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CumInCAD is a Cumulative Index about publications in Computer Aided Architectural Design
supported by the sibling associations ACADIA, CAADRIA, eCAADe, SIGraDi, ASCAAD and CAAD futures

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_id	cf2011_p170
id	cf2011_p170
authors	Barros, Mário; Duarte José, Chaparro Bruno
year	2011
title	Thonet Chairs Design Grammar: a Step Towards the Mass Customization of Furniture
source	Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures 2011 [Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures / ISBN 9782874561429] Liege (Belgium) 4-8 July 2011, pp. 181-200.
summary	The paper presents the first phase of research currently under development that is focused on encoding Thonet design style into a generative design system using a shape grammar. The ultimate goal of the work is the design and production of customizable chairs using computer assisted tools, establishing a feasible practical model of the paradigm of mass customization (Davis, 1987). The current research step encompasses the following three steps: (1) codification of the rules describing Thonet design style into a shape grammar; (2) implementing the grammar into a computer tool as parametric design; and (3) rapid prototyping of customized chair designs within the style. Future phases will address the transformation of the Thonet’s grammar to create a new style and the production of real chair designs in this style using computer aided manufacturing. Beginning in the 1830’s, Austrian furniture designer Michael Thonet began experimenting with forming steam beech, in order to produce lighter furniture using fewer components, when compared with the standards of the time. Using the same construction principles and standardized elements, Thonet produced different chairs designs with a strong formal resemblance, creating his own design language. The kit assembly principle, the reduced number of elements, industrial efficiency, and the modular approach to furniture design as a system of interchangeable elements that may be used to assemble different objects enable him to become a pioneer of mass production (Noblet, 1993). The most paradigmatic example of the described vision of furniture design is the chair No. 14 produced in 1858, composed of six structural elements. Due to its simplicity, lightness, ability to be stored in flat and cubic packaging for individual of collective transportation, respectively, No. 14 became one of the most sold chairs worldwide, and it is still in production nowadays. Iconic examples of mass production are formally studied to provide insights to mass customization studies. The study of the shape grammar for the generation of Thonet chairs aimed to ensure rules that would make possible the reproduction of the selected corpus, as well as allow for the generation of new chairs within the developed grammar. Due to the wide variety of Thonet chairs, six chairs were randomly chosen to infer the grammar and then this was fine tuned by checking whether it could account for the generation of other designs not in the original corpus. Shape grammars (Stiny and Gips, 1972) have been used with sucesss both in the analysis as in the synthesis of designs at different scales, from product design to building and urban design. In particular, the use of shape grammars has been efficient in the characterization of objects’ styles and in the generation of new designs within the analyzed style, and it makes design rules amenable to computers implementation (Duarte, 2005). The literature includes one other example of a grammar for chair design by Knight (1980). In the second step of the current research phase, the outlined shape grammar was implemented into a computer program, to assist the designer in conceiving and producing customized chairs using a digital design process. This implementation was developed in Catia by converting the grammar into an equivalent parametric design model. In the third phase, physical models of existing and new chair designs were produced using rapid prototyping. The paper describes the grammar, its computer implementation as a parametric model, and the rapid prototyping of physical models. The generative potential of the proposed digital process is discussed in the context of enabling the mass customization of furniture. The role of the furniture designer in the new paradigm and ideas for further work also are discussed.
keywords	Thonet; furniture design; chair; digital design process; parametric design; shape grammar
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2012/02/11 19:21

