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CumInCAD is a Cumulative Index about publications in Computer Aided Architectural Design
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_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	a84e
authors	De Grassi, Mario and Giretti, Alberto
year	1995
title	Applying Formal Methods to Multimedia Design Aid
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1995.283
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. 283-296
summary	In the last decade we assisted at an evolution of computer aided design systems from drafting, calculation and simulation utilities toward systems able to support the conceptual phase of the design process. Systems supporting conceptual design use knowledge about the design domain and assume a will defined model of the design activity. Their computational framework is usually built by means of a set of representational schemata which lack a formal semantics. This aspect causes a limitation on the applicability of their computational framework to different domains. In this paper we propose a formal knowledge representation language, that has been defined in order to represent the structural relationships of domain knowledge. On the basis of language structure we propose a number of inferences tailored to case-based conceptual design aiding. Finally we apply the representational framework to the implementation of a computational architecture for conceptual design aiding that integrates multimedia representation of design cases with symbolic information processing. The architecture combines a knowledge representation server and a multimedia server. The knowledge representation server processes both domain knowledge and design experiences according to the Case Based Reasoning paradigm. The multimedia server produces the required case representation.
series	eCAADe
more	http://dpce.ing.unipa.it/Webshare/Wwwroot/ecaade95/Pag_34.htm
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	bf5f
authors	Chen, Xiangping
year	1995
title	Representation, Evaluation and Edition of Feature-based and Constraint- based Design
source	Purdue University
summary	This thesis investigates a general and systematic approach to feature-based and constraint-based design. We combine feature-based design and constraint-based design by globally decomposing a design into a sequence of feature attachments and locally defining and positioning each feature by constraints. Analogous to the concept of high-level programming languages, we formalize a layered design model that eliminates the dependency of a design representation on a solid modeler. With this design model, design intent, such as feature descriptions and constraints, is stored in an unevaluated, modeler-independent design representation while the geometry to which it corresponds is stored in an evaluated, modeler-dependent design representation. The separation essentially relies on a naming and matching schema that converts between a geometric reference and a generic name, and a design compiler that automatically instantiates the unevaluated design representation to an evaluated design representation with respect to a solid modeler. The geometric references for defining feature attributes and constraints are recorded with their generic names in the unevaluated design representation. We propose several techniques for naming geometric entities unambiguously. The design compilation or instantiation involves remapping a generic name back to a geometric reference in the selected geometric modeler, solving constraints and implementing feature operations or attachments. Instead of developing a constraint solver for this design compiler, we use an independent and general solver. Feature attachment operations are different from classical Boolean operations in solid modeling. However, we provide a semantics for them that is based on existing operations in solid modeling. The layered design model allows users to edit archived conceptual designs to derive new designs quickly. We investigate the coordination of later features in the unevaluated and modeler-independent representation when a feature is edited and provide a method for editing feature-based and constraint-based design. We also discuss how to extend this work to a commercial feature-based and constraint-based CAD system.
series	thesis:PhD
last changed	2003/02/12 22:37

_id	2d1a
authors	Gero, John S. and Jun, Han J.
year	1995
title	Visual semantic emergence to support creative design: A computational view
source	J.S. Gero, M. L. Maher and F. Sudweeks (eds), Preprints Computational Models of Creative Design , University of Sydney, pp. 87-117
summary	One computational model of creative designing involves the introduction of new variables or schemas into the designing process. This paper describes and elaborates an approach where an emergence process is used to emerge visual semantics features in a design as it proceeds. In particular visual symmetry, visual rhythm, visual movement and visual balance are emerged. The processes of emergence introduce new variables into the design process. Emergence becomes one of the computational processes capable of playing a role in creative designing.
series	other
email
last changed	2003/04/06 15:34

