Obrist, 2008). The necessary reflection clarifies the relevance of the architect as a human part of a design oriented human-computer interaction, as also identified by Menges and Ahlquist (2011). ...
New technologies and automation concepts emerge in the digitalization of our environment. This is, for example, reflected by intelligent production systems in Industry 4.0. A core aspect of such systems is their cyber-physical implementation, which aims to increase productivity and flexibility through embedded computing capacities and the cooperation of decentrally networked production plants. This development stage of automation has not yet been achieved in the current state-of-the-art of façades. Being responsible for the execution of adaptive measures, façade automation is part of hierarchically and centrally organised Building Automation Systems (BAS). The research project ThinkingSkins is guided by the hypothesis that, aiming at an enhanced overall building performance, façades can be implemented as cyber-physical systems. Accordingly, it addresses the research question:
How can cyber-physical systems be applied to façades, in order to enable coordinated adaptations of networked individual façade functions?
The question is approached in four partial investigations. First, a comprehensive understanding of intelligent systems in both application fields, façades and Industry 4.0, is elaborated by a literature review. Subsequently, relevant façade functions are identified by a second literature review in a superposition matrix, which also incorporates characteristics for a detailed assessment of each function’s adaptive capacities. The third investigation focuses on existing conditions in building practice by means of a multiple case study analysis. Finally, the technical feasibility of façades implemented as cyber-physical systems is investigated by developing a prototype. The research project identifies the possibility and promising potential of cyberphysical façades. As result, the doctoral dissertation provides a conceptual framework for the implementation of such systems in building practice and for further research.
... However, by integrating algorithms, the efficiency of this stage can be improved significantly. Algorithmiccreated projects and automated solutions minimize errors, allowing for seamless changes at any stage without requiring manual redraws or modeling for each version [17,18]. The design process, while beneficial, inherently involves presumptions that stem from preferred design approaches and guiding assumptions [19][20][21]. ...
The study aims to develop and assess an algorithm for efficiently generating parking spot
layouts within predefined area outlines. The algorithm is an attempt to streamline the decisionmaking
process by producing different design variants and optimizing the utilization of available
space. The algorithm’s primary objective is to streamline decision-making by generating diverse
design variants while optimizing the use of available space, with a distinct focus on mitigating
environmental impact and fostering ecological well-being. Researchers conduct thorough tests
on the algorithm across various outlines, resulting in multiple layout options for each scenario.
They analyzed five representative parking locations and compare the algorithm’s results with the
existing parking spot layouts. Throughout the evaluation process, they consider quantitative and
qualitative data, considering the complexities of communication solutions within each context. The
study findings indicate that the algorithm demonstrates comparable or superior performance to
existing solutions. Overall, the study highlights the promising potential of algorithmic design
approaches in the context of parking lot automated design. Achieving a balance between innovative
designs and user-friendly layouts is crucial, and this is achievable by conducting comprehensive
analyses that consider various factors. The consistent findings underscore the algorithm’s potential to
significantly contribute to sustainable design practices in parking lot layouts, highlighting decreased
environmental strain, efficient land use, and creating urban spaces that prioritize ecological benefits.
Furthermore, seamlessly integrating algorithmic solutions with existing communication systems is
paramount to ensure practical applicability in real-world scenarios. This integration will enable more
effective and practical implementation of the algorithm’s outputs in actual parking lot design projects.
... Its influence in architecture and structural design was not especially substantial in the first years, as the technological developments brought by digitalization focused on the digital control and automation of already established manufacturing processes. It was only in recent years, coinciding with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Alaloul et al. 2020;Begić and Galić 2021;Klinc and Turk 2019;Scheuermann et al. 2015), that the impact on building design and construction practices became exponential (Menges and Ahlquist 2011). These developments allowed the production of complex forms that were difficult and expensive to design, produce, and assemble using traditional construction technologies (Kolarevic 2001). ...
... Sanford Kwinter como imitador do gesto humano, mas como auxiliador do raciocínio, com um outro tipo de inteligência diferente da nossa, mas ainda assim inteligente, como Turing havia preconizado em 1950. Nas lições de Turing, era necessário pensar como a máquina, evoluir para a "verdadeira computação"(Terzidis, 2006), para o "computational design thinking"(Menges, 2011). A mão, o traço, o desenho, forças-motrizes da arquitetura, dividem sua autoria com as máquinas (Cook, 2008). ...
O presente livro é fruto do Workshop Desafiando a Gravidade, que faz parte da série Oficinas Transversivas: Experimentações em Arte, Arquitetura e Design organizada anualmente pelo Laboratório de Modelos 3D e Fabricação Digital da Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da UFRJ. O tema dessa segunda edição surgiu de inquietações a respeito de conceitos da física e sua relação com o espaço construído pelo homem. Se na edição anterior, Abrigos Sensíveis (2014), o foco foi dado à tectônica responsiva, nessa edição veio à tona a estereotomia e o debate entre o objeto e o campo, a interação com o solo, a superfície de contato como geradora de paisagens.
... We note that the rotation limits are between -25° and 30° (Figure 7). Step 04: Consists of making the coded contours [14] for each fan (Figure 8). Step 10: is used to link a number of closed and opened prototypes to have a surface for our solar shading system [15] as shown in Figure 14. ...
... Understanding CD taxonomy is typically related to comprehending how it differs from computer-aided design (CAD) [45]. Indeed, CD is based on programming and CAD on ad hoc functions. ...
The architectural engineering and construction (AEC) industry is undergoing a digital transformation that progressively improves its performance, productivity, and competitiveness. This digital shift is accelerated through building information modeling (BIM) which facilitates technological integrations. BIM has significantly contributed to digitizing design and management activities. However, it has not yet sufficiently demonstrated its interoperability with digital manufacturing processes, such as robotic manufacturing (RM). It is from this perspective that this work will review the current literature's stance on the technological interoperability of BIM and RM tools through the systematic literature review (SLR) method. This literature review aims to identify research avenues to operationalize RM through BIM tools in construction. The study conducted in this research is progressive; it builds on the identified research gaps and investigates potential research avenues to be undertaken. The results revealed that computational design (CD) could serve as a bridge between BIM and RM. They also revealed that RM is operationalizable in off-site construction (OSC) through BIM and CD.
... Hence this method provides a framework for the designers to make viable decisions based on different parameters that can adapt to different needs and situations. A computational way of thinking is based on processes that start with elemental properties and generative rules to end with information, which derives form as a dynamic system (Menges and Ahlquist, 2011). Students, therefore, were asked to analyze the underlying principles behind each material system and to investigate their capacity to be codified and translated into possible algorithms. ...