_id	c7e0
id	c7e0
authors	Maria Gabriela Caffarena Celani
year	2002
title	BEYOND ANALYSIS AND REPRESENTATION IN CAD: A NEW COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH TO DESIGN EDUCATION
source	Submitted to the Department of Architecture in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Architecture: Design & Computation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
summary	This thesis aims at changing students' attitude towards the use of computer-aided design (CAD) in architecture. It starts from the premise that CAD is used mostly for analysis and representation, and not as a real design aide, and that architecture students have a bias against learning computer programming. For this purpose, a prototypical instruction system that mixes computer-aided design and computational design theory was developed, based on a series of fundamental concepts that are common to both fields. This system was influenced by Mitchell's (1987) The Art of Computer Graphics Programming and Stiny's (1976) shape grammars. Despite being based on solid theoretical foundations, CAD has progressively become an exclusively practical tool, since its origins in the 50's and 60's, while computational design theories have been mostly restricted to the academic circles. This thesis proposes an inversion in the present situation: the study of CAD theory, and the application of computational design into practice. The system proposed provides a conceptual framework that can be adapted to different circumstances, including course formats and resources, as well as students' background and technical training. It is based on seven fundamental concepts from computational design theories that are also important to the study of shape grammars: symmetry, recursion, rule-based compositions, parameterization of shapes, generative systems, algorithmization of design procedures, and shape emergence. These concepts are introduced within a CAD context, where their practical implementation and experimentation are possible, focusing the understanding of the computational nature of design. During this research, the proposed system was tested in two case studies with students from schools that had contrary orientations in terms of the importance of CAD in the architectural curriculum. In these experimental courses, students' activities evolved from using a commercial CAD tool in an innovative way, to the use of programming techniques for creating meaningful tools. Despite not having a statistical reach, the fieldwork allowed drawing preliminary conclusions about the proposed system's efficacy, since virtually all the students reported changing their understanding of the role of CAD in architecture, while some also acknowledged a conceptual influence in other subjects and in the way they see architecture.
keywords	Symmetry
series	thesis:PhD
type	normal paper
email
more	http://www.fec.unicamp.br/~celani/
last changed	2004/11/17 20:51

_id	ce3b
authors	Mitchell, J.R. and Radford, Antony D.
year	1987
title	EAVE, A Generative Expert System for Detailing
source	Environment and Planning B. 1987. vol. 14: pp. 281-292
summary	Grammars of shapes and designs are rule-based models for the generation of members of a class of designs. The applicability of the formalism as a basis for generative expert systems for construction details in computer-aided design is discussed. A demonstration system is presented
keywords	applications, automation, synthesis, shape grammars, CAD, expert systems
series	CADline
last changed	2003/06/02 14:41

_id	8e02
authors	Brown, A.G.P. and Coenen, F.P.
year	2000
title	Spatial reasoning: improving computational efficiency
source	Automation in Construction 9 (4) (2000) pp. 361-367
summary	When spatial data is analysed the result is often very computer intensive: even by the standards of contemporary technologies, the machine power needed is great and the processing times significant. This is particularly so in 3-D and 4-D scenarios. What we describe here is a technique, which tackles this and associated problems. The technique is founded in the idea of quad-tesseral addressing; a technique, which was originally applied to the analysis of atomic structures. It is based on ideas concerning Hierarchical clustering developed in the 1960s and 1970s to improve data access time [G.M. Morton, A computer oriented geodetic database and a new technique on file sequencing, IBM Canada, 1996.], and on atomic isohedral (same shape) tiling strategies developed in the 1970s and 1980s concerned with group theory [B. Grunbaum, G.C. Shephard, Tilings and Patterns, Freeman, New York, 1987.]. The technique was first suggested as a suitable representation for GIS in the early 1980s when the two strands were brought together and a tesseral arithmetic applied [F.C. Holdroyd, The Geometry of Tiling Hierarchies, Ars Combanitoria 16B (1983) 211–244.; S.B.M. Bell, B.M. Diaz, F.C. Holroyd, M.J.J. Jackson, Spatially referenced methods of processing raster and vector data, Image and Vision Computing 1 (4) (1983) 211–220.; Diaz, S.B.M. Bell, Spatial Data Processing Using Tesseral Methods, Natural Environment Research Council, Swindon, 1986.]. Here, we describe how that technique can equally be applied to the analysis of environmental interaction with built forms. The way in which the technique deals with the problems described is first to linearise the three-dimensional (3-D) space being investigated. Then, the reasoning applied to that space is applied within the same environment as the definition of the problem data. We show, with an illustrative example, how the technique can be applied. The problem then remains of how to visualise the results of the analysis so undertaken. We show how this has been accomplished so that the 3-D space and the results are represented in a way which facilitates rapid interpretation of the analysis, which has been carried out.
series	journal paper
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/05/15 21:22

_id	68cb
authors	Fenves, Stephen J. and Baker, Nelson C.
year	1987
title	Spatial and Functional Representation Language for Structural Design
source	21 p. : ill. Pittsburgh: Engineering Design Research Center, CMU, December, 1987. includes bibliography
summary	Knowledge-based systems for structural design developed to date have used simple geometric representations which have not provided adequate spatial reasoning. Shape grammars are suggested as a representation for a knowledge-based system capable of performing spatial and functional reasoning. The representation needs to serve all disciplines involved in the design process, where different semantics of each discipline are associated with the same spatial information about design objects. The representation is demonstrated in the building design environment, where possible structural systems can be generated dependent upon the building's spatial layout
keywords	representation, shape grammars, structures, design, problem solving, planning, civil engineering, architecture
series	CADline
last changed	2003/06/02 10:24

