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

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_id	349e
authors	Durmisevic, Sanja
year	2002
title	Perception Aspects in Underground Spaces using Intelligent Knowledge Modeling
source	Delft University of Technology
summary	The intensification, combination and transformation are main strategies for future spatial development of the Netherlands, which are stated in the Fifth Bill regarding Spatial Planning. These strategies indicate that in the future, space should be utilized in a more compact and more efficient way requiring, at the same time, re-evaluation of the existing built environment and finding ways to improve it. In this context, the concept of multiple space usage is accentuated, which would focus on intensive 4-dimensional spatial exploration. The underground space is acknowledged as an important part of multiple space usage. In the document 'Spatial Exploration 2000', the underground space is recognized by policy makers as an important new 'frontier' that could provide significant contribution to future spatial requirements.In a relatively short period, the underground space became an important research area. Although among specialists there is appreciation of what underground space could provide for densely populated urban areas, there are still reserved feelings by the public, which mostly relate to the poor quality of these spaces. Many realized underground projects, namely subways, resulted in poor user satisfaction. Today, there is still a significant knowledge gap related to perception of underground space. There is also a lack of detailed documentation on actual applications of the theories, followed by research results and applied techniques. This is the case in different areas of architectural design, but for underground spaces perhaps most evident due to their infancv role in general architectural practice. In order to create better designs, diverse aspects, which are very often of qualitative nature, should be considered in perspective with the final goal to improve quality and image of underground space. In the architectural design process, one has to establish certain relations among design information in advance, to make design backed by sound rationale. The main difficulty at this point is that such relationships may not be determined due to various reasons. One example may be the vagueness of the architectural design data due to linguistic qualities in them. Another, may be vaguely defined design qualities. In this work, the problem was not only the initial fuzziness of the information but also the desired relevancy determination among all pieces of information given. Presently, to determine the existence of such relevancy is more or less a matter of architectural subjective judgement rather than systematic, non-subjective decision-making based on an existing design. This implies that the invocation of certain tools dealing with fuzzy information is essential for enhanced design decisions. Efficient methods and tools to deal with qualitative, soft data are scarce, especially in the architectural domain. Traditionally well established methods, such as statistical analysis, have been used mainly for data analysis focused on similar types to the present research. These methods mainly fall into a category of pattern recognition. Statistical regression methods are the most common approaches towards this goal. One essential drawback of this method is the inability of dealing efficiently with non-linear data. With statistical analysis, the linear relationships are established by regression analysis where dealing with non-linearity is mostly evaded. Concerning the presence of multi-dimensional data sets, it is evident that the assumption of linear relationships among all pieces of information would be a gross approximation, which one has no basis to assume. A starting point in this research was that there maybe both linearity and non-linearity present in the data and therefore the appropriate methods should be used in order to deal with that non-linearity. Therefore, some other commensurate methods were adopted for knowledge modeling. In that respect, soft computing techniques proved to match the quality of the multi-dimensional data-set subject to analysis, which is deemed to be 'soft'. There is yet another reason why soft-computing techniques were applied, which is related to the automation of knowledge modeling. In this respect, traditional models such as Decision Support Systems and Expert Systems have drawbacks. One important drawback is that the development of these systems is a time-consuming process. The programming part, in which various deliberations are required to form a consistent if-then rule knowledge based system, is also a time-consuming activity. For these reasons, the methods and tools from other disciplines, which also deal with soft data, should be integrated into architectural design. With fuzzy logic, the imprecision of data can be dealt with in a similar way to how humans do it. Artificial neural networks are deemed to some extent to model the human brain, and simulate its functions in the form of parallel information processing. They are considered important components of Artificial Intelligence (Al). With neural networks, it is possible to learn from examples, or more precisely to learn from input-output data samples. The combination of the neural and fuzzy approach proved to be a powerful combination for dealing with qualitative data. The problem of automated knowledge modeling is efficiently solved by employment of machine learning techniques. Here, the expertise of prof. dr. Ozer Ciftcioglu in the field of soft computing was crucial for tool development. By combining knowledge from two different disciplines a unique tool could be developed that would enable intelligent modeling of soft data needed for support of the building design process. In this respect, this research is a starting point in that direction. It is multidisciplinary and on the cutting edge between the field of Architecture and the field of Artificial Intelligence. From the architectural viewpoint, the perception of space is considered through relationship between a human being and a built environment. Techniques from the field of Artificial Intelligence are employed to model that relationship. Such an efficient combination of two disciplines makes it possible to extend our knowledge boundaries in the field of architecture and improve design quality. With additional techniques, meta know/edge, or in other words "knowledge about knowledge", can be created. Such techniques involve sensitivity analysis, which determines the amount of dependency of the output of a model (comfort and public safety) on the information fed into the model (input). Another technique is functional relationship modeling between aspects, which is derivation of dependency of a design parameter as a function of user's perceptions. With this technique, it is possible to determine functional relationships between dependent and independent variables. This thesis is a contribution to better understanding of users' perception of underground space, through the prism of public safety and comfort, which was achieved by means of intelligent knowledge modeling. In this respect, this thesis demonstrated an application of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) as a partner in the building design process by employing advanced modeling techniques. The method explained throughout this work is very generic and is possible to apply to not only different areas of architectural design, but also to other domains that involve qualitative data.
keywords	Underground Space; Perception; Soft Computing
series	thesis:PhD
email
last changed	2003/02/12 22:37