... Models designed on digital platforms offer several alternatives with parameters changes and are optimised through the parameters and rapid prototyping. Menges & Ahlquist (2011) argue the applicability of the way physical interventions are conceptualised together with technology provides a basis for rethinking architecture. The predictable results in the early design stages can be evaluated in this method, and design models can be revised through the parameters. ...
Due to the pandemic conditions, hands‐on courses in architectural education were conducted remotely and their presentation had to be reconsidered. Hands‐on courses, by their nature, support learning and learner‐instructor interaction in the classroom environment. It was necessary to develop innovative solutions to ensure this interaction in virtual classrooms. This study discusses a method we experienced in the 2021–2022 spring semester of the “Principles of Digital Design and Fabrication in Architecture” course given at Gazi University. To combat potential interaction deficits, “problem‐based learning (PBL)” and “learning by doing (LBD)” teaching methods were applied. While reflecting on foreseen problems in the curriculum on the students, we determined the distance education process causes different reflections on students in terms of digital modelling and fabrication techniques. All constraints and problem determinations obtained by the students were classified and a way to solve these problems developed with the LBD style. By the end of the course, the students, who were expected to design a small 3D object, first designed the mould then realised their fabrication of the object. In this process, while the foreseen problems and curriculum determined at the beginning overlapped, other problem determinations and their reflections formed an important base for the future curriculum.
... The design act shifted from form-making, which is a static and traditional form generation process based on the decisions of the designer, to formfinding, which is the exploration of forms directed by algorithms by generationevaluation-feedback based on the predefined design criteria (Kolarevic, 2000;Leach, 2009;Woodbury, 1991). In this respect, parametric design tools have had a drastic impact on PAD, supported the multifaceted and integrated design process (Menges & Ahlquist, 2011). ...
Over the last four decades, the negative impact of the building industry and the
growing environmental crisis have led architects to develop sustainable design
strategies for a better-performing built environment. Building performance tools,
which are commonly used at the end of the design process, are not integrated into the design synthesis. Therefore, there is no integration between the performance
parameters. In the literature, there are many studies focusing on the seamless
integration of energy and daylighting analysis. In contrast, the integration of natural
ventilation and indoor airborne contamination analysis is hitherto understudied.
However, natural ventilation can reduce buildings’ energy demand and carbon
emissions. Also, natural ventilation can provide healthy environments for building
occupants by reducing potential indoor airborne contamination. There is a need for an integrated approach and a digital workflow, specifically addressing effective natural ventilation and the removal of airborne contamination. This research addresses the urgent need for the integration of natural ventilation and contaminant dispersion analysis to the creative design synthesis/analysis processes and develops an integrated and hybrid analysis pipeline that couples parametric design, building performance simulation (CFD, daylighting, energy, and contaminant transportation), and model testing (wind tunnel) methods. The developed pipeline is implemented for a case study that consists of the shading device design of an office building. Implementing the pipeline, improving indoor air quality by providing adequate natural ventilation, and reducing the airborne contaminants while keeping the thermal loads and daylighting optimized is aimed.
... Computational design describes a process of employing computerization to classify and predict planning outcomes already conceptualized in the designer's mind. It is a systematic approach that facilitates data to be interpreted from initial abstraction in the form of codes that encapsulate designed component values and actions (Ahlquist & Menges, 2011). Algorithmic design, or "AD," is a computational design approach based on rule-based logic inherent in system design and thus allows for the incorporation of sophisticated computational methods to interpret design complexity within the planning workflow (Caetano et al., 2020). ...
There is growing evidence that contact surfaces within healthcare settings can serve as reservoirs for pathogen colonization and spread infectious bacteria to humans. This article aims to demonstrate the use of a Prevention through Design Environment Material Integrative Control (PtD-EMIC) instrument to predict the infection prevention resilience potential of materials commonly used for healthcare contact surfaces. PtD-EMIC is based on fuzzy logic and Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System architecture. Its objective is to serve as a computational design tool that guides the selection and specification of interior materials that may moderate the spread of pathogens in healthcare environments. This objective is accomplished through an applied systems requirement simulation framework that can help guide interior material choice and design for healthcare spaces. The motivation for developing this instrument is to provide a vehicle that can expand healthcare design industry capabilities and interior environment analysis research by using computational approaches to inform interior material selection and design decisions that support healthcare environments’ infection control strategies. The selection and sourcing of embedded data related to relevant and high-use acute care treatment area finishes, the premise of instrument use, precedent research basis, and system architecture, as well as tool validation and demonstration of use, are all discussed. The text explains how using this instrument can facilitate categorization and leveraging interior material performance outcome data for informing safety-critical healthcare design.
... Computational technologies currently serve as architectural design tools that assist with design thinking (Menges and Ahlquist, 2011), design communication, and construction management (Eastman et al., 2008). However, mixed reality technology, which was mostly adopted to enhance design visualization and simulation (Bertol, 1997), means they can no longer be viewed solely as design tools but must now be seen as architectural materials. ...
Metaverse, which was first interpreted as an isolated virtual universe, is now evolving into a multiverse, where virtual worlds superimpose on the real one. Spaces, people, and activities in both physical and virtual formats are going to be seamlessly integrated. Architecture is seen as a container of spaces, people, and activities. Architectural elements are arranged to define spaces guiding people to conduct required activities. The emerging duality of the metaverse will change not only the architectural requirements but also the nature of architecture in terms of form and function. While holograms are becoming a new kind of architectural material, envisioning a potential framework to guide future exploration of metaverse architecture is the goal. In this paper, we conduct a qualitative user study to collect users’ needs, identify architectural requirements, and build a preliminary framework for metaverse architecture. This framework provides strategies for mixing holographic and physical architectural elements to fulfill the users' needs of the metaverse. It could further lead to a potential way of reducing the production and consumption of carbon to contribute to the post-carbon framework.
... These terms are explained and discussed extensively in architectural texts. Menges and Ahquist (15) define computational architecture as the explicit use of scripting and/or programming in the design and/or the fabrication phase. According to Leach (16), algorithmic architecture involves the use of programming languages and/or paradigms. ...