_id	07da
authors	Wohlers, T.
year	1995
title	3D Digitizers for Engineering
source	Computer Graphics World, (March 1995), p. 112-115
summary	3D digitizing systems permit you to create a digital model from a physical part. The process is appealing because it can be difficult to create models of complex objects using computer tools without the aid of a 3D input device. Recreating an existing part from scratch, even with a computer, is like copying a printed page by retyping it. Although 3D digitizers are not as straightforward as a photocopy machine, the intent is the same. You can render and print a digitized model to communicate shape information, extract dimensions from it to show size information, and use the 3D database to manufacture a replica using rapid prototyping (RP) and CNC machines. You can also include the 3D model in multimedia or animation software as a learning or assembly aid. The challenge of the digitization process in manufacturing is to capture adequate detail and resolution. Adding a digitized model to a Hollywood film is often much easier than reverse engineering a part for prototyping or manufacturing. The only criteria for a movie or TV commercial is whether or not it looks good. No one from the audience measures the object to see if it meets a given tolerance. In manufacturing, RP and CNC machines require clean, complete, and accurate information. If areas on the model are incomplete or missing, it may be difficult or impossible to build the part. If edges, grooves, and features of the part are not fine and crisp, the results may be less than satisfactory. Most 3D digitizing systems are best at digitizing organic shapes such as free-form sculpted surfaces. When you see an advertisement or a catalog from companies offering digitized models, often you see objects such as human anatomy, animals, bones, skeletons, and so on. You may also see cars, trucks, motorcycles and airplanes, although they can be more difficult to digitize. Highly engineered parts, such as enclosures for electronic devices are usually the most difficult for 3D digitizers. That's why these systems aren't used widely for the reverse engineering of precision mechanical parts.
series	journal paper
last changed	2003/04/23 15:50

_id	b5d9
authors	González, Guillermo and Gutiérrez, Liliana
year	1999
title	El TDE-AC: tecnología digital y estrategia pedagógica (The Tde-ac: Digital Technology and Pedagogical Strategy)
source	III Congreso Iberoamericano de Grafico Digital [SIGRADI Conference Proceedings] Montevideo (Uruguay) September 29th - October 1st 1999, pp. 269-271
summary	In 1995 the programming of a specialized, expert graphic software CA-TSD, began. The TSD acronym designates a graphic language derived from the theory of spatial delimitation, it systematizes all possibilities of selection and combination of flat and volumetric figures. It establishes necessary and sufficient morphic and tactic dimensions to account for all possible relationships of selection and combination. TSD proposes a syntactic reading of those formal, pure design operations underlying traditional representations. Tracings and complex configurations described by tree-hierarchical structures of simple configurations allow for a coherent syntactic analysis of the design structure of any object this will allow the construction of a pure design formula for the conscious and unconscious prefiguration operations of an artist or style in this presentation, we will use our proprietary CA-TSD software that will allow for fast verification of what's stated, including architecture and graphic design examples.
series	SIGRADI
email
last changed	2016/03/10 09:52

_id	dc94
authors	Mullens, M.A., Armacost, R.L. and Swart, W.W.
year	1995
title	The role of object oriented CAD in a generic simulator for the industrialized housing industry
source	Automation in Construction 4 (1) (1995) pp. 29-43
summary	This paper describes a simulator-based decision support tool for manufacturers of prefabricated homebuilding components. The Generic Industrialized Housing Manufacturing Simulator (GIHMS) serves as an experimental factory, capable of simulating factory performance under various product design, factory design, and operations management scenarios. GIHMS strength lies in its user-friendly, icon-based, point-and-click user interface. The interface allows the user to configure a factory and specify home designs for production without simulation language programming. The heart of the user interface is a specialized object oriented CAD system. This paper describes the GIHMS structure, focusing on the specialized CAD system, and demonstrates its functionality by describing the development of a structural foam panel factory model.
keywords	Generic simulators; Object oriented CAD; Prefabrication; Housing
series	journal paper
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/06/02 09:38