_id	ddssar0022
id	ddssar0022
authors	Peng, C., Cerulli, C., Lawson, B., Cooper, G., Rezqui, Y. and Jackson, M.
year	2000
title	Recording and managing design decision-making processes through an object-oriented framework
source	Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Fifth Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Nijkerk, the Netherlands)
summary	In this paper we describe our current research into an object-oriented approach to the recording and managing of design decision-making in the processes of building design. The Advanced Design Support for the Construction Design Process (ADS) project, funded under the Innovative Manufacturing Initiative by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), aims to exploit and demonstrate the benefits of a CAD-based Design Decision Support System. The research focuses on how to provide designers with tools for recording and managing the group dynamics of design decision making in a project's life time without intruding too much on the design process itself. In collaboration with Building Design Partnership, a large multidisciplinary construction design practice, we look at design projects that require decision-making on an extraordinarily wide range of complex issues, and many different professional consultants were involved in making and approving these decisions. We are interested in developing an advanced CAD tool that will facilitate capturing designers' rationales underlying their design decision making throughout the project. The system will also enable us to explore how a recorded project history of decision-making can be searched and browsed by members of the project team during and after design development.
series	DDSS
last changed	2003/08/07 16:36

_id	3e51
authors	Cerulli, C., Peng, C. and Lawson, B.
year	2001
title	Capturing Histories of Design Processes for Collaborative Building Design Development. Field Trial of the ADS Prototype
source	Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 0-7923-7023-6] Eindhoven, 8-11 July 2001, pp. 427-437
summary	The ADS Project - Advanced Design Support for the Construction Design Process - builds on the technological results of the previous COMMIT Project to exploit and demonstrate the benefits of a CAD based Design Decision Support System. COMMIT provides a system for storing knowledge about knowledge within the design process. It records design decisions, the actors who take them and the roles they play when doing so. ADS links COMMIT to an existing object-oriented CAD system, MicroStation/J from Bentley Systems. The project focuses on tackling the problem of managing design information without intruding too much on the design process itself. It provides the possibility to effectively link design decisions back to requirements, to gather rationale information for later stages of the building lifecycle, and to gather knowledge of rationale for later projects. The system enables members of the project team, including clients and constructors, to browse and search the recorded project history of decision making both during and after design development. ADS aims to facilitate change towards a more collaborative process in construction design, to improve the effectiveness of decision-making throughout the construction project and to provide clients with the facility to relate design outcomes to design briefs across the whole building life cycle. In this paper we will describe the field trials of the ADS prototype carried out over a three-month period at the Building Design Partnership (BDP) Manchester office. The objective of these trials is to assess the extent, to which the approach underlying ADS enhances the design process, and to gather and document the views and experiences of practitioners. The ADS prototype was previously tested with historical data of real project (Peng, Cerulli et al. 2000). To gather more valuable knowledge about how a Decision Support System like ADS can be used in practice, the testing and evaluation will be extended to a real project, while it is still ongoing. The live case study will look at some phases of the design of a mixed residential and retail development in Leeds, UK, recording project information while it is created. The users’ feedback on the system usability will inform the continuous redevelopment process that will run in parallel to the live case study. The ADS and COMMIT Projects were both funded by EPSRC.
keywords	Design Rationale, Design Support Systems, Usability Evaluation
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2006/11/07 07:22

_id	ddssar0007
id	ddssar0007
authors	Cooper, G., Rezqui, Y., Jackson, M., Lawson, B., Peng, C. and Cerulli, C.
year	2000
title	A CAD-based decision support system for the design stage of a construction project
source	Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Fifth Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Nijkerk, the Netherlands)
summary	Decisions made during the design process are multi-dimensional, combining together factors which range from the highly subjective to the perfectly objective. These decisions are made by many, often non co-located, actors belonging to different disciplines. Moreover, there is a high risk for misunderstandings, inappropriate changes, and decisions, which are not notified to all interested parties. The ADS project (Advanced Decision Support for Construction Design) builds on the results of the earlier COMMIT project to provide an information management system, which addresses these problems. It defines mechanisms to handle the proactive management of information to support decision-making in collaborative projects. Different aspects of the COMMIT system have already been widely published, and the team is now applying the results in the context of construction design. These are referenced in the present paper, which gives an overview of the results of the COMMIT project and discusses some of the issue involved in applying them to the design process in conjunction with an advanced CAD tool.
series	DDSS
last changed	2003/08/07 16:36

_id	ddssar0018
id	ddssar0018
authors	Loon, Peter Paul van
year	2000
title	Team design from the individual points of viewa humanistic approach
source	Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Fifth Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Nijkerk, the Netherlands)
summary	This paper deals with design in teams from the individual points of view of all the parties involved in the process: principals, investors, owners, specialists, experts, advisors, officials, builders, users and residents. Taken together, these different points of view enable us to describe decentralised design in its pure form.Discussion of the individual points of view is possible only if one assumes that the parties involved have their own standpoints in the form of a collection of definable goals (all their wishes, efforts, principles, standards etc.), that they will endeavour to achieve those goals and that they will adjust their actions and decisions during the design process to serve those goals. For the elaboration of this individual point of view (of team design in a matrix structure) I shall take as a basis two concepts from decision theory: ‘methodological individualism’ and ‘the actor’s viewpoint’.
series	DDSS
last changed	2003/08/07 16:36