If we understand architecture as a three-part system formed by the building, its image, or drawings and images describing buildings, and the critical discourse around architecture, then the texts or ways of speaking about computational architecture play a key role in understanding the field and its development. By analysing a corpus of around 4.6 million words from texts written between 2005 and 2020 that form a part of critical discourse in computational architecture (understood as the result of the intense digitalization of the field), this paper aims to map ways of speaking about computational architecture. This contributes to architectural theory and might help gain a better understanding of the evolution of the digitalization of construction in general. Findings show that computational architecture is surrounded by a specific way of speaking, hybridized with words from fields such as biology, neuroscience, arts and humanities, and engineering. While some topics such as ‘sustainability’ or ‘biology’ come up consistently in the discourse, others, such as ‘people’ or ‘human’, have periods when they are more and less popular. After highlighting open research questions, the paper concludes by presenting a map of periodic and recurring topics in ways of speaking about computational architecture over the last 15 years, thus tracking and documenting long-term trends, and illuminating patterns and in the broader field of digital construction.
... Terzidis (2003) defines "computation" as a procedure of calculation that includes actions such as problem-solving, reasoning, algorithm development, induction, deduction. Similarly, Menges and Ahlquist (2011) state that computation helps designers to increase their limits of design, starting from conceptualization to production phases. On the contrary, "computerization" is related to concepts such as automation, mechanization, digitization and includes the digitalization of predetermined problems. ...
Today, computational thinking and computational design approaches transform almost all stages of architectural practice and education. In this context, since students are most likely to encounter computers, in this study, the approach of teaching students computational design logic is adopted instead of teaching how to use computers only as a drafting or representation tool. This study focuses on developing a pedagogical model that aims to teach computational thinking logic and analog computing through a design process. The proposed model consists of four modules as follows: abstraction of music and text (Module 1), decomposition of buildings (Module 2), analysis of body-space (Module 3), design of a space by the help of spatial patterns (Module 4). The proposed model is applied to first-year students in Interior Design Studio in the 2019-2020 fall semester. As a result of Module 4, students designed both anticipated and unanticipated spaces in an algorithmic way.
... El pensamiento computacional requiere entrenamiento y guía (Sanford y Naidu, 2016) no se trata de una habilidad innata que se adquiera a través de la enseñanza de programas de computador o de lenguajes de programación, como muchos creen equivocadamente. Por el contrario, se trata de estructurar de una forma efectiva la información y de desarrollar la lógica (Soleimani, 2019). La primera parte del curso se centró en comprender la importancia de descomponer el problema en sus elementos y la relación que tiene esta actividad con la construcción de algoritmos. ...
La computación ocupa una posición muy importante en casi todos los aspectos de nuestra vida cotidiana y cada vez más en el desempeño profesional de los diseñadores. En los últimos años, se ha venido fortaleciendo la oferta del diseño computacional como una herramienta tecnológica que permite llevar al plano digital las fases del diseño análogo. Sin embargo, se evidencian claras dificultades en su aprendizaje y sobre todo en la aplicación práctica de estas herramientas al diseño centrado en los usuarios. En la carrera de Diseño Industrial de la Universidad El Bosque hemos emprendido una experiencia piloto para la práctica del diseño computacional aplicados a proyectos de diseño, que en el año 2020 coincidió con la modalidad de enseñanza en presencialidad remota. Para afrontar este reto, se plantearon algunas estrategias como el uso del hogar como contexto para la investigación, la introducción a los múltiples contenidos de forma simultánea y la creación de bitácoras digitales en micrositios web. El presente documento describe en detalle esta experiencia y reflexiona sobre los aspectos positivos y negativos experimentados en la ejecución de la clase, para finalmente proponer soluciones alternativas a las dificultades encontradas.
... El pensamiento computacional requiere entrenamiento y guía (Sanford y Naidu, 2016) no se trata de una habilidad innata que se adquiera a través de la enseñanza de programas de computador o de lenguajes de programación, como muchos creen equivocadamente. Por el contrario, se trata de estructurar de una forma efectiva la información y de desarrollar la lógica (Soleimani, 2019). La primera parte del curso se centró en comprender la importancia de descomponer el problema en sus elementos y la relación que tiene esta actividad con la construcción de algoritmos. ...
En 2014, la novedad del concepto de investigación-creación en los ámbitos académicos abrió la oportunidad de cambiar los procesos de formación en investigación del diseño. Así mismo, el reconocimiento que percibieron los oficios de creación y la economía creativa en Colombia, implicó que las universidades buscaran dinamizar sus estructuras para introducir nuevas temáticas y habilidades en el diseño general de los programas, para articularse con el entorno actual. En esa lógica de cambios, la pandemia que afectó al mundo entero en 2020, trajo consigo nuevas modificaciones en la enseñanza del diseño, planteando retos didácticos y conceptuales, tanto por las nuevas dinámicas entre virtualidad y presencialidad, como por el surgimiento de una nueva realidad que afectaría los espacios laborales y la vida cotidiana de las personas. El proyecto de integración de la Facultad de Creación y Comunicación de la Universidad El Bosque propone así, una mirada innovadora al abordaje de la formación, en este artículo, específicamente sobre las habilidades de investigación, haciendo frente a los retos del contexto desde la comprensión de la interdisciplinariedad en los procesos de generación de nuevo conocimiento, para transformar la enseñanza de la investigación, ofreciendo espacios que logran articular estas habilidades a su realidad profesional.
... The challenge of bio-inspired projects lies in going beyond morphological analogy, trying to understand how the functional and behavioral strategies of organisms can be useful and replicated in the construction of buildings (Mazzoleni, 2013). Additionally, such type of analysis must be done in accordance with the advanced materials research, as many biological systems have their responsiveness capability rooted in their material itself and such behavior may be emulated by the use of mechanical and electronic devices when associated with computational modeling (Menges e Ahlquist, 2012). ...
The aim of this paper is to development a systematic literature review about the different strategies of nastic movements in plants, from the morphological, physiological and behavioral point of view. Nastic movements comprise kinetic reactions in response to environmental stimuli, which are not dependent on the direction of the stimulus. The research organizes the different types of nastic movements into a catalogue, having them exemplified and classified in a data collection, relating organisms, movement types and type of environmental response (stimuli). It is expected to systematize the knowledge of the aforementioned plant movements so that they may inspire architects and designers in future developments of buildings, and it may represent opportunities for the advancement on materials research and on the development of responsive facades
... According to Wing, learning CT concepts is now seen as a practice for leading students to develop more transversal skills which do not just include programming. As reported by Soleimani (2019), computation should be considered as a thinking process, as "it is about effectively structuring information and developing logics". Tabesh (2017) proposed a four-stage model of the computational thinking process: decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, algorithm design. ...