_id	c948
authors	Gero, John S. and Maher, Mary Lou
year	1987
title	A Future Role of Knowledge-based Systems in the Design Process
source	CAAD Futures'87 International Conference Computer Aided Architectural Design. May, 1987. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 81-90. includes bibliography
summary	This paper examines the future role of knowledge-based systems in the design process. It commences with a brief review of computer-aided design and knowledge-based systems prior to examining the present and future roles of knowledge- based systems in design under the headings of: Design Analysis (design formulation); Design Synthesis; Design Evaluation; and Detail Design. The paper concludes with a discussion on design integration and on novel design
keywords	design process, knowledge base, systems, CAD, synthesis, evaluation, analysis, detailing
series	CADline
email
last changed	2003/06/02 10:24

_id	e26f
authors	Kalay, Y. (ed.)
year	1987
title	Computability of Design
source	New York: Wiley & Sons
summary	Computer-aided design (CAD) has promised to transform the art and science of architectural design. Yet, despite some significant achievements in the past 3 decades, it has so far failed to do so. This stimulating volume, derived from a symposium held at SUNY, Buffalo in December 1986, explores the reasons why design is so difficult to support by computational means, and what can be done to alleviate this difficulty. Written by an interdisciplinary panel of experts, it presents a varied and comprehensive view of the ways creative design processes can be modelled. The contributors do not all reach the same conclusions, which makes this book lively reading. Topics are arranged into four parts: constructing models of the design process, the computational representation of design knowledge (including spatial information and implicit design intent), methods for computing the design process as a whole (including mathematical programming, expert systems, and shape grammars), and the integration of CAD with traditional design practices.
series	other
last changed	2003/04/23 15:14

_id	diss_kuo
id	diss_kuo
authors	Kuo, C.J.
year	1999
title	Unsupervised Dynamic Concurrent Computer-Aided Design Assistant
source	Los Angeles: UCLA
summary	The increasing capability of computer-aided architectural design systems has strengthened the role that the computer plays in the workplace. Due to the complexity of developing new techniques and research, these systems are undertaken mostly by scientists and engineers without significant architectural input (Willey, 1991). The design concept of these systems may be based on a well-defined and well-understood process, which is not yet realized in architectural design (Galle, 1994). The output of such research may not be easily adapted into the design process. Most of the techniques assume a complete understanding of the design space (Gero and Maher, 1987) (Willey, 1991). The description or construction of the design space is always time and space consuming, and the result can never be complete due to the ever-changing nature of architectural design. This research intends to initiate a solution for the above problems. The proposed system is an unsupervised-dynamic-concurrent-computer-aided-design assistant. The “unsupervised” means the learning process is not supervised by the user because it is against the designer's nature to “think-aloud” in the design studio and it also increases the work load. It is dynamic because the size of the knowledge base is constantly changing. Concurrent means that there are multiple procedures active simultaneously. This research focuses on learning the operational knowledge from an individual designer and reapplying it in future designs. A computer system for this experiment is constructed. It is capable of The preliminary result shows a positive feedback from test subjects. The purpose of this research is to suggest a potent computational frame within which future developments may flourish.
series	thesis:PhD
last changed	2003/11/28 07:37

_id	4904
authors	Lapre, L. and Hudson, P.
year	1988
title	Talking about Design: Supporting the Design Process with Different Goals
source	CAAD futures ‘87 [Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-444-42916-6] Eindhoven (The Netherlands), 20-22 May 1987, pp. 127-136
summary	The architectural design process has more than one participant. Each participant has his own way of approaching the information embedded in a design. In the future the CAAD systems of these participants must be able to communicate and exchange information. For a communication of this kind there must be a common ground, a frame of reference, in which these different points of view can be expressed. This frame of reference or model must support participants accessing the same information with different objectives and for different purposes. We shall propose such a model based on research results obtained by the analysis of architectural knowledge and designs. The model incorporates certain aspects drawn from AI.
series	CAAD Futures
last changed	1999/04/03 17:58