_id	20ab
authors	Yakeley, Megan
year	2000
title	Digitally Mediated Design: Using Computer Programming to Develop a Personal Design Process
source	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture
summary	This thesis is based on the proposal that the current system of architectural design education confuses product and process. Students are assessed through, and therefore concentrate on, the former whilst the latter is left in many cases to chance. This thesis describes a new course taught by the author at MIT for the last three years whose aim is to teach the design process away from the complexities inherent in the studio system. This course draws a parallel between the design process and the Constructionist view of learning, and asserts that the design process is a constant learning activity. Therefore, learning about the design process necessarily involves learning the cognitive skills of this theoretical approach to education. These include concrete thinking and the creation of external artifacts to develop of ideas through iterative, experimental, incremental exploration. The course mimics the Constructionist model of using the computer programming environment LOGO to teach mathematics. It uses computer programming in a CAD environment, and specifically the development of a generative system, to teach the design process. The efficacy of such an approach to architectural design education has been studied using methodologies from educational research. The research design used an emergent qualitative model, employing Maykut and Morehouses interpretive descriptive approach (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994) and Glaser and Strausss Constant Comparative Method of data analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Six students joined the course in the Spring 1999 semester. The experience of these students, what and how they learned, and whether this understanding was transferred to other areas of their educational process, were studied. The findings demonstrated that computer programming in a particular pedagogical framework, can help transform the way in which students understand the process of designing. The following changes were observed in the students during the course of the year: Development of understanding of a personalized design process; move from using computer programming to solve quantifiable problems to using it to support qualitative design decisions; change in understanding of the paradigm for computers in the design process; awareness of the importance of intrapersonal and interpersonal communication skills; change in expectations of, their sense of control over, and appropriation of, the computer in the design process; evidence of transference of cognitive skills; change from a Behaviourist to a Constructionist model of learning Thesis Supervisor: William J. Mitchell Title: Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences, School of Architecture and Planning
series	thesis:PhD
last changed	2003/02/12 22:37

_id	ddssar0001
id	ddssar0001
authors	Achten, Henri and Leeuwen, Jos van
year	2000
title	Towards generic representations of designs formalised as features
source	Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Fifth Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Nijkerk, the Netherlands)
summary	Feature-Based Modelling (FBM) is an information modelling technique that allows the formalisation of design concepts and using these formal definitions in design modelling. The dynamic nature of design and design information calls for a specialised approach to FBM that takes into account flexibility and extensibility of Feature Models of designs. Research work in Eindhoven has led to a FBM framework and implementation that can be used to support design.. Feature models of a design process has demonstrated the feasibility of using this information modelling technique. To develop the work on FBM in design, three tracks are initiated: Feature model descriptions of design processes, automated generic representation recognition in graphic representations, and Feature models of generic representations. The paper shows the status of the work in the first two tracks, and present the results of the research work.
series	DDSS
last changed	2003/11/21 15:15

_id	ga0023
id	ga0023
authors	Brotzu, PierPaolo and Maiocchi, Marco
year	2000
title	A Generative Approach to Variations in Production Processes
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	Many work procedures in generating various types of products (such as execution of recipes for food, work operation for leather, procedures for conservation of vegetables, factory workmanship processes, etc) are characterised by precise procedural steps. Each step can be defined, at the proper detail level, in terms of kind of operations, input conditions, output results; then, a complete procedure can be exploited as a set of partially ordered steps of such a kind of functions. The formalisation of such a steps allows to evaluate procedures devoted to the same goal, introducing metrics for comparing them in terms of originality or imitation. Furtherly, a contextual analysis of different procedures devoted to similar goals allows to verify possible variations in the procedures, introducing innovation and changes on the basis of the available examples. The changes can be automated through proper algorithms, just using techniques of learning by examples, in the respect of verifiable constraints. The results can be verified, and used again as a new enriched experienced basis to improve the innovation procedures. The paper will describe the approach for the analysis and the description, will propose an experienced metric, and will show examples of generation of new innovative methods based on the automated analysis of successful examples. All the practical examples will be expressed in cooking recipes, described, compared in terms of plagiarism with properly defined metrics, improved with automatic generation based on experience and examples, properly checked and validated.
series	other
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2003/08/07 17:25

_id	ddssar0011
id	ddssar0011
authors	Hartog, J.P. den, Koutamanis, A. and Luscuere, P.G.
year	2000
title	Possibilities and limitations of CFD simulation for indoor climate analysis
source	Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Fifth Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Nijkerk, the Netherlands)
summary	With the democratization of information and communication technologies, simulation techniques that used to be computationally expensive and time-consuming are becoming feasible instruments for the analysis of architectural design. Simulation is an indispensable ingredient of the descriptive design approach, which provides the designer with precise and accurate projections of the performance and behavior of a design. The paper describes the application of a particular class of simulation techniques, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), to the analysis and evaluation of indoor climate. Using two different CFD systems as representatives of the class, we describe: relevant computational possibilities and limitations of CFD simulation; the accessibility of CFD simulation for architects, especially concerning the handling of simulation variables; the compatibility of CFD representations of built space with similar representations in standard CAD and modeling systems, including possibilities for feedback; The relations between geometric representation and accuracy / precision in CFD simulation. We propose that CFD simulation can become an operational instrument for the designer, provided that CFD simulation does not become a trial and error game trying to master computational techniques. A promising solution to this problem is the use of case based reasoning. A case base of analyzed, evaluated and verified buildings provides a flexible source of information (guidance and examples) for both the CFD simulation and the designer.
series	DDSS
last changed	2003/08/07 16:36