Due to the rapid change brought by new emerging technologies, computational thinking (CT) has become a fundamental skill. Contrarily to the large number of studies focused on introducing CT in STEM subjects, we direct our research towards a broader context, that of design. Given the importance of CT concept acquisition in terms of future design thinking education, this paper presents a qualitative study at the intersection of teaching design thinking and CT. We develop an innovative framework to integrate the two processes in design courses and we explore its potential and limitations with design lecturers who could potentially introduce the framework in their teaching practice. Moreover, we reflect on what needs to change for CT education to be successfully implemented in design schools across the world. This study refers to the example of Italy which, similarly to other countries, could constructively improve its design teaching with CT to secure its large design industry for the future.
... Terzidis (2003) defines "computation" as a procedure of calculation that includes actions such as problem-solving, reasoning, algorithm development, induction, deduction. Similarly, Menges and Ahlquist (2011) state that computation helps designers to increase their limits of design, starting from conceptualization to production phases. On the contrary, "computerization" is related to concepts such as automation, mechanization, digitization and includes the digitalization of predetermined problems. ...
Today, computational thinking and computational design approaches transform almost all stages of architectural practice and education. In this context, since students are most likely to encounter computers , in this study, the approach of teaching students computational design logic is adopted instead of teaching how to use computers only as a drafting or representation tool. This study focuses on developing a pedagogical model that aims to teach computational thinking logic and analog computing through a design process. The proposed model consists of four modules as follows: abstraction of music and text (Module 1), decomposition of buildings (Module 2), analysis of body-space (Module 3), design of a space by the help of spatial patterns (Module 4). The proposed model is applied to first-year students in Interior Design Studio in the 2019-2020 fall semester. As a result of Module 4, students designed both anticipated and unanticipated spaces in an algorithmic way.
... Nevertheless, despite being closely related and mutually beneficial, e.g., in emphasizing various CT components [7], the methods have mainly been considered in their different pairwise combinations [30,[35][36][37][38][39][40], but rarely complete [31,[41][42][43]. For example, the study of Leonard et al. [31,42] looked at the potential of engaging youth in three areas: (a) robotics, (b) digital gaming, and (c) computational thinking through the use of LEGO ® robotics kits, MINDSTORMS ® software (LEGO Group, Billund, Denmark), and AgentSheets/AgentCubes object-based programming environments used for game design. ...
Today’s technological development inevitably defies educational approaches in terms of future demand for skills to be imparted. Among other skills, the capacity to operate and communicate effectively within multidisciplinary realms is duly considered as the fundamental one. Educational robotics (ER) and STEM do constitute a suitable framework for the development of these specific skills. Moreover, competences such as computational (CT) and design thinking (DT) have already been nominated as necessary to adapt to the future and relevant for innovation. The years of independent development and evidence of practical implementation justify the maturity of the related methodological approaches and emerging gradual shift towards their combination. In this regard, the actual work presents a pilot experience of the combined application of computational design thinking and educational robotics in the case of a 9-to-11-year-old target audience. The approach utilizes a novel platform developed under the project Coding4Girls combining design thinking and game-based learning and introduces physical computing through consecutive assembling and programming an IR-controlled robot-car. The core of the learning path consists in the development of primary programming skills and their gradual transfer into the physical realm. The method, as the study demonstrates, is capable of helping keep students both motivated and result-oriented throughout the duration of the course.
... The origin of this shift in architecture from a static and linear process to a more complex and dynamic system comes from automated design and cybernetics. Approaches such as this position computers as an extension of human beings, with their proximity to human thinking (Ahlquist and Menges 2011) This understanding of the physical and the digital world as a system is very much in line with the contemporary approach within Human-Computer Interaction Design, in which the physical and digital are understood as a composition rather than as two separate things (Wiberg and Robles 2010). This implies a shift in the way physical and digital materials are used within the design process. ...
This research aims to contribute to the current field of architectural design by offering evidence of how a collaborative and embodied approach to soft architecture can inform a new physical-digital design process. Current design technologies (e.g. sensors, 3D scanners, procedural modelling software), together with the use of the body as a source for designing a space, offer new methods and tools for designing architecture (Hirschberg, Sayegh, Frühwirth and Zedlacher 2006). However, the potential for experiencing and digitally capturing a soft and elastic material interaction through the body as a dynamic system capable of informing soft architectural design has not yet been widely explored. By using the felt experience as a tool for design, we allow the material to express its qualities when activated by the body, revealing its form instead of it being imposed from outside (DeLanda 2015). Taking an embodied approach used in interaction design and fashion design (Loke and Robertson 2011; Wilde, Vallgårda, and Tomico 2017), this research proposes a hybrid method to explore a textile-body ontology as an entity that has the potential to design a space, along with the use of motion capture technology in an effort to re-connect the experiential (the body) with the architecture (the space).
Through a custom-made interface, made of soft and hard materials, we explored the dynamic and spatial qualities of material elasticity through choreographed body movements. The interface acts as a deformable space that can be shaped by the body, producing a collection of form expressions, ranging from subtle surface modifications to more prominent deformations. Such form-giving processes were captured in real time by three Kinect sensors, offering a distinct digital raw material that can be conveniently manipulated and translated into architectural simulations, validating the method as a new way to inform soft architectural design processes.
The findings showed that: 1) the direct experience of collaboratively interacting with a soft and elastic interface allows the identification of the dynamic qualities of the material in relation to oneself and others, facilitating an immediate spatial meaning-making process; 2) exploring the design of a soft and elastic space through choreography and motion capture technology contributes to the creation of augmented relational scales across physical and digital realms, proposing a new hybrid design method; 3) the soft and elastic interface becomes a new entity when shaped by the body (textile-body ontology) giving the opportunity for a variety of formal expressions and offering a source of digital raw material for architectural design.
... On the other hand, employee empowerment has positively influenced organizational performance. In addition, EE has changed the relationship between customer feedback and organizational performance (Kipfelsberger & Bruch, 2014;Menges & Ahlquist, 2011). According to reviewed previous literature, I didn't see a single study on FFI in Pakistan. ...
