Cumincad : CUMINCAD Papers : Search Results

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	1af7
authors	Jabi, Wassim M. and Hall, Theodore W.
year	1995
title	Beyond the Shared Whiteboard: Issues in Computer Supported Collaborative Design
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 719-725
summary	This research focuses on combining the rich representations of computer-aided design systems with current collaboration technologies to support distributed design processes. Our emphasis is not on concurrent multi-user access to integrated databases, but rather on shared protocols of interaction that are independent of implementation and storage schemes. We have developed a prototype for a Synchronous Collaborative Design System (SYCODE) that enables geographically dispersed designers to share common representations even when using different hardware platforms. The limitations of the existing network infrastructure have compelled its to devise a meaningful and parsimonious representation scheme and to semantically define pending and confirmed actions.
keywords	Computer Supported Co-operative Work, Collaborative Design, Multi-User Synchronous CAAD, Shared Workspace, Shared Protocols of interaction
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2002/02/20 22:01

_id	d7eb
authors	Bharwani, Seraj
year	1996
title	The MIT Design Studio of the Future: Virtual Design Review Video Program
source	Proceedings of ACM CSCW'96 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work 1996 p.10
summary	The MIT Design Studio of the Future is an interdisciplinary effort to focus on geographically distributed electronic design and work group collaboration issues. The physical elements of this virtual studio comprise networked computer and videoconferencing connections among electronic design studios at MIT in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Mechanical Engineering, the Lab for Computer Science, and the Rapid Prototyping Lab, with WAN and other electronic connections to industry partners and sponsors to take advantage of non-local expertise and to introduce real design and construction and manufacturing problems into the equation. This prototype collaborative design network is known as StudioNet. The project is looking at aspects of the design process to determine how advanced technologies impact the process. The first experiment within the electronic studio setting was the "virtual design review", wherein jurors for the final design review were located in geographically distributed sites. The video captures the results of that project, as does a paper recently published in the journal Architectural Research Quarterly (Cambridge, UK; Vol. 1, No. 2; Dec. 1995).
series	other
last changed	2002/07/07 16:01

_id	maver_076
id	maver_076
authors	Chen, Y., Fram, I. and Maver, T.W.
year	1995
title	On the Architecture of a Computer-Mediated Collaborative Product Design Environment
source	Intelligent Manufacturing Conference (Ed: S Yang et al) Wuhan, PRC
summary	This paper describes the development of a COmputer-Mediated Collaborative Product development Environment (COMCOPE) within the context of the construction industry, a collaborative project between Anglia Polytechnic University, the University of Strathclyde and some industrial partners. The most prominent feature about COMCOPE lies in the particular emphasis on supporting human-human interaction across time and space through computer mediation within a distributed and networked environment. Based on a review of related research areas, traditional computer integrated construction concepts have been extended within the framework of computer supported cooperative work, which results in the COMCOPE conceptual architecture. As the core of COMCOPE architecture an interaction model has been developed to help articulate collaborative activities. Implementation issues have been addressed, and a prototype system, based on an augmented client-server model, has been outlined.
series	other
type	normal paper
email
last changed	2015/02/20 11:15

_id	8425
authors	Chiu, Mao-Lin
year	1995
title	Collaborative Design in CAAD Studios: Shared Ideas, Resources, and Representations
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 749-759
summary	This paper is to discuss the shared experiences among two institutions learned from the collaborative design project with a three-stage structured design process. The collaborative methodology is developed for participants in the studios to learn how to utilize shared ideas, resources, and representations. Design communication and interaction is taken place through internet in the asynchronous mode. The shift from conventional design studios to collaborative design studios requires several changes, including the tools, the communication media, the remote reflections, and more importantly, the design process, the team organization, and the networked design culture.
keywords	Collaborative Design, Computer-Aided Architectural Design, Computer Supported Collaborative Work, Shared Representations
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/05/16 20:58