_id	ddssar0015
id	ddssar0015
authors	Koutamanis, Alexander
year	2000
title	Recognition of spatial grouping in rectangular arrangements
source	Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Fifth Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Nijkerk, the Netherlands)
summary	Rectangular arrangements are an efficient technique for generating an exhaustive catalogue of a class of designs. Moreover, they offer the possibility of retrieving designs from such a catalogue on the basis of geometric or topological features. The paper describes an extension of the possibilities of rectangular arrangements in indexing and retrieving catalogues of architectural floor plans through the recognition of spatial grouping. Using an adaptation of the chain code, each space in a shape arrangement is labeled in terms of its bilateral geometric relationships with contiguous spaces. This means that each space is maximally labeled as many times as the number of its contiguous spaces. The labels of a space are ordered on the basis of a priority list that reflects the stylistic preferences of the particular design class. Grouping of spaces uses the ordered space labels as criteria. The groups returned by this process agree with human intuitive perception of spatial grouping in the floor plan, as well as with expert architectural knowledge. For example, Palladian floor plans are consistently grouped into a central space group flanked by two symmetric space groups.
series	DDSS
last changed	2003/08/07 16:36

_id	ddssar0028
id	ddssar0028
authors	Uysal, V. Safak and Wilsing, Markus
year	2000
title	Embodying architecture, studying dance: movement as means of studying body-space relationship
source	Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Fifth Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Nijkerk, the Netherlands)
summary	Body, even at its most still form, is the most violent against the acclamations of architectural space formulated in terms of a “search for the order in the environment”. It leans against the wall, hits the table, falls over the bed, approaches the window case, shakes and trembles in empty space: in short, it moves; it is alive. However violently, the presence of the human being is the fundamental input for the architectural practice since it is an art of creating spaces to enhance the living conditions of the human being. In recognizing the violent character of the body, we must include not only the real bodily movement, but also the extensions of that movement which we make in imagination. In this study, the authors discuss the possibilities of studying theatrical dance in order to understand the body-space relationship, constructing an analogy to the contact improvisation technique. Use of space in performance is examined on a two dimensional model: one dimension marked by body and space at its extremes, and the other marked by the affirmative and the negative types of interaction. The schema provides one with a general categorization that classifies space as (1) background, (2) motivator, (3) partner in dialogue, (4) mental counterpart. The limitations brought about by the universal approach are mentioned at the end, in order to be approached within the following study.
series	DDSS
last changed	2003/08/07 16:36

_id	6756
authors	Butler, K.S., Rincón, H., Maria Lane, K. and Brand, R.
year	2001
title	Construyendo una ciudad sostenible en la frontera: planificación de la ciudad de Colombia, Nuevo León, México [Constructing A Sustainable City In the Border: Planning of the City of Colombia, Nuevo León, Mexico ]
source	2da Conferencia Venezolana sobre Aplicación de Computadores en Arquitectura, Maracaibo (Venezuela) december 2001, pp. 194-203
summary	The policy rationale for promotion of urban development in the Mexico-Texas borderland of Nuevo León is likely to be sustained and even strengthened. The University of Texasí participation in new town planning for Colombia spans at least three hierarchical levels with students, faculty members, practitioners and government officials joining efforts. At the ìstudio levelî, students completed a comprehensive landscape assessment for portions of the future city using GPS surveying and GIS database and modeling. Graduate students, using field data, updated 2000 maps/shapefiles, and spatial modeling as an analysis tool, created a series of spatial models to produce useful information about the study areaís inherent suitability for agriculture, human settlement and preservation. This work culminated in a research symposium, planning charrette, refinement of land use and infrastructure assumptions, and the development of masterplan elements for the future city. In contrast to the professional firm, the project provides unique opportunities for intensive learning and applied research that contribute to the ecological, social and economic well-being of new cities and developing regions,
keywords	USA-Mexico Border; Sustainable Development; Regional Planning; Arch View
series	other
email
last changed	2003/02/14 08:29

_id	a25e
authors	Loy, Hollis A.
year	1999
title	Foundation for a Thorough CAAD Education
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1999.301
source	Architectural Computing from Turing to 2000 [eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-5-7] Liverpool (UK) 15-17 September 1999, pp. 301-308
summary	The birth and development of computing is considered by most as one of the greatest technological achievements of the twentieth century. Since the integration of computers in the built environment, over two decades ago, computing methods developed into efficient designing and calculating tools. In contrast, accelerating advancements in computing technology have created generation gaps amongst architects. There are inexperienced, novice, intermediate and advanced computer-capable architects. If each group was asked to define CAAD, some would still describe it as a computer program for technical draughting. Others may define CAAD (Computer Aided Architectural Design) as a vast array of digital media in CAD, multimedia and DTP, assisting architects in compiling visual presentations. Currently, most architectural schools are capable of instructing most, if not all, facets of CAAD (2D & 3D CAD, model rendering, photo montage, brochure layouts, etc.). However, this knowledge is accumulated at random throughout the course of study. "Computer Graphics for Architects" is the latest educational development in Europe bridging generation gaps with senior architects and serving as an introductory CAAD seminar to beginning architecture students. This book and lecture presents a gallery of recent architectural CAD, multimedia, and DTP presentations practiced in Europe´s second largest architectural firm. The terminology is user-friendly and its content concentrates on responding to the most often posed questions by CAAD beginners relating to: (1) Terminology (2) Appearance (3) Time Consumption (4) Cost Techniques introduced are independent of any platform. The goal is to summarize quickly and effectively the countless possibilities of presentations applicable in architecture practice. "Computer Graphics for Architects" provides a direction for future presentations and motivates students to excel in CAAD.
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:59