_id	8a1b
authors	Mackenzie, C.A.
year	1987
title	Inducing Relational Grammars From Design Interpretations
source	AI'87 : Proceeding of the Australian Joint Artificial Intelligence Conference. 1987. pp. 207-220 CADLINE has abstract only.
summary	--- Also published in Artificial Intelligence Developments and Applications edited by J. S. Gero and R. Stanton, North-Holland Pub. 1988. The combination of a heuristic driven search and a tree systems inference technique to induce context-free design grammars is presented. This is achieved by searching for the most useful interpretations of each design in a sample set and discovering regularities in their tree systems representation. The knowledge induced is represented as an accepting tree systems automation and generative grammar. Examples from the domain of architectural design are given
keywords	heuristics, inference, search, shape grammars, knowledge, representation, architecture
series	CADline
last changed	2003/06/02 13:58

_id	c1b6
authors	Ries, R.
year	1999
title	Computational Analysis of the Environmental Impact of Building Designs
source	Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
summary	Concem for the environmental implications of human activities is becoming increasingly important to society. The concept of current development that does not compromise future generations! abilities to meet their needs is a goal for many communities and individuals (WCED 1987). These concerns require the evaluation and assessment of the potential environmental impact of human activities so that informed choices can be made. Building construction and operation activities are of significant importance in view of a) national and intemational economies, 6) resource consumption, c) human occupancy, and d) environmental impact. For example, in the United States the built environment represents an extensive investment, both as an annual expenditure and as an aggregate investment. In the mid-l980’s, up to 30% of new and remodeled buildings had indoor air quality related complaints. Buildings also consume approximately 35% of the primary energy in the U.S. every year, resulting in the release of 482 million metric tons of carbon in 1993.I Methods developed to assess the environmental impact of buildings and development patterns can and have taken multiple strategies. The most straightforward and simple methods use single factors, such as energy use or the mass of pollutant emissions as indicators of environmental performance. Other methods use categorization and weighting strategies. These gauge the effects of the emissions typically based on research studies and use a weighting or effect formulation to normalize, compare, and group emissions so that a scalar value can be assigned to a single or a set of emissions. These methods do not consider the characteristics of the context where the emissions occur.
series	thesis:MSc
email
last changed	2003/02/12 22:37

_id	0a09
authors	Akin, O., Dave, B. and Pithavadian, S.
year	1987
title	Problem Structuring in Architectural Design
source	February, 1987. [4], 15 p. : ill. includes bibliography
summary	The purpose of this research is to describe in operational terms the process of problem structuring while solving spatial problems in architectural design. The designer's behavior is described in terms of problem structuring, when problem parameters are established or transformed, and in terms of problem solving when these parameters are satisfied in a design solution. As opposed to problem solving, the structuring of problems is an under-studied but crucial aspect of complex tasks such as design. This work is based on observations derived from verbal protocol studies. To consider various levels of skill, the research subjects range from professional architects to novice designers. Subjects are given space planning problems which require them to develop solutions in accordance with individually established constraints and criteria, the majority of which are not explicit stated in the problem description. Based on the results of the protocol analysis, a framework is developed which explains how information processing characteristics, problem structure and different levels of expertise interact to influence the designer behavior
keywords	architecture, design process, problem solving, protocol analysis, problem definition
series	CADline
email
last changed	2003/05/17 10:09

_id	eb5f
authors	Al-Sallal, Khaled A. and Degelman, Larry 0.
year	1994
title	A Hypermedia Model for Supporting Energy Design in Buildings
source	Reconnecting [ACADIA Conference Proceedings / ISBN 1-880250-03-9] Washington University (Saint Louis / USA) 1994, pp. 39-49
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1994.039
summary	Several studies have discussed the limitations of the available CAAD tools and have proposed solutions [Brown and Novitski 1987, Brown 1990, Degelman and Kim 1988, Schuman et al 1988]. The lack of integration between the different tasks that these programs address and the design process is a major problem. Schuman et al [1988] argued that in architectural design many issues must be considered simultaneously before the synthesis of a final product can take place. Studies by Brown and Novitski [1987] and Brown [1990] discussed the difficulties involved with integrating technical considerations in the creative architectural process. One aspect of the problem is the neglect of technical factors during the initial phase of the design that, as the authors argued, results from changing the work environment and the laborious nature of the design process. Many of the current programs require the user to input a great deal of numerical values that are needed for the energy analysis. Although there are some programs that attempt to assist the user by setting default values, these programs distract the user with their extensive arrays of data. The appropriate design tool is the one that helps the user to easily view the principal components of the building design and specify their behaviors and interactions. Data abstraction and information parsimony are the key concepts in developing a successful design tool. Three different approaches for developing an appropriate CAAD tool were found in the literature. Although there are several similarities among them, each is unique in solving certain aspects of the problem. Brown and Novitski [1987] emphasize the learning factor of the tool as well as its highly graphical user interface. Degelman and Kim [1988] emphasize knowledge acquisition and the provision of simulation modules. The Windows and Daylighting Group of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) emphasizes the dynamic structuring of information, the intelligent linking of data, the integrity of the different issues of design and the design process, and the extensive use of images [Schuman et al 19881, these attributes incidentally define the word hypermedia. The LBL model, which uses hypermedia, seems to be the more promising direction for this type of research. However, there is still a need to establish a new model that integrates all aspects of the problem. The areas in which the present research departs from the LBL model can be listed as follows: it acknowledges the necessity of regarding the user as the center of the CAAD tool design, it develops a model that is based on one of the high level theories of human-computer interaction, and it develops a prototype tool that conforms to the model.
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:54