Organizational health is a modern and wide-ranging phenomenon that essential to endure long term achievements of an organization. The main objective of the current research study, to examine the effects of customer feedback on organizational health when employee empowerment works as a moderator. For this significant purpose, data was collected by respondents via using five Point Likert-scale techniques. The current research study has taken 750 total sample size from population to do expose hide phenomenon. We have used Factor Wise Reliability approach to test questions reliability; Descriptive Statistics verified whether data normalized or not; Pearson correlation to check the variables association-ship; Multiple linear regression technique to quantify per-point and overall fraction between dependent and independent variables; and finally linear regression moderation equation also conclude in methodological part for examines the moderation effect. The result indicates that Customer Feedback and organizational health both have been positively associated with each other. Besides, employees empowerment makes more strengthen the relationship of customer feedback and organizational health. In the light of outcome of current study, the manager should be aware about employees empowerment and customer feedback that are an order to sustain old customers and attract new customers for the Fast Food Industry. This research study has released new and different path for empirical investigation among organizational health, customer feedback and employees empowerment.
The abundance of computationally designed and manufactured architectural projects and pavilions in recent years has shifted the boundaries of architectural design and fabrication to a great extent. Hence, there exists a gap between the computational design and computationally controlled or informed manufacturing. This imposes additional design and production time, waste of material, and in general project costs, more specifically for non-conventional projects. The expansion of architects' computational design skills did not always require an up-to-speed knowledge of computer-aided manufacturing and expertise with material. This is maybe one of the main causes of the aforementioned gap. Moreover, experiments in architectural firms and schools are not always of the same nature. Students of architecture are not necessarily equipped with the knowledge that could be used in the real field to solve the actual computation design and making problems. This article elaborates on an academic experiment attempting to narrow this gap. The project begins with a series of subtractive wood bending experimentations. These studies then provide the foundations for developing a task-specific design and manufacturing toolkit that allows for an accelerated design and making process. To prove the concept, a group of 12 students finalized the final design in one day and delivered the final manufactured pavilion in a week.
The definition of Circular Economy identifies the design as a strategic tool for the radical change of the linear economic model. The cultural debate on the role of Design for Environmental Sustainability is focusing on the importance of a circular and bio-inspired approach to accelerate the change. Bio-inspiration becomes necessary for designers to increase the environmental performance of artefacts and to transform, from linear to circular, the production and consumption model. Nanoscience, supported by nanotechnology, has carried out major shifts in the scientific paradigm, enabling us to gain new insights into natural phenomena and processes that were previously impossible to understand and replicate on macro and micro scales. Nanoscience can explain in new ways the characteristics of nature, observed at the nanoscale, and enabling the nanotechnology to replicate some specific performances of biological beings. This scientific paradigm shift is rapidly bringing new perspectives to the design culture to enhance the environmental sustainability of products, processes, systems, and services, supported by other significant technological innovations driven by digital transformation of the design and production methods and tools. Today, promising new scenarios are opening for sustainable design, based on an integrated approach between bio-inspiration, the application of biomimetic materials, the use of generative parametric modelling software, and the rapid and additive prototyping/manufacturing. This paper aims to explore the highlights and perspectives of such integrated design approach that could trigger the radical transformation of the traditional process of ideation/design/production of industrial products, also through some case-studies of bio-inspired design and products.
In the last 10 years, spinal cord and vertebral injuries have become increasingly prevalent; it is estimated that between 250,000 and 500,000 individuals are affected annually by Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) (World Health Organization, 2013). Spinal cord injuries can occur due to accidents or aging, resulting in fractures, dislocations, or injuries that affect the mentioned tissue. Among the strategies for treatment, research is focused on the development of three-dimensional supports (scaffolds). These scaffolds can be implanted at the injury site to replace the damaged structure and/or promote the growth and regeneration of surrounding cells. Fibrous implants have various advantages, such as three-dimensionality (3D), porosity, elasticity, mechanical strength, biocompatibility, promoting the growth and regeneration of nerve cells, allowing the controlled release of bioactive compounds. Therefore, the main objective of this dissertation was centred on the design and development of implantable fibrous structures with potential application in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. Additionally, it is intended that these structures exhibit specific morphological characteristics that benefit cellular regeneration at the site of implantation. To achieve this, the process of developing the design of the structures was carried out using parametric modelling in Rhinoceros 3D®, including the Grasshopper plugin editor. After modelling the structures, they were produced using the braiding method with different numbers of threads and various processing parameters. The structures T1/A8B30/E16B50 and T2/A8B40/E16B50 are distinct in terms of structural construction. In the internal layer, T1/A8B30/E16B50 is composed of 8 braided threads, each with a diameter of 0.30 mm, while T2/A8B40/E16B50 has 8 threads with a diameter of 0.40 mm. Both external layers are formed by 16 threads with a diameter of 0.50 mm. Additionally, both structures exhibit good porosity. In T1/A8B30/E16B50, the porosity is 48.5% in the internal layer and 49.0% in the external layer. In T2/A8B40/E16B50, the porosity is 34.5% in the internal layer and 50.7% in the external layer. Regarding tensile strength, T1/A8B30/E16B50 reached 1504 N, while T2/A8B40/E16B50 reached 1674 N. In compression, T1/A8B30/E16B50 demonstrates a force of 66.6 N, while T2/A8B40/E16B50 exhibits a resistance of 46.3 N. Finally, the structures were selected based on their porosity, mechanical tensile and compressive strength, with the structures T1/A8B30/E16B50 and T2/A8B40/E16B50 standing out.
Over the past three decades, as multiple layers of complexity, sustainability aspirations, innovative design and manufacturing methodologies emerged, the need for novel integrated design processes has become crucial. While the widespread introduction of computational design, building information modeling, and robotic fabrication has brought significant advances in the AEC industry, traditional linear models limited the potential of these tools. On the other hand, rethinking design models as a rhizome (ῥίζωμα, rhízōma, “mass of roots”) can accomplish a non-hierarchical network that “connects any point to any other point” (Deleuze and Guattari), where digital tools can provide a powerful platform to carry out a truly interdisciplinary collaboration. Two aspects are particularly illustrative of this model: sustainability, where the organic embedment of sustainable measures in the design process yields more meaningful results and a higher-level functionality throughout an object's lifecycle, and fabrication, where the integration of digital and robotic technologies generates efficiencies in terms of production and data management, but it also fosters innovative material explorations and architectural expressions.
