Cumincad : CUMINCAD Papers : Search Results

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

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_id	avocaad_2001_13
id	avocaad_2001_13
authors	Alexander Koutamanis
year	2001
title	Modeling irregular and complex forms
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	Computational technologies provide arguably the first real opportunity architectural design has had for a comprehensive description of built form. With the advent of affordable computer-aided design systems (including drafting, modeling, visualization and simulation tools), architects believe they can be in full control of geometric aspects and, through these, of a wide spectrum of other aspects that are implicit or explicit in the geometric representation. This belief is based primarily on the efficiency and effectiveness of computer systems, ranging from the richness and adaptability of geometric primitives to the utility of geometric representations in simulations of climatic aspects. Such capabilities support attempts to design and construct more irregular or otherwise complex forms. These fall under two main categories: (1) parsing of irregularity into elementary components, and (2) correlation of the form of a building with complex geometric structures.The first category takes advantage of the compactness and flexibility of computational representations in order to analyse the form of a design into basic elements, usually elementary geometric primitives. These are either arranged into simple, unconstrained configurations or related to each other by relationships that define e.g. parametric relative positioning or Boolean combinations. In both cases the result is a reduction of local complexity and an increase of implicit or explicit relationships, including the possibility of hierarchical structures.The second category attempts to correlate built form with constraints that derive usually from construction but can also be morphological. The correlation determines the applicability of complex geometric structures (minimally ruled surfaces) to the description of a design. The product of this application is generally variable in quality, depending upon the designer's grounding in geometry and his ability to integrate constraints from different aspects in the definition of the design's geometry.Both categories represent a potential leap forward but are also equally hampered by the rigidity of the implementation mechanisms upon which they rely heavily. The paper proposes an approach to making these mechanisms subordinate to the cognitive and technical aspects of architectural thinking through fuzzy modeling. This way of modeling involves a combination of (a) canonical forms, (b) tolerances around canonical forms and positions, (c) minimal and maximal values, (d) fuzzy boundaries, and (e) plastic interaction between elements based on the dual principles of local intelligence and autonomy. Fuzzy models come therefore closer to the intuitive manners of sketching, while facilitating transition to precise and complex forms. The paper presents two applications of fuzzy modeling. The first concerns the generation of schematic building layouts, including adaptive control of programmatic requirements. The second is a system for designing stairs that can adapt themselves to changes in their immediate environment through a fuzzy definition of geometric and topological parametrization.
series	AVOCAAD
email
last changed	2005/09/09 10:48

_id	avocaad_2001_05
id	avocaad_2001_05
authors	Alexander Koutamanis
year	2001
title	Analysis and the descriptive approach
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	The rise of consciousness concerning the quality of working and living conditions has been a permanent though frequently underplayed theme in architecture and building since the reconstruction period. It has led to an explosive growth of programmatic requirements on building behaviour and performance, thus also stimulating the development of design analysis. The first stage of development was characterized by the evolution of prescriptive systems. These reversed the structure of pre-existing proscriptive systems into sequences of known steps that should be taken in order to achieve adequate results. Prescriptive systems complemented rather than replaced proscriptive ones, thereby creating an uncertain mixture of orthodoxy and orthopraxy that failed to provide design guidance for improving design performance and quality.The second stage in the development of design analysis focuses on descriptive methods and techniques for analyzing and supporting evaluation. Technologies such as simulation and scientific visualization are employed so as to produce detailed, accurate and reliable projections of building behaviour and performance. These projections can be correlated into a comprehensive and coherent description of a building using representations of form as information carriers. In these representations feedback and interaction assume a visual character that fits both design attitudes and lay perception of the built environment, but on the basis of a quantitative background that justifies, verifies and refines design actions. Descriptive analysis is currently the most promising direction for confronting and resolving design complexity. It provides the designer with useful insights into the causes and effects of various design problems but frequently comes short of providing clear design guidance for two main reasons: (1) it adds substantial amounts of information to the already unmanageable loads the designer must handle, and (2) it may provide incoherent cues for the further development of a design. Consequently the descriptive approach to analysis is always in danger of been supplanted by abstract decision making.One way of providing the desired design guidance is to complement the connection of descriptive analyses to representations of form (and from there to synthesis) with two interface components. The first is a memory component, implemented as case-bases of precedent designs. These designs encapsulate integrated design information that can be matched to the design in hand in terms of form, function and performance. Comparison between precedents with a known performance and a new design facilitate identification of design aspects that need be improved, as well as of wider formal and functional consequences. The second component is an adaptive generative system capable of guiding exploration of these aspects, both in the precedents and the new design. The aim of this system is to provide feedback from analysis to synthesis. By exploring the scope of the analysis and the applicability of the conclusions to more designs, the designer generates a coherent and consistent collection of partial solutions that explore a relevant solution space. Development of the first component, the design case-bases, is no trivial task. Transformability in the representation of cases and flexible classification in a database are critical to the identification and treatment of a design aspect. Nevertheless, the state of the art in case-based reasoning and the extensive corpus of analysed designs provide the essential building blocks. The second component, the adaptive generative system, poses more questions. Existing generative techniques do not possess the necessary richness or multidimensionality. Moreover, it is imperative that the designer plays a more active role in the control of the process than merely tweaking local variables. At the same time, the system should prevent that redesigning degenerates into a blind trial-and-error enumeration of possibilities. Guided empirical design research arguably provides the means for the evolutionary development of the second component.
series	AVOCAAD
email
last changed	2005/09/09 10:48