_id	avocaad_2001_16
id	avocaad_2001_16
authors	Yu-Ying Chang, Yu-Tung Liu, Chien-Hui Wong
year	2001
title	Some Phenomena of Spatial Characteristics of Cyberspace
source	AVOCAAD - ADDED VALUE OF COMPUTER AIDED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Nys Koenraad, Provoost Tom, Verbeke Johan, Verleye Johan (Eds.), (2001) Hogeschool voor Wetenschap en Kunst - Departement Architectuur Sint-Lucas, Campus Brussel, ISBN 80-76101-05-1
summary	"Space," which has long been an important concept in architecture (Bloomer & Moore, 1977; Mitchell, 1995, 1999), has attracted interest of researchers from various academic disciplines in recent years (Agnew, 1993; Benko & Strohmayer, 1996; Chang, 1999; Foucault, 1982; Gould, 1998). Researchers from disciplines such as anthropology, geography, sociology, philosophy, and linguistics regard it as the basis of the discussion of various theories in social sciences and humanities (Chen, 1999). On the other hand, since the invention of Internet, Internet users have been experiencing a new and magic "world." According to the definitions in traditional architecture theories, "space" is generated whenever people define a finite void by some physical elements (Zevi, 1985). However, although Internet is a virtual, immense, invisible and intangible world, navigating in it, we can still sense the very presence of ourselves and others in a wonderland. This sense could be testified by our naming of Internet as Cyberspace -- an exotic kind of space. Therefore, as people nowadays rely more and more on the Internet in their daily life, and as more and more architectural scholars and designers begin to invest their efforts in the design of virtual places online (e.g., Maher, 1999; Li & Maher, 2000), we cannot help but ask whether there are indeed sensible spaces in Internet. And if yes, these spaces exist in terms of what forms and created by what ways?To join the current interdisciplinary discussion on the issue of space, and to obtain new definition as well as insightful understanding of "space", this study explores the spatial phenomena in Internet. We hope that our findings would ultimately be also useful for contemporary architectural designers and scholars in their designs in the real world.As a preliminary exploration, the main objective of this study is to discover the elements involved in the creation/construction of Internet spaces and to examine the relationship between human participants and Internet spaces. In addition, this study also attempts to investigate whether participants from different academic disciplines define or experience Internet spaces in different ways, and to find what spatial elements of Internet they emphasize the most.In order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial phenomena in Internet and to overcome the subjectivity of the members of the research team, the research design of this study was divided into two stages. At the first stage, we conducted literature review to study existing theories of space (which are based on observations and investigations of the physical world). At the second stage of this study, we recruited 8 Internet regular users to approach this topic from different point of views, and to see whether people with different academic training would define and experience Internet spaces differently.The results of this study reveal that the relationship between human participants and Internet spaces is different from that between human participants and physical spaces. In the physical world, physical elements of space must be established first; it then begins to be regarded as a place after interaction between/among human participants or interaction between human participants and the physical environment. In contrast, in Internet, a sense of place is first created through human interactions (or activities), Internet participants then begin to sense the existence of a space. Therefore, it seems that, among the many spatial elements of Internet we found, "interaction/reciprocity" Ñ either between/among human participants or between human participants and the computer interface Ð seems to be the most crucial element.In addition, another interesting result of this study is that verbal (linguistic) elements could provoke a sense of space in a degree higher than 2D visual representation and no less than 3D visual simulations. Nevertheless, verbal and 3D visual elements seem to work in different ways in terms of cognitive behaviors: Verbal elements provoke visual imagery and other sensory perceptions by "imagining" and then excite personal experiences of space; visual elements, on the other hand, provoke and excite visual experiences of space directly by "mapping".Finally, it was found that participants with different academic training did experience and define space differently. For example, when experiencing and analyzing Internet spaces, architecture designers, the creators of the physical world, emphasize the design of circulation and orientation, while participants with linguistics training focus more on subtle language usage. Visual designers tend to analyze the graphical elements of virtual spaces based on traditional painting theories; industrial designers, on the other hand, tend to treat these spaces as industrial products, emphasizing concept of user-center and the control of the computer interface.The findings of this study seem to add new information to our understanding of virtual space. It would be interesting for future studies to investigate how this information influences architectural designers in their real-world practices in this digital age. In addition, to obtain a fuller picture of Internet space, further research is needed to study the same issue by examining more Internet participants who have no formal linguistics and graphical training.
series	AVOCAAD
email
last changed	2005/09/09 10:48