A arquitetura generativa desenvolve-se em formas livres que vão além da geometria euclidiana, ela busca formas inovadoras, autênticas e paramétricas. Assim, o design digital apresenta-se como instrumento fundamental para a concepção de novas formas complexas. A computação representa um marco significativo na ampliação das possibilidades criativas, possibilitando a exploração de formas que antes eram inimagináveis na metodologia de projeto tradicional. Nesse sentido, a modelagem paramétrica tem-se destacado como uma das principais ferramentas no processo de projeto de edifícios altos, auxiliando na exploração das diferentes configurações geométricas, além de controlar as dimensões e proporções através de variáveis denominadas parâmetros. Entretanto, o design paramétrico não se restringe apenas à concepção formal das edificações. Sua funcionalidade se expande às simulações computacionais, viabilizando os resultados quanto à eficiência energética. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa de Iniciação Científica visou compreender o uso da linguagem paramétrica através do Software Rhinoceros 3D e seu plugin Grasshopper, com o intuito de aplicar o conhecimento adquirido na criação de formas tridimensionais paramétricas que abrangem as diversas áreas da arquitetura.Para isso, a pesquisa se estruturou em três etapas: revisão bibliográfica, treinamento em softwares paramétricos e aplicação em exercícios dirigidos de projeto de edifício alto. Com isso, pode-se concluir que um pensamento paramétrico não se limita à quantidade de parâmetros, mas à compreensão das etapas de construção do algoritmo. Além disso, é importante afirmar que as tecnologias digitais não devem substituir a relação física que acontece com as ferramentas tradicionais de desenho, limitando o potencial criativo, e que ter o domínio da ferramenta representa alcançar novas possibilidades, sem abrir mão da própria autoria.
Urban energy simulation is critical for understanding and managing energy performance in cities. In this research, we design a novel framework called DeepRadiation, to enable automatic urban environmental performance prediction. By incorporating deep learning strategies, DeepRadiation predicts solar radiation on an urban scale using just panoramic streetscape images without any 3D modeling and simulation. New York City was chosen as the case study for this research. DeepRadiation is comprised of three different deep learning models organized into two stages. The first stage, named DeepRadiation modeling, serves as the framework’s brain. At this stage, solar radiation analysis was performed using a Pix2Pix model, a type of conditional generative adversarial networks (GANs). After extracting GIS data and performing energy simulation analysis to prepare the dataset, the Pix2Pix model was trained on 10000 paired panoramic depth images of streetscapes with only building blocks and related panoramic images of streetscapes with only solar radiation analysis. Two GAN generator evaluation measures named qualitative evaluation and quantitative evaluation were used to validate the trained Pix2Pix model. Both demonstrated high levels of accuracy (qualitative evaluation: 93%, quantitative evaluation: 89%). DeepRadiation application as the DeepRadiation’s sescond stage is the framework’s eyes. At this stage, two convolutional neural network (CNN) models (DeepLabv3 and MiDaS) were used to perform computer vision tasks on panoramic streetscape images, such as semantic segmentation and depth estimation. The DeepRadiation application stage allows urban designers, architects, and urban policymakers to use the DeepRadiation framework and experience the final output via augmented reality.
In the fourth industrial revolution, programming promises to be a fundamental subject like mathematics, science, languages or the arts. Architects design more than buildings developing innovative methods and they are among the pioneers in visual programming development. However, after more than 10 years of visual programming in architecture, despite the fast-learning curve, visual programming presents considerable limitations to solve complex problems. To overcome limitations, the authors propose to associate the advantages of visual and textual languages in Python. The article addresses an ongoing research study to implement Computational Methods in Architectural Education. The authors began by describing the general goal of this project, and of this article in particular. This article focuses on the implementation of two disciplines ‘Computation for Architecture in Python’ I and II. The first discipline uses programming based on the construction of functions in the imperative language, implemented in the text editor, in visual programming, using Grasshopper methods. The second discipline, which is under development, intends to teach object-oriented programming. The results of the first discipline are encouraging; despite reported difficulties in programming fundamentals, such as lists, loops and recursion. The development of the second discipline, in object-oriented programming, deals with the concepts of classes and objects, and more abstract principles such abstraction, inheritance, polymorphism or encapsulation. This paradigm allows building robust programs, but requires a more in-depth syntax. The article reports this ongoing research on this new paradigm of object-oriented language, expanding the application of a hybrid visual-textual language in Architecture.
The studies on design and design methods increased towards the end of the twentieth century in industrialized societies, however, the act of design started to be carried out with different auxiliary tools. The digital and algorithmic structure behind the computer has begun to provide the designer with different possibilities outside of the traditional drawing environment. After this period, the queries and discussions on the content of the design, its components, the intellectual process of the designer, and similar issues gradually increased. Within this scope, new theories and methods have emerged. In today's design, especially with digital technologies, transformations in theory and practice in the design process have brought new methods with them. Architects and designers have now become design tool developers rather than using use of the design tool. Based on this, the assistive tools that determine the current architectural design style is aimed to be explored in this paper. The study contributes to the field by (i) exploring these tools and their latent features, (ii) assessing the pros and cons of these tools, and (iii) last, implementing these design tools on the case studies.
This thesis explores new systems engineering design needs for evolutive systemarchitectures (eSAR), which are a subset of a new generation of complex hardware-basedsystems, within a context defined by global design stressors such as resource scarcity, andcomplexity. These evolutive system are highly adaptable, aiming towards resourceregeneration, and presenting a highly intelligent baseline. Based upon an extensive literaturereview highlighting key gaps on state-of-the-art design engineering and system engineeringtechniques, a full cycle evolutive development methodology (eSARD) is presented inspiredby natural evolution mechanisms while addressing heritage, and better systemperformances. The holistic eSARD method tackles design, implementation, systemoperations, and overall system optimization of an eSAR.
Architecture in the age of disruptive technologies: transformation and challenges:
Over the past 16 years, the Arab Society for Computer Aided Architectural Design (ASCAAD) has consolidated scientific research in computer-related fields, including a series of scientific conferences that addressed the following topics:
eDesign in architecture.
Computing in architecture: Re-thinking the discourse.
Embodying virtual architecture.
Digitizing architecture: Formalization and content.
CAAD | CITIES | SUSTAINABILITY.
CAAD | INNOVATION | PRACTICE.
Digital crafting: Virtualizing architecture and delivering real built environment.
Parametricism v. Materialism: Evolution of digital technologies for development.
Architecture in the age of disruptive technologies: Transformation and challenges.
This special issue of the OHI Journal relates to the activities of the recent ASCAAD 2021 conference, hosted by the Department of Architecture at the American University in Cairo under the theme of Architecture in the age of disruptive technologies: transformation and challenges. This issue was devoted to publishing a set of research papers presented in the conference.