_id	d11a
authors	Den Hartog, J. P. and Koutamanis, A.
year	2000
title	Teaching design simulation
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2000.197
source	Promise and Reality: State of the Art versus State of Practice in Computing for the Design and Planning Process [18th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-6-5] Weimar (Germany) 22-24 June 2000, pp. 197-200
summary	The democratization of information and communication technologies (ICT) has promoted integration of computing in the design studio and of design activities in the CAAD courses. In addition it has also shifted the focus of CAAD courses from technical skills and general theoretical issues to current, specific design issues, such as the relationship between geometric modeling and construction, design communication and design analysis. CAAD courses (especially advanced ones) increasingly attempt to introduce these issues and corresponding advanced ICT in a design context that outlines the possibilities of these technologies and the underlying computational design methodology and bring research closer to teaching. One such issue is design analysis, especially in the early design stages when many fundamental decisions are taken on the basis of incomplete and insecure information. Simulation provides the computational means for projecting building behaviour and performance. The paper describes the application of a specific simulation technique, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), for the analysis of airflow in and around buildings in the context of an advanced CAAD course. In this course students are required to design a multifunctional exposition building. Even though students are unfamiliar with the particular CFD system, as well as with part of the simulation subject matter, they are able to produce descriptions of their designs with effectiveness and efficiency.
keywords	Design Analysis, Simulation, CFD, Airflow
series	eCAADe
email
more	http://www.uni-weimar.de/ecaade/
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	0014
authors	Hsu, W. and Liu, B.
year	2000
title	Conceptual design: issues and challenges
source	Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 32 (14) (2000) pp. 849-850
summary	Decisions made during conceptual design have significant influence on the cost, performance, reliability, safety and environmental impact of a product. It has been estimated that design decisions account for more than 75% of final product costs. It is, therefore, vital that designers have access to the right tools to support such design activities. In the early 1980s, researchers began to realize the impact of design decisions on downstream activities. As a result, different methodologies such as design for assembly, design for manufacturing and concurrent engineering, have been proposed. Software tools that implement these methodologies have also been developed. However, most of these tools are only applicable in the detailed design phase. Yet, even the highest standard of detailed design cannot compensate for a poor design concept formulated at the conceptual design phase. In spite of this, few CAD tools have been developed to support conceptual design activities. This is because knowledge of the design requirements and constraints during this early phase of a product's life cycle is usually imprecise and incomplete, making it difficult to utilize computer-based systems or prototypes. However, recent advances in fields such as fuzzy logic, computational geometry, constraints programming and so on have now made it possible for researchers to tackle some of the challenging issues in dealing with conceptual design activities. In this special issue, we have gathered together discussions on various aspects of conceptual design phase: from the capturing of the designer's intent, to modelling design constraints and solving them in an efficient manner, to verifying the correctness of the design.
series	journal paper
email
last changed	2003/05/15 10:54

_id	40d5
authors	Koskenniemi, Outi
year	2003
title	Information systems for monitoring land use planning in the Finnish Environmental Administration. GISALU (Land Use GIS) and KATSE (the Information System for Monitoring Land Use Planning)
source	CORP 2003, Vienna University of Technology, 25.2.-28.2.2003 [Proceedings on CD-Rom]
summary	The primary aim of the monitoring of land use planning is to obtain information about the state and development of land use planning. The new Land Use and Building Act of Finland has obliged the authorities to monitor land use since the beginning of the year 2000. Two information systems help to fulfil this task in the Finnish Environmental Administration. GISALU (Land Use GIS) is a collection of data sets containing geographical data on land use plans, deviation decisions and the cultural environment. KATSE(the Information System for Monitoring Land Use Planning) mainly contains statistical data on the state of planning as a whole and changes in it. GISALU is an important information source for KATSE. Both information systems form part of ALUTJ (the information systems for land use), and they are also subsystems of HERTTA (the Finnish Environmental Information System).
series	other
email
last changed	2003/03/11 20:39