_id	2a49
authors	Asanowicz, Aleksander
year	1995
title	Multimedia Versus Ugliness of the City
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1995.389
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. 389-394
summary	This paper presents a method of using multimedia techniques in order to solve problems of visual pollution of city environment. It is our observation that human - inducted degradation of city environmental results not only from neglect and vandalism but also from well - intentioned but inappropriate preservation actions by uninformed designers and local administrations. Very often, a local municipality administration permit to erect an ugly, bad-fitting surroundings houses. It is usually connected with lack of informations about certain areas of a city, its features, characteristic and about present and earlier buildings. Therefore there was an experiment - a complex programme aiding the decision process as a part of the CAMUS system (Computer Aided Management of Urban Structure) which is created at Faculty of Architecture TUB. One of the integral parts of it is a block, which has been called "How would it be like to be nice around". One of the basic elements of that system is a town data base consisting of the independent knowledge - based systems, working together in a distributed computing environment. City administration will have access to each information from multimedia data-base. Multimedia is also having and impact on the effectiveness of decision process in urban planning and in our fight with ugliness of the city.
series	eCAADe
email
more	http://dpce.ing.unipa.it/Webshare/Wwwroot/ecaade95/Pag_46.htm
last changed	2022/06/07 07:54

_id	sigradi2008_049
id	sigradi2008_049
authors	Benamy, Turkienicz ; Beck Mateus, Mayer Rosirene
year	2008
title	Computing And Manipulation In Design - A Pedagogical Experience Using Symmetry
source	SIGraDi 2008 - [Proceedings of the 12th Iberoamerican Congress of Digital Graphics] La Habana - Cuba 1-5 December 2008
summary	The concept of symmetry has been usually restricted to bilateral symmetry, though in an extended sense it refers to any isometric transformation that maintains a certain shape invariant. Groups of operations such as translation, rotation, reflection and combinations of these originate patterns classified by modern mathematics as point groups, friezes and wallpapers (March and Steadman, 1974). This extended notion represents a tool for the recognition and reproduction of patterns, a primal aspect of the perception, comprehension and description of everything that we see. Another aspect of this process is the perception of shapes, primary and emergent. Primary shapes are the ones explicitly represented and emergent shapes are the ones implicit in the others (Gero and Yan, 1994). Some groups of shapes known as Semantic Shapes are especially meaningful in architecture, expressing visual features so as symmetry, rhythm, movement and balance. The extended understanding of the concept of symmetry might improve the development of cognitive abilities concerning the creation, recognition and meaning of forms and shapes, aspects of visual reasoning involved in the design process. This paper discusses the development of a pedagogical experience concerned with the application of the concept of symmetry in the creative generation of forms using computational tools and manipulation. The experience has been carried out since 1995 with 3rd year architectural design students. For the exploration of compositions based on symmetry operations with computational support we followed a method developed by Celani (2003) comprising the automatic generation and update of symmetry patterns using AutoCAD. The exercises with computational support were combined with other different exercises in each semester. The first approach combined the creation of two-dimensional patterns to their application and to their modeling into three-dimensions. The second approach combined the work with computational support with work with physical models and mirrors and the analysis of the created patterns. And the third approach combined the computational tasks with work with two-dimensional physical shapes and mirrors. The student’s work was analyzed under aspects such as Discretion/ Continuity –the creation of isolated groups of shapes or continuous overlapped patterns; Generation of Meta-Shapes –the emergence of new shapes from the geometrical relation between the generative shape and the structure of the symmetrical arrangement; Modes of Representation –the visual aspects of the generative shape such as color and shading; Visual Reasoning –the derivation of 3D compositions from 2D patterns by their progressive analysis and recognition; Conscious Interaction –the simultaneous creation and analysis of symmetry compositions, whether with computational support or with physical shapes and mirrors. The combined work with computational support and with physical models and mirrors enhanced the students understanding on the extended concept of symmetry. The conscious creation and analysis of the patterns also stimulated the student’s understanding over the different semantic possibilities involved in the exploration of forms and shapes in two or three dimensions. The method allowed the development of both syntactic and semantic aspects of visual reasoning, enhancing the students’ visual repertoire. This constitutes an important strategy in the building of the cognitive abilities used in the architectural design process.
keywords	Symmetry, Cognition, Computing, Visual reasoning, Design teaching
series	SIGRADI
email
last changed	2016/03/10 09:47