Cybernetics is a science characterized by the utopian search for new relationships between different areas of knowledge.
After the Second World War, the best-known references in Western academia were Norbert Wiener’s approaches to this new
discipline. However, there is another little-known hemisphere of this development that remains understudied and we claim
is key for its history which refers to the pioneering work of scientists, engineers and cultural practitioners in Latin America,
as well as the materialization of specific experiences that lead us to reflect on the role that some regional milestones could
have had in the global context. This volume of AI & Society covers points of view that were structured in the various most
emblematic stages of these trajectories with the participation of agents that went beyond the assimilation and interpreta-
tion of external models, transforming themselves into fundamental and pioneering experiences, among others, the work of
Mexican scientist Arturo Rosenblueth, or the impact of the concept of Autopoiesis. Through this article we introduce the
outcome of the research—presented in great length in the contributions of this volume—on some of the main stages and
trends that constituted the evolution of cybernetics in Latin America. The particular contributions of the authors in this issue
have helped to reconstituting these contexts while developing a continuous horizon which also explores future practices.
Computation-based approaches have been flourishing in the construction industry for the past years. From experimental practices to mainstream production, the usage of digital tools tends to be diverse and versatile. This is especially true for computational design (CD) which encompasses multiple practices, transforming the future of the industry and its stakeholders. Through the ever-increasing speed and capacity of computers, computation enables dealing with geometries and tasks which were traditionally either too time consuming or too challenging to be accomplished by human alone. However, CD is not just automating existing traditional processes or tedious tasks; it is about shifting the way we think and design. To better understand how to unlock the opportunities of CD, this chapter discusses the following: 1—the main subsets of CD, called parametric, generative and algorithmic design; 2—presents CD’s different toolsets and their evolutions and finally 3—interrogates how CD is integrated in practice, with its emerging roles and skillsets.
Electromagnetic radiation is emitted by most of the electric and electronic devices and shielding from
radiation is important. In this study, the Cu/Ni coated ultrathin nonwoven fabric sample was taken to
form two-layer of strips and test for electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. The two layered strips
were prepared with 3-, 6-, & 9-mm strip thicknesses and gaps between the strips and laid at 0°, 45°,
& 90° angles. A single layer nonwoven has shielding effectiveness of 53 dB compared with two-layer
strips maximum of 42 dB at 1.5 GHz frequency. The strips cover area and aperture area was calculated
and found significant effect on shielding effectiveness results.
This research focuses on overcoming the difficulties of using BIM in conceptual design. It suggests that incorporating formal knowledge with computational concepts within BIM enables the tool to support the conceptual design process. This research used a mixed-methods approach that comprised of historical-interpretive research, model-based inquiry, and quasi-experimental research. First, a computational framework called Architectural Information modeling (AIM) was developed. AIM is a computational design framework that uses BIM to represent a formal language explicitly and provide a generative description of an architectural style. It employs various strategies to define conceptual design vocabularies and syntactical rules. In AIM, a direct connection between the abstract diagram and the actual built form is established. Second, the formal language of Richard Meier was selected as a test case. AIM was used to code the language of the Douglas house and generate the Smith house from the same model. Moreover, various other options that have the same formal language were created using the same model. The notion of stylistic change was explored too. Second, architectural design pedagogy was selected as an area of exploration to validate AIM. A pedagogical framework to teach AIM was developed to conduct a quasi-experimental study in the form of a longitudinal study. At the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University, three second-year design studios (38 students) participated in this intervention study. Data were collected through observations, student survey, student writing assignments, and student projects. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods, content analysis, and a panel of experts were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study illustrate that AIM can provide a shift from BIM as a construction-oriented modeling environment to a design environment where the architect can think, design, and generate multiple design options that incorporate explicit aesthetic and intellectual values. This research has produced significant original contributions in four areas: Building Information Modeling (BIM), the theory of formal language and formal studies in architecture, architectural design education and the role of BIM in design studios, and conducting research through design.
In this study, we introduce a newly developed method called Deep-Performance, to enable automatic environmental performance simulation prediction without the need to perform simulations, by integrating deep learning strategies. The aim is to train neural networks on datasets with thousands of building design samples and their corresponding performance simulation. The trained model would offer performance prediction for design options emerging in generative protocols. The research is a work-in-progress within a broader project aimed at automating buildings’ environmental performance evaluations of daylight analysis and energy simulation, using deep learning (DL) models. This paper focuses on the implementation of a supervised DL method for automating the retrieval of daylight analysis metrics, targeting successful daylight design and higher building enclosure efficiency. We have further improved a Pix2Pix model trained on 5 different datasets, each containing 6000 paired images of architectural floor plans and their daylight simulation metrics. In the inference phase, the model was able to accurately predict the daylight simulation for unseen sets of floor plans. For validation, two quantitative assessment metrics were followed to assess the predicted daylight performance against the daylight performance simulation. Both assessment metrics showed high accuracy levels.
In this paper, I delineate the first pages of a philosophical genealogy which outlines the cornerstones of a philosophy of bio-technical forms. In so doing, the essay contributes to the philosophical understanding of some key scientific concepts. In particular, it analyses the philosophical and historical preconditions, the epistemic assumptions, as well as the ontological commitments of the concept of form as used in digital design and in bionics. In the first section, I investigate Ernst Kapp’s philosophy of technical forms. In the second section, I analyse the emergence of biotechnology, today’s bionics, as an independent technical discipline. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Austro-Hungarian botanist Raoul Heinrich Francé (1874–1943) founded this discipline with the aim of imitating the technical solutions chosen by nature. In the conclusion, I draw broader conclusions about the philosophy of bio-technical forms. Particularly, I argue, first, that the role of materiality and form-intrinsic propriety is of central importance in processes of form design. Second, I define morphology as a theory of possible constructions of forms in space and not, as in evolutionary biology, a science of the changes of forms in time. This characterises what I have called the ontological turn in form-design disciplines: nature operates technically to conceive new forms.
Advances in socio-technologies have contributed to a cultural shift towards active participation in society and eventually gave rise to a participatory culture. In the design context, the distinction between pseudo- and genuine participation comes into prominence. This paper traces the intersection and convergence of design participation and design computation in architecture. The starting point of this research is an inquiry into the thread of user participation in architectural design grounded in the design methods movement as an alliance between participation and computation. For the purpose of studying relationships between participatory design and computational design, this paper revisits the premises of the 1971 Design Participation Conference together with early examples of architectural participation projects from the 70s (Lewisham Houses of Walter Segal, and Supports of John Habraken) and the computational realizations of these early participatory models (John Frazer’s computational model of Segal Method, and MIT’s Open Source Building Alliance’s computational model of Supports). This exploration suggests that computational design thinking can be addressed to open and extend architectural design to a wider range of participants, upgrading the first participatory paradigm. The design of norm/objectile/genotype by the architect and that of form/object/phenotype by the user is studied to support this argument.