_id	79fd
authors	Jabi, Wassim and Hall, Theodore
year	1995
title	The Role of Computers in Synchronous Collaborative Design
source	Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Cybernetics. Namur, Belgium: International Association for Cybernetics, 1995, pp. 71-76
summary	In this paper we discuss the role of computers in supporting real-time synchronous design among geographically dispersed team members using the global network of computers known as the Internet. To enable efficient and functional synchronous design activity, we advocate a new generation of design-oriented software that combines collaboration technologies with a meaningful and parsimonious representation scheme. We are particularly interested in supporting the early design phases, wherein many of the most important decisions are made and collaboration is most important. These activities are crucial to the evolution and quality of the final design, and they are receptive to and can benefit from computer support. Furthermore, these are precisely the areas where current CAD systems are weakest. As a general theoretical direction, our emphasis is not on integrated databases, but rather on shared protocols of interaction that are independent of implementation and storage schemes. Our first experimental phase involved the simultaneous development and testing of prototypes for a Synchronous Collaborative Design Environment (SYCODE) on heterogeneous computer systems at two geographically dispersed sites. The applications were developed independently, based on a verbal description of protocols, with minimal sharing of actual source code. Though their user interfaces and implementation details are different, these prototypes allow multiple users to share a virtual design space - both within and between the remote sites - in which to create and manipulate architectural elements.
keywords	Computer Supported Collaborative Design, Synchronous Design, Collaboration, Computers, CAD, Internet
series	other
email
last changed	2002/03/05 19:53

_id	4cb3
authors	Kwartler, Michael
year	1995
title	Beyond the Adversial: Conflict Resolution, Simulation and Community Design
source	The Future of Endoscopy [Proceedings of the 2nd European Architectural Endoscopy Association Conference / ISBN 3-85437-114-4]
summary	Fundamentally, the design of communities in the United States is grounded in the Constitution’s evolving definition of property and the rights and obligations attendant to the ownership and use of real property. The rearticulation of Jefferson’s dictum in the Declaration of Independence; “that individuals have certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” to the Constitution’s “life, liberty and property” represents a pragmatic understanding of the relationship between property and the actualization of the individual in society. In terms of community design, this means extensive public involvement and participation in not only the formulation of rules and regulations but of individual projects as well. Since the 1960’s as planning and community design decision making has become increasingly contentious, the American legal system’s adversial approach to conflict resolution has become the dominant model for public decision making. The legal system’s adversial approach to adjudication is essentially a zero-sum game of winners and losers, and as most land-use lawyers will agree, is not a good model for the design of cities. While the adversial approach does not resolve disputes it rarely creates a positive and constructive consensus for change. Because physical planning and community design issues are not only value based, community design through consensus building has emerged as a new paradigm for physical planning and design. The Environmental Simulation Center employs a broad range of complementary simulation and visualization techniques including 3-D vector based computer models, endoscopy, and verifiable digital photomontages to provide objective and verifiable information for projects and regulations under study. In this context, a number of recent projects will be discussed which have explored the use of various simulation and visualization techniques in community design. Among them are projects involved with changes in the City’s Zoning Regulations, the community design of a major public open space in one of the region’s mid-size cities, and the design of a new village center for a suburban community, with the last project employing the Center’s userfriendly and interactive 3-D computer kit of parts. The kit - a kind of computer “pattern book” is comprised of site planning, urban and landscape design and architectural conventions - is part of the Center’s continuing effort to support a consensus based, rather than adversial based, public planning and design process.
keywords	Architectural Simulation, Real Environments
series	EAEA
more	http://info.tuwien.ac.at/eaea/
last changed	2005/09/09 10:43

_id	a472
authors	Caneparo, Luca
year	1995
title	Coordinative Virtual Space for Architectural Design
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 739-748
summary	The paper explores group coordination in the design process through communicative innovations brought by computers. It is divided into three main sections. The first is the analysis of the design group coordination and communication. The second introduces the concept of Coordinative Virtual Space: this is a common multi-dimensional space where the group members share design information. The third presents the implementation: each member can connect to the shared space through the computer network and display several projections of the design information space.
keywords	Collaborative Design, Virtual Workspace, Shared Workspace, Groupware, Design Paradigm
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/05/16 20:58

_id	8991
authors	Danahy, John and Hoinkes, Rodney
year	1995
title	Polytrim: Collaborative Setting for Environmental Design
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 647-658
summary	This paper begins with a review of the structuring values and questions the Centre for Landscape Research (CLR) is interested in answering with its testbed software system Polytrim (and its derivatives; CLRview, CLRpaint, CLRmosaic available via anonymous ftp over the internet). The mid section of the paper serves as a guide to Polytrim's structure and implementation issues. Some of the most enduring and significant principles learned from Polytrim's use over the last six years of use in research, teaching and professional practice are introduced. The paper will end with an overview of characteristics that we believe our next generation of software should achieve. The CLR's digital library on the World-Wide Web provides an extensive Set of illustrations and detailed descriptions of the ideas and figures presented in this paper. Endnotes provide specific internet addresses for those that wish to read, see or use the system.
keywords	Dialogue, Interaction, Collaboration, Integration, Setting
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/05/16 20:58