_id	d79e
authors	Boerner, Katy
year	1995
title	Interactive, Adaptive, Computer-aided Design
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 627-634
summary	A general framework of a system that supports building engineering is presented. It accounts for a set of desirable features. Among them are (1) graphical man-machine interaction, (2) high interactivity to facilitate the acquisition of the huge amount of knowledge necessary to support design, (3) incremental knowledge acquisition as the basis for incrementally increasing system support, and (4) adaptability to the tasks which are tackled, the distinctive features of the domain, and user preferences. This paper provides the underlying assumptions and basic approaches of the modules constituting this framework and sketches the current implementation.
keywords	Graphical Interfaces, Incremental Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Organization, Case-Based Reasoning, Design Prototypes, Analogical Reasoning
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/11/21 15:16

_id	00e7
authors	Bushby, S.T.
year	1997
title	BACnetTM: a standard communication infrastructure for intelligent buildings
source	Automation in Construction 6 (5-6) (1997) pp. 529-540
summary	Intelligent buildings require integration of a variety of computer-based building automation and control system products that are usually made by different manufacturers. The exchange of information among these devices is critical to the successful operation of the building systems. Proprietary approaches to providing this communication have created great challenges for system integrators and hampered the development of intelligent building technology. Even though digital automation and control technology has been widely available for more than a decade and islands of automation are common, intelligent buildings with integrated building services are still more of a promise than a reality. BACnetTM is a standard communication protocol for building automation and control networks developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE, Standard 135-1995: BACnetTM--A Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers. Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 1995). BACnetTM provides the communication infrastructure needed to integrate products made by different vendors and to integrate building services that are now independent. This paper describes the main features of the BACnetTM protocol and early experience implementing it.
series	journal paper
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/05/15 21:22

_id	83fe
authors	Choi, Jin Won
year	1995
title	Digital Athens: An Application of ArchiTOUR, A Multimedia Authoring System
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 517-527
summary	This paper presents an educational software package for teaching and learning architectural history and theory. The package called Digital Athens is intended to teach architecture in Ancient Athens. It has been developed with the ArchiTOUR multimedia authoring system for architectural education, especially architectural history and theory. It proposes an efficient way to handle and present the diverse multimedia data that architectural education requires. The first section of this paper describes the ArchiTOUR multimedia authoring system. ArchiTOURís main features include 1) three different working modes; 2) ArchiTOUR objects; 3) linking ArchiTOUR objects; and 4) ArchiTOUR hotspots. The next part presents Digital Athens as an application of ArchiTOUR. This segment demonstrates the main ideas involved in the package and the authoring system by illustrating the contents of Digital Athens. Finally, the last part discusses future extensions of ArchiTOUR as well as the Digital Athens package itself.
keywords	Multimedia, Hypermedia, Authoring, 3D Visualization
series	CAAD Futures
last changed	1999/08/03 17:16