_id	e820
authors	Armstrong, W.W., Green, M. and Lake, R.
year	1987
title	Near- Real-Time Control of Human Figure Models
source	IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications. June, 1987. vol. 7: pp. 52-60 : ill
summary	Includes bibliography. Animating human figures is one of the major problems in computer animation. A recent approach is the use of dynamic analysis to compute the movement of a human figure, given the forces and torques operating within and upon the body. One of the problems with this technique is computing the forces and torques required for particular motions: this has been called the control problem of dynamic analysis. To develop a better understanding of this problem, an interactive interface to a dynamics package has been produced. This interface, along with a collection of low-level motion processes, can be used to control the motion of a human figure model. This article describes both the user interface and the motion processes, along with experiences with this approach
keywords	computer graphics, animation, user interface
series	CADline
last changed	2003/06/02 14:41

_id	0cd8
authors	Baker, Nelson C. and Fenves, Stephen J.
year	1987
title	A Knowledge Acquisition Study of Structural Engineers Performing Preliminary Design
source	92 p. : ill. Pittsburgh, PA: Engineering Design Research Center, CMU, December, 1987. EDRC-12-19-87
summary	This paper describes interviews with experts in structural engineering. Video recordings of the experts performing preliminary structural design for three buildings were obtained. The knowledge acquisition process is described and the conclusions reached are presented. The conclusions are discussed in terms of level of design detail, solution time, distribution of process and domain activities, the use of previous information in the design process, and the use of sketches
keywords	knowledge acquisition, civil engineering, design process, design methods, drafting, systems, protocol analysis
series	CADline
last changed	2003/06/02 10:24

_id	05c2
authors	Balachandran, M. B. and Gero, John S.
year	1987
title	Use of Knowledge in Selection and Control of Optimization Algorithms
source	engineering Optimization. 1987. vol. 12: pp. 163-173
summary	Computers have been widely used in optimization based problem solving processes to assist with the numerical computations. The widespread availability of symbolic computational tools and recent developments in artificial intelligence now make it feasible to expand the role of computers in this area. Various classes of knowledge used to improve the efficiency of the optimization processes are presented in this paper. A prototype system developed in the domain of multicriteria decision making is demonstrated. The system contains knowledge needed to select appropriate optimization algorithms, to control the solution process, and to select alternate algorithms if needed
keywords	multicriteria, algorithms, knowledge base, systems, problem solving, optimization
series	CADline
email
last changed	2003/06/02 13:58

_id	c568
authors	Balachandran, M.B. and John S. Gero
year	1987
title	A Model for Knowledge Based Graphical Interfaces
source	AI '87: Proceedings of the Australian Joint Artificial Intelligence Conference. 1987. pp. 505-521. Also published in Artificial Intelligence Developments and Applications edited by J. S. Gero and R Stanton, North-Holland Pub. 1988. -- CADLINE has abstract only.
summary	This paper describes a model for knowledge-based graphical interface which incorporates a variety of knowledge of the domain of application. The key issues considered include graphics interpretation, extraction of features of graphics objects and identification of prototype objects. The role of such knowledge-based interfaces in computer-aided design is discussed. A prototype system developed in Prolog and C is described and its application in the domain of structural engineering is demonstrated
keywords	user interface, computer graphics, knowledge base, systems, civil engineering, structures
series	CADline
email
last changed	2003/06/02 13:58