_id	e3db
authors	Ismail, Ashraf Lotfy R.M.
year	1995
title	Singularity and Pluralism in Multimedia: A Key Theoretical Approach to the Multimodel
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1995.331
source	Multimedia and Architectural Disciplines [Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Education in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe / ISBN 0-9523687-1-4] Palermo (Italy) 16-18 November 1995, pp. 331-340
summary	Contemporary multimedia research address the possibilities and consequences of integrating various techniques to produce single user based applications (singularity). There is a need for utilising current multimedia techniques; to explore the potential of multi-models (theoretically) to generate modelling information that could be shared simultaneously. The problems are confined to understanding and managing the issues that influence the so-called ´target and product models´. This paper introduces and elaborates on such problems. It provides a theoretical and another practical framework, the 3D-CAD Modelling Paradigm, based upon completed results of modelling. There is a suggested evidence that there might be advantages in standardising the process of modelling and knowledge representation. The paper stresses that the composition of a model should differ from another to reflect its unique characteristics (singularity). Though, it is essential that such models should conform and respond to the well defined and shared criteria (pluralism).
series	eCAADe
more	http://dpce.ing.unipa.it/Webshare/Wwwroot/ecaade95/Pag_40.htm
last changed	2022/06/07 07:50

_id	cc90
authors	Kolarevic, Branko
year	1998
title	CAD@HKU
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1998.016
source	ACADIA Quarterly, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 16-17
summary	Since 1993, we have experimented with Virtual Design Studios (VDS) as an on-going research project that investigates the combination of current computer-aided design (CAD), computer networks (Internet), and computer supported collaborative work (CSCW) techniques to bring together studentsat geographically distributed locations to work in a virtual atelier. In 1993 the theme of the first joint VDS project was in-fill housing for the traditional Chinese walled village of Kat Hing Wai in the New Territories north of Hong Kong, and our partners included MIT and Harvard in Boston (USA), UBC in Vancouver (Canada), and Washington University in St. Louis (USA). In 1994 we were joined by Cornell (USA) and Escola Tecnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona (Spain) to re-design Li Long housing in Shanghai, and 1995 added the Warsaw Institute of Technology (Poland) for the ACSA/Dupont competition to design a Center for Cultural and Religious Studies in Japan. The 1996 topic was an international competition to design a monument located in Hong Kong to commemorate the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Communication was via e-mail, the WorldWide Web with limited attempts at VRML, and network video. Several teaching and research experiments conducted through these projects have demonstrated the viability and potential of using electronic, telecommunications, and videoconferencing technologies in collaborative design processes. Results of these VDS have been presented at conferences worldwide, explained in journal papers and published in Virtual Design Studio, edited by J. Wojtowicz, published by HKU Press.
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	2e3b
authors	Kvan, Thomas and Kvan, Erik
year	1997
title	Is Design Really Social
source	Creative Collaboration in Virtual Communities 1997, ed. A. Cicognani. VC'97. Sydney: Key Centre of Design Computing, Department of Architectural and Design Science, University of Sydney, 8 p.
summary	There are many who will readily agree with Mitchell’s assertion that “the most interesting new directions (for computer-aided design) are suggested by the growing convergence of computation and telecommunication. This allows us to treat designing not just as a technical process... but also as a social process.” [Mitchell 1995]. The assumption is that design was a social process until users of computer-aided design systems were distracted into treating it as a merely technical process. Most readers will assume that this convergence must and will lead to increased communication between design participants; that better social interaction leads to be better design. The unspoken assumption appears to be that putting the participants into an environment with maximal communication channels will result in design collaboration. The tools provided; therefore; must permit the best communication and the best social interaction. We think it essential to examine the foundations and assumptions on which software and environments are designed to support collaborative design communication. Of particular interest to us in this paper is the assumption about the “social” nature of design. Early research in computer-assisted design collaborations has jumped immediately into conclusions about communicative models which lead to high-bandwidth video connections as the preferred channel of collaboration. The unstated assumption is that computer-supported design environments are not adequate until they replicate in full the sensation of being physically present in the same space as the other participants (you are not there until you are really there). It is assumed that the real social process of design must include all the signals used to establish and facilitate face-to-face communication; including gestures; body language and all outputs of drawing (e.g. Tang [1991]). In our specification of systems for virtual design communities; are we about to fall into the same traps as drafting systems did?
keywords	CSCW; Virtual Community; Architectural Design; Computer-Aided Design
series	other
email
last changed	2002/11/15 18:29