_id	9a5c
authors	Dave, B. and Schmitt, G.
year	1995
title	Information systems for spatial data
source	Automation in Construction 4 (1) (1995) pp. 17-28
summary	This paper describes the development of a prototype information system aimed at supporting representation and manipulation of models of urban areas. As a first step, we used aerial imagery to produce accurate digital models of various features of urban areas. The models comprise natural features like terrain data, water and vegetation systems, and man-made features like transportation network, land parcels, and built-up volumes. These data are represented in three dimensions, and they can be further linked with nongraphic attributes stored in an external database schemata. In this paper, we describe the architecture of the prototype system with a particular emphasis on the database aspects, various multimedia data types supported in the system, and operations to query and retrieve the represented data.
keywords	Spatial Systems; Multimedia Data; Integrated Environments
series	journal paper
email
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/05/15 14:36

_id	a56e
authors	Do, Ellen Yi-Luen
year	1995
title	What's in a Diagram That a Computer Should Understand?
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 469-480
summary	This paper reports on an experiment to test the feasibility of using a diagramming tool to access an architectural knowledge base. Our hypothesis is that designers only use a small set of conventional elements to make diagrams of architectural concepts. If this is true, then a scheme for retrieving information from computer knowledge bases using diagrams would work. Therefore we asked designers to make diagrams from texts, to interpret diagrams into texts, to pair diagrams and texts, and to comment on existing pairs from the case base. We found from the experiment that common features are shared between different designerís diagrams and texts.
keywords	Architectural Diagrams, Graphic Interface, Knowledge Bases
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2004/10/04 07:49

_id	eccf
authors	Herbert, Daniel M.
year	1995
title	Models, Scanners, Pencils, and CAD: Interactions Between Manual and Digital Media
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1995.021
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. 21-34
summary	This paper discusses new approaches to the relation between handmade and computer aided media in design. The discussion focuses on two advanced studio projects in which graduate student designers incorporated interactions between physical models, a digital scanner, handmade drawings, and the manipulation of images in the computer. These interactions provide a valuable supplement to traditional means -- both manual and digital -- for generating, developing, and representing architectural form. Features of the student’s work that other designers will find significant are its focus on multiple interactions, its setting within a realistic design process, and its use of low levels of computer technology. After describing details of the designer’s media techniques, the paper discusses the practical and theoretical implications of the work.
series	ACADIA
last changed	2022/06/07 07:49

_id	2115
authors	Ingram, R. and Benford, S.
year	1995
title	Improving the legibility of virtual environments
source	Second Euro graphics Workshop on Virtual Environments
summary	Years of research into hyper-media systems have shown that finding one's way through large electronic information systems can be a difficult task. Our experiences with virtual reality suggest that users will also suffer from the commonly experienced "lost in hyperspace" problem when trying to navigate virtual environments. The goal of this paper is to propose and demonstrate a technique which is currently under development with the aim of overcoming this problem. Our approach is based upon the concept of legibility, adapted from the discipline of city planning. The legibility of an urban environment refers to the ease with which its inhabitants can develop a cognitive map over a period of time and so orientate themselves within it and navigate through it [Lynch60]. Research into this topic since the 1960s has argued that, by carefully designing key features of urban environments planners can significantly influence their legibility. We propose that these legibility features might be adapted and applied to the design of a wide variety of virtual environments and that, when combined with other navigational aids such as the trails, tours and signposts of the hyper-media world, might greatly enhance people's ability to navigate them. In particular, the primary role of legibility would be to help users to navigate more easily as a result of experiencing a world for some time (hence the idea of building a cognitive map). Thus, we would see our technique being of most benefit when applied to long term, persistent and slowly evolving virtual environments. Furthermore, we are particularly interested in the automatic application of legibility techniques to information visualisations as opposed to their relatively straight forward application to simulations of the real-word. Thus, a typical future application of our work might be in enhancing visualisations of large information systems such the World Wide Web. Section 2 of this paper summarises the concept of legibility as used in the domain of city planning and introduces some of the key features that have been adapted and applied in our work. Section 3 then describes in detail the set of algorithms and techniques which are being developed for the automatic creation or enhancement of these features within virtual data spaces. Next, section 4 presents two example applications based on two different kinds of virtual data space. Finally, section 5 presents some initial reflections on this work and discusses the next steps in its evolution.
series	other
last changed	2003/04/23 15:50