_id	03ad
authors	Lottaz, C., Smith, I.F.C., Robert-Nicoud, Y. and Faltings, B.V.
year	2000
title	Constraint-based support for negotiation in collaborative design
source	Artificial Intelligence in Engineering, Vol: 14, Issue: 3, pp. 261-280.
summary	Solution spaces are proposed, instead of single solutions only, to support collaborative tasks during design and construction. Currently, partners involved in construction projects typically assign single values for sub-sets of variables and then proceed, often after tedious negotiations with other partners, to integrate these partial solutions into more complete project descriptions. We suggest the use of constraint solving to express possibly large families of acceptable solutions in order to improve the negotiation process in two ways. On one hand, con ict detection can be performed in an automated manner. Through the constraints collaborators impose, they de ne large unfeasible areas where no solution to the problem at hand can be expected. An emty intersectidon of the solution spaces can thus point at a con ict of design goals of the di erent collaborators at an early stage of the design process. On the other hand, important decision support during negotiation is provided. When a solution space is found, collaborators know during negotiation that they are negotiating about feasible solutions. Negotiation is no longer a means to nd a solution to the problem but it takes place in order to nd a good or the best solution. Since the consistency of the design remains ensured, collaborators are expected to be less restrictive towards innovative ideas during negotiation. Moreover, constraint techniques using explicit representations of solution spaces can provide tools to visualize trade-o s and illustrate the impact of certain decisions on other parameters. Thus decision-making is improved during the negotiation. New algorithms have been developed at EPFL for solving multi-dimensional nonlinear inequality constraints on continuous variables. Together with intuitive user interfaces such constraint-based support leads to better change management and easier implementation of least commitment decision strategies. It is expected that the results of this research can improve both the e ciency of negotiation processes and the quality of the achieved results.
series	journal paper
last changed	2003/04/23 15:50

_id	ga0017
id	ga0017
authors	McLean, A., Ward, A. and Cox, G.
year	2000
title	The aesthetics of generative code
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	Aesthetics, in general usage, lays an emphasis on subjective sense perception associated with the broad field of art and human creativity. This paper suggests that it might be useful to revisit the troubled relationship between art and aesthetics for the purpose of discussing the value of generative code. It is now generally accepted that sense perception alone is simply not enough unless contextualised within the world of ideas. Similarly, the world of multimedia is all too easily conflated with a multi-sensory experience (of combining still and moving image, sound, interaction and so on). Thus the limits of traditional aesthetics is emphasised in the problem of defining which of the senses the highest of the arts adheres to -according to Kant and Hegel - the ‘arts of speech’. Poetry throws such crude classificatory distinctions into question as it is both read and heard; or written and spoken/performed. Hegel suggests a way out of this paradox by employing dialectical thinking; as we do not hear speech by simply listening to it. He suggests that we need to represent speech to ourselves in written form in order to grasp what it essentially is. Thus poetry can neither be reduced to audible signs (the time of the ear) nor visible signs (the space of the eye) but is composed of language itself. This suggests that written and spoken forms work together to form a language that we appreciate as poetry. But does code work in the same way? By analogy, generative code has poetic qualities too, as it does not operate in a single moment in time and space but as a series of consecutive ‘actions’ that are repeatable, the outcome of which might be imagined in different contexts. Code is a notation of an internal structure that the computer is executing, expressing ideas, logic, and decisions that operate as an extension of the author's intentions. The written form is merely a computer-readable notation of logic, and is a representation of this process. Yet the written code isn't what the computer really executes, since there are many levels of interpreting and compiling and linking taking place. Code is only really understandable with the context of its overall structure – this is what makes it a language (be it source code or machine code, or even raw bytes). It may be hard to understand someone else’s code but the computer is, after all, multi-lingual. In this sense, understanding someone else's code is very much like listening to poetry in a foreign language - the appreciation goes beyond a mere understanding of the syntax or form of the language used, and as such translation is infamously problematic. Code itself is clearly not poetry as such, but retains some of its rhythm and metrical form. Code is intricately crafted, and expressed in multitudinous and idiosyncratic ways. Like poetry, the aesthetic value of code lies in its execution, not simply its written form. To appreciate it fully we need to ‘see’ the code to fully grasp what it is we are experiencing and to build an understanding of the code’s actions. To separate the code and the resultant actions would simply limit the aesthetic experience, and ultimately the study of these forms - as a form of criticism (what might be better called ‘poetics’).
series	other
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2003/08/07 17:25

_id	899f
authors	Papamichael, K., Pal, V., Bourassa, N., Loffeld, J. and Capeluto, I.G.
year	2000
title	An Expandable Software Model for Collaborative Decision-Making During the Whole Building Life Cycle
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2000.019
source	Eternity, Infinity and Virtuality in Architecture [Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture / 1-880250-09-8] Washington D.C. 19-22 October 2000, pp. 19-28
summary	Decisions throughout the life cycle of a building, from design through construction and commissioning to operation and demolition, require the involvement of multiple interested parties (e.g., architects, engineers, owners, occupants and facility managers). The performance of alternative designs and courses of action must be assessed with respect to multiple performance criteria, such as comfort, aesthetics, energy, cost and environmental impact. Several stand-alone computer tools are currently available that address specific performance issues during various stages of a building’s life cycle. Some of these tools support collaboration by providing means for synchronous and asynchronous communications, performance simulations, and monitoring of a variety of performance parameters involved in decisions about a building during building operation. However, these tools are not linked in any way, so significant work is required to maintain and distribute information to all parties. In this paper we describe a software model that provides the data management and process control required for collaborative decision-making throughout a building’s life cycle. The requirements for the model are delineated addressing data and process needs for decision making at different stages of a building’s life cycle. The software model meets these requirements and allows addition of any number of processes and support databases over time. What makes the model infinitely expandable is that it is a very generic conceptualization (or abstraction) of processes as relations among data. The software model supports multiple concurrent users, and facilitates discussion and debate leading to decision-making. The software allows users to define rules and functions for automating tasks and alerting all participants to issues that need attention. It supports management of simulated as well as real data and continuously generates information useful for improving performance prediction and understanding of the effects of proposed technologies and strategies.
keywords	Decision Making, Integration, Collaboration, Simulation, Building Life Cycle, Software.
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 08:00