_id	7c88
authors	McCullough, Malcolm and Hoinkes, Rodney
year	1995
title	Dynamic Data Sets as Collaboration in Urban Design
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 709-718
summary	Computer applications to urban design involve a distinctively rich hybrid of geometric, geographic, and annotative information. This condition raises opportunities for collaboration, needs for data integration, and examples of the increasing importance of rich datasets as a basis for design work. This paper describes these general issues, provides substantive examples from recent studio work, and demonstrates a specific implementation of software integration. The latter includes a prototypical data interface, translation tables for multimedia linkage, and capacity to work together with a web browser.
keywords	Datasets, Software Integration, Urban Design, Collaborative Work
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/05/16 20:58

_id	f50a
authors	Rutherford, James
year	1995
title	A Multi-User Design Workspace
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 673-685
summary	Advances in digital media and digital communication has fostered the growth of a new enabling technology that allows geographically displaced individuals to hold group meetings and provides the opportunity to interact in a collaborative venture. The development of computer software to aid remote collaboration has, until recently, focused on the provision of tools that enable two or more people to participate in the shared authoring of a mixed-media (lexi-visual) documents. This paper presents a model of the design process which is founded on the transient nature of collaboration. The model is used to develop a multimedia framework to support remote collaborative design providing transitional support between synchronous and asynchronous design activity. A prototype system is used to illustrate the salient features of the framework.
keywords	Collaborative Design
series	CAAD Futures
last changed	1999/08/03 17:16

_id	3f92
authors	Saad, Milad and Maher, Mary Lou
year	1995
title	Exploring the Possibilities for Computer Support for Collaborative Designing
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 727-737
summary	Design projects require a collaboration of individuals and a coordination of information and tasks. Computer support for design, more specifically CAD systems, have been developed to support a single user through a graphical interface and project teams through distributed data. This paper considers recent developments in computer support for synchronous collaborative design. The possibilities for developing a support environment for synchronous collaborative design cover a broad range of technical and personal considerations. We explore these possibilities by presenting several perspectives of the technical considerations and options, followed by a discussion of how such environments have the potential to enable a shared understanding among people as they are designing.
keywords	Collaborative Design, Groupware, Shared CAD.
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/05/16 20:58

_id	aab6
authors	Bermudez, Julio
year	1995
title	Designing Architectural Experiences: Using Computers to Construct Temporal 3D Narratives
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1995.139
source	Computing in Design - Enabling, Capturing and Sharing Ideas [ACADIA Conference Proceedings / ISBN 1-880250-04-7] University of Washington (Seattle, Washington / USA) October 19-22, 1995, pp. 139-149
summary	Computers are launching us into a representational revolution that fundamentally challenges the way we have hitherto conceived and practiced architecture. This paper will explore one of its fronts: the simulation of architectural experiences. Today's off-the-shelf softwares (e.g. 3D modeling, animations, multimedia) allow us for first time in history to depict and thus approach architectural design and criticism truly experientially. What is so appealing about this is the possibility of shifting our attention from the object to the experience of the object and in so doing reconceptualizing architectural design as the design of architectural experiences. Carrying forward such a phenomenological proposition requires us to know (1) how to work with non-traditional and 'quasi-immersive' (or subject-centered) representational systems, and (2) how to construct temporal assemblages of experiential events that unfold not unlike 'architectural stories'. As our discipline lacks enough knowledge on this area, importing models from other fields appears as an appropriate starting point. In this sense, the narrative arts (especially those involved with the temporal representation of audio-visual narratives) offer us the best insights. For example, principles of cinema and storytelling give us an excellent guidance for designing architectural experiences that have a structuring theme (parti), a plot (order), unfolding episodes (rhythm), and special events (details). Approaching architecture as a temporal 3D narrative does transform the design process and, consequently, its results. For instance, (1) phenomenological issues enter the decision making process in an equal footing to functional, technological, or compositional considerations; (2) orthographic representations become secondary sources of information, mostly used for later accurate dimensioning or geometrization; (3) multi-sensory qualities beyond sight are seriously considered (particularly sound, texture, and kinesthetic); etc.
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:52