_id	09b4
authors	Ismail, Ashraf and McCartney, Kevin
year	1993
title	A Tool for Conceptual Design Evaluation Based on Compliance with Site-Development Briefs and Related Planning Regulations
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1993.x.c6i
source	[eCAADe Conference Proceedings] Eindhoven (The Netherlands) 11-13 November 1993
summary	The need has been established for a computer based decision support tool to use during the conceptual stages of architectural design. The main functions are to check design compliance with the requirements of local planning authorities; characteristics evaluated will include building size, height, plot ratios, circulation and accessibility, and the preservation of natural features on site. This tool is being developed to operate under AutoCAD environment; the construction industry standard computer aided design software, following standard layering convention, integrated command lines, and pull-down menus. In addition to the common graphical output; i.c. plans, elevations and three dimensional models, it will generate textual analysis in report format to use as part of the Environmental Impact Analysis of proposed development. The tool's functions will be based upon the result of two types of field studies. First, interviews and questionnaires will be carried out with architects and planners of both private and public sectors. These will cover issues related to the performance of Computer Aided Architectural Design applications with regard to the evaluation of design schematics, and decision-making for the production of data for environmental statements. Second, field observation and participation will be carried out to observe decision-makers behaviour during assessment of building design proposals. A prototype is currently under development and will be tested against the expectations of the tool designer, Ashraf Ismail, and a team of professionals to be involved in the field studies. A critical analysis of the prototype design methodology and the study findings will be documented in the research thesis to be presented in June 1995.
series	eCAADe
last changed	2022/06/07 07:50

_id	3c8c
authors	Kadysz, Andrzej
year	1995
title	CAAD Space – Incompatible Space
source	CAD Space [Proceedings of the III International Conference Computer in Architectural Design] Bialystock 27-29 April 1995, pp. 147-158
summary	In this paper computer is considered as the "hypertool" - union of technical and methodological aspects of a tool. CAAD and its space is a microcosmos incompatible with our real world. CAAD performs the role of electronic modeller that redefines space and substance of our model by structure of the CAAD software and reduces the range of possible operations, transformations of a model. The environment that is internally wild opened - everything is an information easy to exchange, but externally is excluded from direct influences and manual access. I try to discover typical and unique features of this virtual environment of CAAD, substance of virtual model and computer as the tool of architectural creation. Medium that redefines" architects" imagination.
series	plCAD
last changed	2000/01/24 10:08

_id	c675
authors	Kim, Inham
year	1995
title	Design Tools Integration in an Integrated Design Environment
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1995.075
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. 75-95
summary	The design problem has a multi-disciplinary nature and the design itself evolves as solutions are attempted by the designer. To support inter-disciplinary communication of design concepts and decisions, the integration of relevant CAAD tools is essential. Based upon a large set of design criteria and all corresponding knowledge, with the help of computer aided design tools, the result could be highly effective and novel. The integration of CAAD tools should be performed on the basis of generating better solutions by enabling designers to manipulate and appraise various solutions quickly and with a minimum of effort. The proposed system provides the foundations for a seamless and continuous working environment for architects and building engineers through a data modelling module, an integrated data management framework and various design tools. In the environment, stand-alone design tools can be plugged-in in order to access information stored in central databases. The suggested data modelling module helps integrated CAAD systems represent and exchange domain dependent design information at a semantic level, such as exchanging components and features of a building rather than graphical primitives. The suggested data management framework supports the straight-forward mechanisms for controlling the data representation through the inter-connected modules and design tools.
series	ACADIA
last changed	2022/06/07 07:52

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