In architectural design, evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithms (EMOA) have found use in numerous practical applications in which qualitative and quantitative aspects can be transformed into fitness functions to be optimized. This paper shows that they can be used in an architectural plan design process that starts from a more traditional approach. The benchmark case uses a novel construction system, called Ac.Ca. Building, with a vast architectural and technological database, arleady validated, to generate architectural plan for a residential towerbuilding with a parametric approach and EMOA. The proposed framework differs from past research because uses spatial units with high level of architectural and tecnological definition
The current technologies have created a shift from Computer Aided Design to Computational Design in architecture. Computational design allows inquiries into what can be implicit knowledge in traditional design thinking, enables the definition of the mechanisms of design process and formulations of design knowledge and representation, and defines generative and evaluative knowledge. The purpose of this study is to discuss how Cellular Automata can be utilized in design studios to develop computational design thinking, through the examination of Frazer’s and Herr's studio works. After finding matching concepts and comparisons of Cellular Automata methods used in two design studios, the concept of ‘computation’ in Cellular Automaton studies and contributions of using this generative method in design studio will be discussed. In other words, this study will examine the content of Computational Design Thinking through Cellular Automata applications and their contributions to design education. As a result, since Cellular Automata methods are exploratory processes. They enhance seeing, reaching the whole from the parts, noticing the relationships and patterns between the parts and re-inventing them during and after the generative process. For these reasons, Cellular Automata have an important role in the development of computational design thinking in design studios with different concepts and setups.
This article develops a framework for analysing how digital software and models become mediums for creative imagination in architectural design. To understand the hermeneutics of these relationships, we develop key concepts from Material Engagement Theory (MET) and Postphenomenology (PP). To push these frameworks into the realm of digital design, we develop the concept of Digital Materiality. Digital Materiality describes the way successive layers of mathematics, code, and software come to mediate enactive perception, and the possibilities of creative material engagement actualised in work with software. Just as molecular materials come to transform action with material objects, so digital materiality comes to enable and transform creative practices with computers. Digital architectural design form a new space for ongoing enactive discovery and creativity through manipulation of digital models and their underlying software environments. By shifting relationships within their digital models, architects can direct their attention, intention, and imagination towards widely different aspects of the model. Here, creative imagination becomes a fundamentally situated activity where mind emerges through dynamic interaction between a variety of embodied, material, and cultural domains.
Il est trop facile d'oublier comment l'immatérialité apparente et l'ubiquité de quantité inégalée d' informations aujourd'hui nécessitent le déploiement de vastes systèmes d'infrastructures pour faire circuler, stocker, récupérer e trier le données. Conçus pour les humains et les non-humains, les systèmes contemporaines d'information et de communication proposent de nouvelles formes de constructions tout en redéfinissant la spatialité et l'organisation des typologies établies.
Œuvres produites par des étudiants en master inscrits dans un atelier de recherche sur "Architecture et Information 2.0" en École d'architecture, Université de Montréal, 2017
Architects uses computer-aided tools to help them visualise their ideas and build models of their designs. Parametric design software lets architects and designers specify relationships among various parameters of their design model and make changes interactively. When changes are made the remainder of the model reacts and updates accordingly and in a consistent manner based on the pre-set associative rules. Through a detailed description of various parametric, generative, and algorithmic techniques, this book provides a guide to generating geometric and topological solutions for various situations.
The process of increasing student exposure to computational thinking in K-12 is complex, requiring systemic change, teacher engagement, and development of signifi cant resources. Collaboration with the computer science education community is vital to this effort.
Both transfer and motivation are important constructs accompanied by extensive bodies of literature. However, there is a lack of integration of the 2 constructs. This article analyzes the potential indirect influence of motivational factors on transfer by reviewing studies that examine the influence of motivation on cognitive processes related to transfer. In addition, it reviews studies that examine the direct influence of motivation on transfer. The analysis is focused on 4 motivational constructs: achievement goals, interest, self-efficacy, and intentional transfer. Finally, this article suggests recommendations for future research.
This paper examines the idea that contemporary strategic board games represent an informal, interactional context in which complex computational thinking takes place. When games are collaborative - That is, a game requires that players work in joint pursuit of a shared goal - The computational thinking is easily observed as distributed across several participants. This raises the possibility that a focus on such board games are profitable for those who wish to understand computational thinking and learning in situ. This paper introduces a coding scheme, applies it to the recorded discourse of three groups of game players, and provides qualitative examples of computational thinking that are observed and documented in Pandemic. The primary contributions of this work are the description of and evidence that complex computational thinking can develop spontaneously during board game play.
Computational thinking will influence everyone in every field of endeavour. This vision poses a new educational challenge for our society, especially for our children. In thinking about computing, we need to be attuned to the three drivers of our field: science, technology and society. Accelerating technological advances and monumental societal demands force us to revisit the most basic scientific questions of computing.
Design Thinking is Computational Thinking
- Mark D Gross
Gross, Mark. D. 2007. "Design Thinking is Computational Thinking.", Carnegie Mellon University
Seminar Series.
Assessing computational learning in K-12
- Shuchi Grover
- Stephen Cooper
- Roy Pea
Grover, Shuchi, Stephen Cooper, and Roy Pea. 2014. "Assessing computational learning in K-12."
Proceedings of ITiCSE'14. ACM Press: 57-62.
Arduino: An Open Electronic Prototyping Platform
- David A Mellis
- Massimo Banzi
- David Cuartielles
- Tom Igoe
Mellis, David A., Massimo Banzi, David Cuartielles, and Tom Igoe. 2007. "Arduino: An Open Electronic
Prototyping Platform." Proceedings of CHI'7. San Jose, CA.
Computational Design Thinking
- Achim Menges
- Sean Ahlquist
Menges, Achim and Sean Ahlquist. 2011. "Computational Design Thinking." West Sussex: Wiley and Sons,
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Computational thinking
- Jeannette M Wing
Wing, Jeannette M. 2006. "Computational thinking", Computations of the ACM 49(3): 33-35.