_id	2068
authors	Frazer, John
year	1995
title	AN EVOLUTIONARY ARCHITECTURE
source	London: Architectural Association
summary	In "An Evolutionary Architecture", John Frazer presents an overview of his work for the past 30 years. Attempting to develop a theoretical basis for architecture using analogies with nature's processes of evolution and morphogenesis. Frazer's vision of the future of architecture is to construct organic buildings. Thermodynamically open systems which are more environmentally aware and sustainable physically, sociologically and economically. The range of topics which Frazer discusses is a good illustration of the breadth and depth of the evolutionary design problem. Environmental Modelling One of the first topics dealt with is the importance of environmental modelling within the design process. Frazer shows how environmental modelling is often misused or misinterpreted by architects with particular reference to solar modelling. From the discussion given it would seem that simplifications of the environmental models is the prime culprit resulting in misinterpretation and misuse. The simplifications are understandable given the amount of information needed for accurate modelling. By simplifying the model of the environmental conditions the architect is able to make informed judgments within reasonable amounts of time and effort. Unfortunately the simplications result in errors which compound and cause the resulting structures to fall short of their anticipated performance. Frazer obviously believes that the computer can be a great aid in the harnessing of environmental modelling data, providing that the same simplifying assumptions are not made and that better models and interfaces are possible. Physical Modelling Physical modelling has played an important role in Frazer's research. Leading to the construction of several novel machine readable interactive models, ranging from lego-like building blocks to beermat cellular automata and wall partitioning systems. Ultimately this line of research has led to the Universal Constructor and the Universal Interactor. The Universal Constructor The Universal Constructor features on the cover of the book. It consists of a base plug-board, called the "landscape", on top of which "smart" blocks, or cells, can be stacked vertically. The cells are individually identified and can communicate with neighbours above and below. Cells communicate with users through a bank of LEDs displaying the current state of the cell. The whole structure is machine readable and so can be interpreted by a computer. The computer can interpret the states of the cells as either colour or geometrical transformations allowing a wide range of possible interpretations. The user interacts with the computer display through direct manipulation of the cells. The computer can communicate and even direct the actions of the user through feedback with the cells to display various states. The direct manipulation of the cells encourages experimentation by the user and demonstrates basic concepts of the system. The Universal Interactor The Universal Interactor is a whole series of experimental projects investigating novel input and output devices. All of the devices speak a common binary language and so can communicate through a mediating central hub. The result is that input, from say a body-suit, can be used to drive the out of a sound system or vice versa. The Universal Interactor opens up many possibilities for expression when using a CAD system that may at first seem very strange.However, some of these feedback systems may prove superior in the hands of skilled technicians than more standard devices. Imagine how a musician might be able to devise structures by playing melodies which express the character. Of course the interpretation of input in this form poses a difficult problem which will take a great deal of research to achieve. The Universal Interactor has been used to provide environmental feedback to affect the development of evolving genetic codes. The feedback given by the Universal Interactor has been used to guide selection of individuals from a population. Adaptive Computing Frazer completes his introduction to the range of tools used in his research by giving a brief tour of adaptive computing techniques. Covering topics including cellular automata, genetic algorithms, classifier systems and artificial evolution. Cellular Automata As previously mentioned Frazer has done some work using cellular automata in both physical and simulated environments. Frazer discusses how surprisingly complex behaviour can result from the simple local rules executed by cellular automata. Cellular automata are also capable of computation, in fact able to perform any computation possible by a finite state machine. Note that this does not mean that cellular automata are capable of any general computation as this would require the construction of a Turing machine which is beyond the capabilities of a finite state machine. Genetic Algorithms Genetic algorithms were first presented by Holland and since have become a important tool for many researchers in various areas.Originally developed for problem-solving and optimization problems with clearly stated criteria and goals. Frazer fails to mention one of the most important differences between genetic algorithms and other adaptive problem-solving techniques, ie. neural networks. Genetic algorithms have the advantage that criteria can be clearly stated and controlled within the fitness function. The learning by example which neural networks rely upon does not afford this level of control over what is to be learned. Classifier Systems Holland went on to develop genetic algorithms into classifier systems. Classifier systems are more focussed upon the problem of learning appropriate responses to stimuli, than searching for solutions to problems. Classifier systems receive information from the environment and respond according to rules, or classifiers. Successful classifiers are rewarded, creating a reinforcement learning environment. Obviously, the mapping between classifier systems and the cybernetic view of organisms sensing, processing and responding to environmental stimuli is strong. It would seem that a central process similar to a classifier system would be appropriate at the core of an organic building. Learning appropriate responses to environmental conditions over time. Artificial Evolution Artificial evolution traces it's roots back to the Biomorph program which was described by Dawkins in his book "The Blind Watchmaker". Essentially, artificial evolution requires that a user supplements the standard fitness function in genetic algorithms to guide evolution. The user may provide selection pressures which are unquantifiable in a stated problem and thus provide a means for dealing ill-defined criteria. Frazer notes that solving problems with ill-defined criteria using artificial evolution seriously limits the scope of problems that can be tackled. The reliance upon user interaction in artificial evolution reduces the practical size of populations and the duration of evolutionary runs. Coding Schemes Frazer goes on to discuss the encoding of architectural designs and their subsequent evolution. Introducing two major systems, the Reptile system and the Universal State Space Modeller. Blueprint vs. Recipe Frazer points out the inadequacies of using standard "blueprint" design techniques in developing organic structures. Using a "recipe" to describe the process of constructing a building is presented as an alternative. Recipes for construction are discussed with reference to the analogous process description given by DNA to construct an organism. The Reptile System The Reptile System is an ingenious construction set capable of producing a wide range of structures using just two simple components. Frazer saw the advantages of this system for rule-based and evolutionary systems in the compactness of structure descriptions. Compactness was essential for the early computational work when computer memory and storage space was scarce. However, compact representations such as those described form very rugged fitness landscapes which are not well suited to evolutionary search techniques. Structures are created from an initial "seed" or minimal construction, for example a compact spherical structure. The seed is then manipulated using a series of processes or transformations, for example stretching, shearing or bending. The structure would grow according to the transformations applied to it. Obviously, the transformations could be a predetermined sequence of actions which would always yield the same final structure given the same initial seed. Alternatively, the series of transformations applied could be environmentally sensitive resulting in forms which were also sensitive to their location. The idea of taking a geometrical form as a seed and transforming it using a series of processes to create complex structures is similar in many ways to the early work of Latham creating large morphological charts. Latham went on to develop his ideas into the "Mutator" system which he used to create organic artworks. Generalising the Reptile System Frazer has proposed a generalised version of the Reptile System to tackle more realistic building problems. Generating the seed or minimal configuration from design requirements automatically. From this starting point (or set of starting points) solutions could be evolved using artificial evolution. Quantifiable and specific aspects of the design brief define the formal criteria which are used as a standard fitness function. Non-quantifiable criteria, including aesthetic judgments, are evaluated by the user. The proposed system would be able to learn successful strategies for satisfying both formal and user criteria. In doing so the system would become a personalised tool of the designer. A personal assistant which would be able to anticipate aesthetic judgements and other criteria by employing previously successful strategies. Ultimately, this is a similar concept to Negroponte's "Architecture Machine" which he proposed would be computer system so personalised so as to be almost unusable by other people. The Universal State Space Modeller The Universal State Space Modeller is the basis of Frazer's current work. It is a system which can be used to model any structure, hence the universal claim in it's title. The datastructure underlying the modeller is a state space of scaleless logical points, called motes. Motes are arranged in a close-packing sphere arrangement, which makes each one equidistant from it's twelve neighbours. Any point can be broken down into a self-similar tetrahedral structure of logical points. Giving the state space a fractal nature which allows modelling at many different levels at once. Each mote can be thought of as analogous to a cell in a biological organism. Every mote carries a copy of the architectural genetic code in the same way that each cell within a organism carries a copy of it's DNA. The genetic code of a mote is stored as a sequence of binary "morons" which are grouped together into spatial configurations which are interpreted as the state of the mote. The developmental process begins with a seed. The seed develops through cellular duplication according to the rules of the genetic code. In the beginning the seed develops mainly in response to the internal genetic code, but as the development progresses the environment plays a greater role. Cells communicate by passing messages to their immediate twelve neighbours. However, it can send messages directed at remote cells, without knowledge of it's spatial relationship. During the development cells take on specialised functions, including environmental sensors or producers of raw materials. The resulting system is process driven, without presupposing the existence of a construction set to use. The datastructure can be interpreted in many ways to derive various phenotypes. The resulting structure is a by-product of the cellular activity during development and in response to the environment. As such the resulting structures have much in common with living organisms which are also the emergent result or by-product of local cellular activity. Primordial Architectural Soups To conclude, Frazer presents some of the most recent work done, evolving fundamental structures using limited raw materials, an initial seed and massive feedback. Frazer proposes to go further and do away with the need for initial seed and start with a primordial soup of basic architectural concepts. The research is attempting to evolve the starting conditions and evolutionary processes without any preconditions. Is there enough time to evolve a complex system from the basic building blocks which Frazer proposes? The computational complexity of the task being embarked upon is not discussed. There is an implicit assumption that the "superb tactics" of natural selection are enough to cut through the complexity of the task. However, Kauffman has shown how self-organisation plays a major role in the early development of replicating systems which we may call alive. Natural selection requires a solid basis upon which it can act. Is the primordial soup which Frazer proposes of the correct constitution to support self-organisation? Kauffman suggests that one of the most important attributes of a primordial soup to be capable of self-organisation is the need for a complex network of catalysts and the controlling mechanisms to stop the reactions from going supracritical. Can such a network be provided of primitive architectural concepts? What does it mean to have a catalyst in this domain? Conclusion Frazer shows some interesting work both in the areas of evolutionary design and self-organising systems. It is obvious from his work that he sympathizes with the opinions put forward by Kauffman that the order found in living organisms comes from both external evolutionary pressure and internal self-organisation. His final remarks underly this by paraphrasing the words of Kauffman, that life is always to found on the edge of chaos. By the "edge of chaos" Kauffman is referring to the area within the ordered regime of a system close to the "phase transition" to chaotic behaviour. Unfortunately, Frazer does not demonstrate that the systems he has presented have the necessary qualities to derive useful order at the edge of chaos. He does not demonstrate, as Kauffman does repeatedly, that there exists a "phase transition" between ordered and chaotic regimes of his systems. He also does not make any studies of the relationship of useful forms generated by his work to phase transition regions of his systems should they exist. If we are to find an organic architecture, in more than name alone, it is surely to reside close to the phase transition of the construction system of which is it built. Only there, if we are to believe Kauffman, are we to find useful order together with environmentally sensitive and thermodynamically open systems which can approach the utility of living organisms.
series	other
type	normal paper
last changed	2004/05/22 14:12