_id	ga0026
id	ga0026
authors	Ransen, Owen F.
year	2000
title	Possible Futures in Computer Art Generation
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	Years of trying to create an "Image Idea Generator" program have convinced me that the perfect solution would be to have an artificial artistic person, a design slave. This paper describes how I came to that conclusion, realistic alternatives, and briefly, how it could possibly happen. 1. The history of Repligator and Gliftic 1.1 Repligator In 1996 I had the idea of creating an “image idea generator”. I wanted something which would create images out of nothing, but guided by the user. The biggest conceptual problem I had was “out of nothing”. What does that mean? So I put aside that problem and forced the user to give the program a starting image. This program eventually turned into Repligator, commercially described as an “easy to use graphical effects program”, but actually, to my mind, an Image Idea Generator. The first release came out in October 1997. In December 1998 I described Repligator V4 [1] and how I thought it could be developed away from simply being an effects program. In July 1999 Repligator V4 won the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation prize for "Best Graphics Program of 1999". Prize winners are never told why they won, but I am sure that it was because of two things: 1) Easy of use 2) Ease of experimentation "Ease of experimentation" means that Repligator does in fact come up with new graphics ideas. Once you have input your original image you can generate new versions of that image simply by pushing a single key. Repligator is currently at version 6, but, apart from adding many new effects and a few new features, is basically the same program as version 4. Following on from the ideas in [1] I started to develop Gliftic, which is closer to my original thoughts of an image idea generator which "starts from nothing". The Gliftic model of images was that they are composed of three components: 1. Layout or form, for example the outline of a mandala is a form. 2. Color scheme, for example colors selected from autumn leaves from an oak tree. 3. Interpretation, for example Van Gogh would paint a mandala with oak tree colors in a different way to Andy Warhol. There is a Van Gogh interpretation and an Andy Warhol interpretation. Further I wanted to be able to genetically breed images, for example crossing two layouts to produce a child layout. And the same with interpretations and color schemes. If I could achieve this then the program would be very powerful. 1.2 Getting to Gliftic Programming has an amazing way of crystalising ideas. If you want to put an idea into practice via a computer program you really have to understand the idea not only globally, but just as importantly, in detail. You have to make hard design decisions, there can be no vagueness, and so implementing what I had decribed above turned out to be a considerable challenge. I soon found out that the hardest thing to do would be the breeding of forms. What are the "genes" of a form? What are the genes of a circle, say, and how do they compare to the genes of the outline of the UK? I wanted the genotype representation (inside the computer program's data) to be directly linked to the phenotype representation (on the computer screen). This seemed to be the best way of making sure that bred-forms would bare some visual relationship to their parents. I also wanted symmetry to be preserved. For example if two symmetrical objects were bred then their children should be symmetrical. I decided to represent shapes as simply closed polygonal shapes, and the "genes" of these shapes were simply the list of points defining the polygon. Thus a circle would have to be represented by a regular polygon of, say, 100 sides. The outline of the UK could easily be represented as a list of points every 10 Kilometers along the coast line. Now for the important question: what do you get when you cross a circle with the outline of the UK? I tried various ways of combining the "genes" (i.e. coordinates) of the shapes, but none of them really ended up producing interesting shapes. And of the methods I used, many of them, applied over several "generations" simply resulted in amorphous blobs, with no distinct family characteristics. Or rather maybe I should say that no single method of breeding shapes gave decent results for all types of images. Figure 1 shows an example of breeding a mandala with 6 regular polygons: Figure 1 Mandala bred with array of regular polygons I did not try out all my ideas, and maybe in the future I will return to the problem, but it was clear to me that it is a non-trivial problem. And if the breeding of shapes is a non-trivial problem, then what about the breeding of interpretations? I abandoned the genetic (breeding) model of generating designs but retained the idea of the three components (form, color scheme, interpretation). 1.3 Gliftic today Gliftic Version 1.0 was released in May 2000. It allows the user to change a form, a color scheme and an interpretation. The user can experiment with combining different components together and can thus home in on an personally pleasing image. Just as in Repligator, pushing the F7 key make the program choose all the options. Unlike Repligator however the user can also easily experiment with the form (only) by pushing F4, the color scheme (only) by pushing F5 and the interpretation (only) by pushing F6. Figures 2, 3 and 4 show some example images created by Gliftic. Figure 2 Mandala interpreted with arabesques Figure 3 Trellis interpreted with "graphic ivy" Figure 4 Regular dots interpreted as "sparks" 1.4 Forms in Gliftic V1 Forms are simply collections of graphics primitives (points, lines, ellipses and polygons). The program generates these collections according to the user's instructions. Currently the forms are: Mandala, Regular Polygon, Random Dots, Random Sticks, Random Shapes, Grid Of Polygons, Trellis, Flying Leap, Sticks And Waves, Spoked Wheel, Biological Growth, Chequer Squares, Regular Dots, Single Line, Paisley, Random Circles, Chevrons. 1.5 Color Schemes in Gliftic V1 When combining a form with an interpretation (described later) the program needs to know what colors it can use. The range of colors is called a color scheme. Gliftic has three color scheme types: 1. Random colors: Colors for the various parts of the image are chosen purely at random. 2. Hue Saturation Value (HSV) colors: The user can choose the main hue (e.g. red or yellow), the saturation (purity) of the color scheme and the value (brightness/darkness) . The user also has to choose how much variation is allowed in the color scheme. A wide variation allows the various colors of the final image to depart a long way from the HSV settings. A smaller variation results in the final image using almost a single color. 