_id	a820
authors	Bjerg, Kresten
year	1987
title	FULL-SCALE IN ANOTHER SENSE
source	Proceedings of the 1st European Full-Scale Workshop Conference / ISBN 87-88373-20-7 / Copenhagen (Denmark) 15-16 January 1987, pp. 31-35
summary	My point of departure is a long standing interest in close human communication. I have been much interested in the multiplicities of communicative levels between persons sharing daily life, e.g. spouses in a household. In the mid-sixties I was working with the first videotapings of marital dyads in a laboratory setting. The "interplay- analysis" which I developed at that time, however, was hampered by the lack of contextual naturalism in the setting. Since - working in the field of "altered states of consciousness" - I came to question the adequacy of studies of extra-ordinary states, in view of the lacking methodology for dealing even with the ranges of the variable ordinary states of mind over the 24-hour cycle in everyday life, and their potential relation to the micro-structure of the habitual ongoing activities of members of a household.
keywords	Full-scale Modeling, Model Simulation, Real Environments
series	other
type	normal paper
more	http://info.tuwien.ac.at/efa
last changed	2004/05/04 15:08

_id	e9ef
authors	Casale, Malcolm S.
year	1987
title	Free-Form Solid Modeling with Trimmed Surface Patches
source	IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications January, 1987. vol. 7: pp. 33-43 : col. ill. includes bibliography.
summary	Solid modelers store a more complete representation than wireframe or surface modelers. This completeness permits the automation of such tasks as interference analysis, mass property calculation, and finite element mesh generation. But the denser information content and complex algorithms needed to perform these tasks complicate the support of free-form geometry, especially Boolean operations. Consequently, the high degree of geometric coverage traditionally found in surface modeling systems has not, for the most part, been equaled in modern solid modelers. This article explores some of the difficulties encountered in Boolean combinations of free-form solids and presents a geometric representation designed to circumvent them
keywords	solid modeling, curved surfaces, representation, geometric modeling, curves, boolean operations
series	CADline
last changed	2003/06/02 13:58

_id	ascaad2006_paper20
id	ascaad2006_paper20
authors	Chougui, Ali
year	2006
title	The Digital Design Process: reflections on architectural design positions on complexity and CAAD
source	Computing in Architecture / Re-Thinking the Discourse: The Second International Conference of the Arab Society for Computer Aided Architectural Design (ASCAAD 2006), 25-27 April 2006, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
summary	These instructions are intended to guide contributors to the Second Architecture is presently engaged in an impatient search for solutions to critical questions about the nature and the identity of the discipline, and digital technology is a key agent for prevailing innovations in architectural design. The problem of complexity underlies all design problems. With the advent of CAD however, Architect’s ability to truly represent complexity has increased considerably. Another source that provides information about dealing with complexity is architectural theory. As Rowe (1987) states, architectural theory constitutes “a corpus of principles that are agreed upon and therefore worthy of emulation”. Architectural theory often is a mixed reflection on the nature of architectural design, design processes, made in descriptive and prescriptive terms (see Kruft 1985). Complexity is obviously not a new issue in architectural theory. Since it is an inherent characteristic of design problems, it has been dealt with in many different ways throughout history. Contemporary architects incorporate the computer in their design process. They produce architecture that is generated by the use of particle systems, simulation software, animation software, but also the more standard modelling tools. The architects reflect on the impact of the computer in their theories, and display changes in style by using information modelling techniques that have become versatile enough to encompass the complexity of information in the architectural design process. In this way, architectural style and theory can provide directions to further develop CAD. Most notable is the acceptance of complexity as a given fact, not as a phenomenon to oppose in systems of organization, but as a structuring principle to begin with. No matter what information modelling paradigm is used, complex and huge amounts of information need to be processed by designers. A key aspect in the combination of CAD, complexity, and architectural design is the role of the design representation. The way the design is presented and perceived during the design process is instrumental to understanding the design task. More architects are trying to reformulate this working of the representation. The intention of this paper is to present and discuss the current state of the art in architectural design positions on complexity and CAAD, and to reflect in particular on the role of digital design representations in this discussion. We also try to investigate how complexity can be dealt with, by looking at architects, in particular their styles and theories. The way architects use digital media and graphic representations can be informative how units of information can be formed and used in the design process. A case study is a concrete architect’s design processes such as Peter Eisenman Rem Koolhaas, van Berkel, Lynn, and Franke gehry, who embrace complexity and make it a focus point in their design, Rather than viewing it as problematic issue, by using computer as an indispensable instrument in their approaches.
series	ASCAAD
email
last changed	2007/04/08 19:47

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