_id	cf2011_p024
id	cf2011_p024
authors	Tidafi, Temy; Charbonneau Nathalie, Khalili-Araghi Salman
year	2011
title	Backtracking Decisions within a Design Process: a Way of Enhancing the Designer's Thought Process and Creativity
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. 573-587.
summary	This paper proposes a way computer sciences could contribute to stimulate the designer‚Äôs reflexive thought. We explore the possibility of making use of backtracking devices in order to formalize the designer‚Äôs thought process. Design, as a process of creating an object, cannot be represented by means of a linear timeline. Accordingly, the backtracking processes we are discussing here are not based on a linear model but rather on a non-linear structure. Beyond the notion of undoing and redoing commands within CAD packages, the backtracking process is seen as a way to explore and record several alternate options. The branches of the non-linear model can be seen as pathways made of sequential decisions. The designer creates and explores these pathways while making tentative moves towards an architectural solution. Within the design process, backtracking enables the designer to establish and act on a network of interrelated decisions. This notion is fundamental. It is quite obvious that information, in order to be meaningful, must occupy a specific place within an informational network. A data, separated from its context, is devoid of interest. By the same token, a decision takes on significance solely in combination with other decisions. In this paper, we examine what kinds of decisions are involved within a design process, how they are connected, and what could be the best ways to formalize the relationships. Our goal is to experiment ways that could enable the designer and his/her collaborators to get a clearer mental picture of the network of decisions aforementioned. The non-linear model can be seen as a graph structure. The user moves wherever he/she wants through the branches of the structure to establish the network of decisions or to get reacquainted with a previous design process. As a matter of fact, it can act in both ways: to reassess or to confirm a decision. On the one hand, the designer can go back to previous states, reconsider past choices, and eventually modify them. On the other hand, he/she can move forward and revisit a given sequence of decisions, so as to recapture the essence of a previous design process. It goes without saying that knowledge regarding the design process is constructed by the designer from his/her own experiences. Since the designer‚Äôs perception evolves as time goes by, the network of decisions constitutes a model that is continuously questioned and restructured. The designer does not elaborate solely an architectural object, but also an evolving model formalizing the way he/she achieved his/her aim. As Le Moigne (1995) pointed out, the model itself produces knowledge; afterwards, the designer can examine it so as to get a clearer mental picture of his/her own cognitive processes. Furthermore, it can be used by his/her collaborators in order to understand which thread of ideas led the designer to a given visual result, and eventually resume or reorient the design process. In addition to reflecting on the ideological implications inherent to this questioning, we take into account the feasibility of such a research project. From a more technical point of view, in this paper we will describe how we plane to take up the challenge of elaborating a digital environment enabling backtracking processes within graph structures. Furthermore, we will explain how we plane to test the first trial version of the new environment with potential users so as to observe how they respond to it. These experiments will be conducted in order to verify to what extend the methods we are proposing are able to i) enhance the designer‚Äôs creativity and ii) increase our understanding of designer‚Äôs thought process.
keywords	backtracking, design process, digital environments, problem space, network of decisions, graph structure.
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2012/02/11 19:21