3. Colors chosen from an image: The user can choose an image (for example a JPG file of a famous painting, or a digital photograph he took while on holiday in Greece) and Gliftic will select colors from that image. Only colors from the selected image will appear in the output image. 1.6 Interpretations in Gliftic V1 Interpretation in Gliftic is best decribed with a few examples. A pure geometric line could be interpreted as: 1) the branch of a tree 2) a long thin arabesque 3) a sequence of disks 4) a chain, 5) a row of diamonds. An pure geometric ellipse could be interpreted as 1) a lake, 2) a planet, 3) an eye. Gliftic V1 has the following interpretations: Standard, Circles, Flying Leap, Graphic Ivy, Diamond Bar, Sparkz, Ess Disk, Ribbons, George Haite, Arabesque, ZigZag. 1.7 Applications of Gliftic Currently Gliftic is mostly used for creating WEB graphics, often backgrounds as it has an option to enable "tiling" of the generated images. There is also a possibility that it will be used in the custom textile business sometime within the next year or two. The real application of Gliftic is that of generating new graphics ideas, and I suspect that, like Repligator, many users will only understand this later. 2. The future of Gliftic, 3 possibilties Completing Gliftic V1 gave me the experience to understand what problems and opportunities there will be in future development of the program. Here I divide my many ideas into three oversimplified possibilities, and the real result may be a mix of two or all three of them. 2.1 Continue the current development "linearly" Gliftic could grow simply by the addition of more forms and interpretations. In fact I am sure that initially it will grow like this. However this limits the possibilities to what is inside the program itself. These limits can be mitigated by allowing the user to add forms (as vector files). The user can already add color schemes (as images). The biggest problem with leaving the program in its current state is that there is no easy way to add interpretations. 2.2 Allow the artist to program Gliftic It would be interesting to add a language to Gliftic which allows the user to program his own form generators and interpreters. In this way Gliftic becomes a "platform" for the development of dynamic graphics styles by the artist. The advantage of not having to deal with the complexities of Windows programming could attract the more adventurous artists and designers. The choice of programming language of course needs to take into account the fact that the "programmer" is probably not be an expert computer scientist. I have seen how LISP (an not exactly easy artificial intelligence language) has become very popular among non programming users of AutoCAD. If, to complete a job which you do manually and repeatedly, you can write a LISP macro of only 5 lines, then you may be tempted to learn enough LISP to write those 5 lines. Imagine also the ability to publish (and/or sell) "style generators". An artist could develop a particular interpretation function, it creates images of a given character which others find appealing. The interpretation (which runs inside Gliftic as a routine) could be offered to interior designers (for example) to unify carpets, wallpaper, furniture coverings for single projects. As Adrian Ward [3] says on his WEB site: "Programming is no less an artform than painting is a technical process." Learning a computer language to create a single image is overkill and impractical. Learning a computer language to create your own artistic style which generates an infinite series of images in that style may well be attractive. 2.3 Add an artificial conciousness to Gliftic This is a wild science fiction idea which comes into my head regularly. Gliftic manages to surprise the users with the images it makes, but, currently, is limited by what gets programmed into it or by pure chance. How about adding a real artifical conciousness to the program? Creating an intelligent artificial designer? According to Igor Aleksander [1] conciousness is required for programs (computers) to really become usefully intelligent. Aleksander thinks that "the line has been drawn under the philosophical discussion of conciousness, and the way is open to sound scientific investigation". Without going into the details, and with great over-simplification, there are roughly two sorts of artificial intelligence: 1) Programmed intelligence, where, to all intents and purposes, the programmer is the "intelligence". The program may perform well (but often, in practice, doesn't) and any learning which is done is simply statistical and pre-programmed. There is no way that this type of program could become concious. 2) Neural network intelligence, where the programs are based roughly on a simple model of the brain, and the network learns how to do specific tasks. It is this sort of program which, according to Aleksander, could, in the future, become concious, and thus usefully intelligent. What could the advantages of an artificial artist be? 1) There would be no need for programming. Presumbably the human artist would dialog with the artificial artist, directing its development. 2) The artificial artist could be used as an apprentice, doing the "drudge" work of art, which needs intelligence, but is, anyway, monotonous for the human artist. 3) The human artist imagines "concepts", the artificial artist makes them concrete. 4) An concious artificial artist may come up with ideas of its own. Is this science fiction? Arthur C. Clarke's 1st Law: "If a famous scientist says that something can be done, then he is in all probability correct. If a famous scientist says that something cannot be done, then he is in all probability wrong". Arthur C Clarke's 2nd Law: "Only by trying to go beyond the current limits can you find out what the real limits are." One of Bertrand Russell's 10 commandments: "Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric" 3. References 1. "From Ramon Llull to Image Idea Generation". Ransen, Owen. Proceedings of the 1998 Milan First International Conference on Generative Art. 2. "How To Build A Mind" Aleksander, Igor. Wiedenfeld and Nicolson, 1999 3. "How I Drew One of My Pictures: or, The Authorship of Generative Art" by Adrian Ward and Geof Cox. Proceedings of the 1999 Milan 2nd International Conference on Generative Art.
series	other
email
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2003/08/07 17:25

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