_id	6b82
authors	Week, David
year	1995
title	The Database Revisited: Beyond the Container Metaphor
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1995.053
source	Computing in Design - Enabling, Capturing and Sharing Ideas [ACADIA Conference Proceedings / ISBN 1-880250-04-7] University of Washington (Seattle, Washington / USA) October 19-22, 1995, pp. 53-70
summary	The growth of international networks, and of international trade in general, has increased the opportunities for architects to work together over distance. In our practice at Pacific Architecture, we’ve been using first modems, and now the Internet, to connect co-workers at sites in Australia, Oregon, Scotland, and Papua New Guinea. Design collaboration has been primarily through the e-mail exchange of text and drawings. We’ve also assessed other CMC tools. Products like Timbuktu and video-conferencing software allow for real-time collaboration, based on the metaphor of two (or more) people together at a table, able to see and hear each other, and to work together on the same document. Groupware make intragroup communication the basis for building a workgroup’s knowledgebase. On recent projects, we’ve begun using database software as the basis for collaborative design communication. We’ve taken as a model for data structure Christopher Alexander’s ‘pattern language’ schema. Conversations about the design take the form of a collaborative construction of the language. Inputs into the database are constrained by the ‘pattern’ format. The CAD drawings run in parallel, as an ‘expression’ or ‘instance’ of the language. So far, CAD and database do not have an integrated interface. This paper describes our experience in these projects. It also outlines a set of design criteria for an integrated CAD/database environment economically and incrementally achievable within the constraints of currently available software. Formulating such criteria requires the reconceptualisation of notions of ‘database’. This paper looks at these notions through philosophical and linguistic work on metaphor. In conclusion, the paper analyses the way in which we can use a reframed notion of database to create a useful collaborative communication environment, centred on the architectural drawing.
series	ACADIA
last changed	2022/06/07 07:58

_id	4d75
authors	Woodbury, Robert F. and Chang, Teng Wen
year	1997
title	Using the WWW for Design Teaching
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.caadria.1997.465
source	CAADRIA ‘97 [Proceedings of the Second Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia / ISBN 957-575-057-8] Taiwan 17-19 April 1997, pp. 465-474
summary	In this paper we show how we have used the World Wide Web in teaching design-related subjects at The University of Adelaide and discuss how our use of the Web has transformed both the subjects we taught and our thinking about design instruction. Since 1995, we have used the Web in teaching three subjects. We have progressively gone beyond the delivery of subject material on the Web towards using the Web as a vehicle for fostering new forms of communication among students and academics.
series	CAADRIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:57

_id	be7c
authors	Zago, Andrew and Taylor, Dean
year	1995
title	Beyond the CAAD Laboratory: The Cornell Project and the Creation of the Cornell Synthesis Studio.
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 267-276
summary	Over the past year a project has been initiated at Cornell University's Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to develop and implement a new direction in mechanical design education. The Cornell Project develops a teaching and working environment that fosters creative problem solving and visual thinking in the design of mechanical systems. The project is more than the creation of a laboratory; it combines curriculum, the designed environment, machinery and sophisticated computing resources in a comprehensive and critical vision of the future of design. The Cornell Project culminates in the Cornell Synthesis Studio, the primary facility for Mechanical Design and Synthesis (MAE 225), a new required course in mechanical design.
keywords	Mechanical Design, Design Studio, Curriculum
series	CAAD Futures
last changed	1999/08/03 17:16

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