_id	462c
id	462c
authors	Koutamanis, A. and Mitossi, V.
year	2001
title	ON REPRESENTATION
source	Achten, H.H., de Vries, B. and Hennessey, J. (eds). Design Research in the Netherlands 2000, 105-116
series	book
type	normal paper
email
more	http://www.designresearch.nl/PDF/DRN2000_Koutamanis_Mitossi.pdf
last changed	2005/10/12 15:38

_id	a28d
authors	Koutamanis, A., Van Leusen, M. and Mitossi, V.
year	2001
title	Route analysis in complex buildings
source	Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 0-7923-7023-6] Eindhoven, 8-11 July 2001, pp. 711-724
summary	Analysis of pedestrian circulation in buildings is usually performed in the early stages of the design process or later on with respect to a specific design problem such as fire safety. In both cases, the analysis relates more to wayfinding, i.e. search for a route on the basis of fundamental normative criteria. Wayfinding analysis in existing buildings is useful for the comparison between “rational” behaviour and actual usage but this comparison does little to explicate the observed structure of pedestrian circulation. In contrast to wayfinding, route analysis deals with the registration and assessment of actual patterns of pedestrian circulation in existing buildings. These patterns are represented topologically and geometrically. The geometric representation makes use of norms underlying building codes in order to reach an appropriate level of abstraction. Route representations are implemented on top of a building representation of relevant spatial and building elements. The building representation serves both as input and output for the route analysis. Input and output are largely automated, including production of the geometric route locally (i.e. within each space) and measurement of route distance and complexity. Use data are collected in an alphanumeric database and linked dynamically to the geometric and topological representation. Route analysis supports and refines other forms of post-occupancy evaluation by adding important dynamic aspects to activity allocation and compartmentalization.
keywords	Pedestrian Circulation, Analysis, Representation, Interaction
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2006/11/07 07:22

_id	5e33
id	5e33
authors	Koutamanis, A.
year	2001
title	PROLEGOMENA TO THE RECOGNITION OF FLOOR PLAN SKETCHES: A TYPOLOGY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND GRAPHIC PRIMITIVES IN FREEHAND REPRESENTATION
source	Achten, H.H., de Vries, B. and Hennessey, J. (eds). Design Research in the Netherlands 2000, 93-103
series	book
type	normal paper
email
more	http://www.designresearch.nl/PDF/DRN2000_Koutamanis.pdf
last changed	2005/10/12 15:37

_id	ga0103
id	ga0103
authors	Koutamanis, Alexander
year	2001
title	Information and termination
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	The issue of termination has recently re-emerged as a result of new approaches to design generation, which link termination to user intervention. The similarities between this approach to termination and the conventional creative artistic process suggest that the product of thegenerative system is amenable to analysis in terms of well-formedness. A formal measure of well-formedness could be employed as an automatic termination trigger. The paper proposes that such a measure can be derived from structural information theory. By applying thecompression of structural information theory to meaningful principles of a design world we derive a consistent, universal description of the design result at any given state. This description expresses the correlation of the design with its formal constraints, as well as the general perception of the design’s patterns. The combination of the amount of structuralinformation in the design’s code and the presence of specific (sub)patterns in the same code arguably provide the triggers for termination of a generative process.
keywords	a.koutamanis@bk.tudelft.nl
series	other
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2003/08/07 17:25

_id	17ba
authors	Koutamanis, Alexander
year	2001
title	Fuzzy Modeling of Floor Plan Layout
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2001.314
source	Reinventing the Discourse - How Digital Tools Help Bridge and Transform Research, Education and Practice in Architecture [Proceedings of the Twenty First Annual Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture / ISBN 1-880250-10-1] Buffalo (New York) 11-14 October 2001, pp. 314-321
summary	Fuzzy modeling provides methods and techniques for qualifying and quantifying imprecise and uncertain information. The main advantages of fuzzy design representation are fluency, abstraction and continuity, at a level similar to that of analogue techniques, as well as the possibility of local autonomy, i.e. segmentation of a representation into self-regulating and cooperating components. The paper investigates the applicability of fuzziness to digital architectural sketching of floor plan layouts. Based on an analysis of the paradigmatic dimension in analogue floor plan sketches three alternative forms are proposed: (1) Canonical objects with tolerances, (2) objects described by minimal and maximal values, and (3) point sets which decompose the form of an object into a number of discrete, autonomous particles that describe the object by their position and spatial or structural relationships.
keywords	Representation, Sketching, Floor Plan, Fuzziness
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	dee5
authors	Koutamanis, Alexander and Mitossi, Vicky
year	2001
title	A "spelling" checker for architectural drawings: Grammatical and syntactic analysis in structured representations
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.caadria.2001.369
source	CAADRIA 2001 [Proceedings of the Sixth Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia / ISBN 1-86487-096-6] Sydney 19-21 April 2001, pp. 369-378
summary	CAAD representations for the early design stages have traditionally focused on aspects apparently relating to design creativity. These, however, may be unconnected to the control and analysis of design constraints that affect the further development of the design. The stability and reliability of control and analysis rely on what (despite the dangers of the linguistic analogy) we might call the grammatical and syntactic well-formedness of the representation. The paper reports on the control of grammar and syntax in a representation of spatial and building elements with respect to both the syntagmatic and the paradigmatic dimension.
series	CAADRIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	7c0e
authors	Koutamanis, Alexander and Den Hartog, Peter
year	2001
title	Simulation and representation. Learning from airflow analyses in buildings
source	Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 0-7923-7023-6] Eindhoven, 8-11 July 2001, pp. 657-666
summary	The simulation of environmental aspects is a current priority in design research and practice. The availability of relatively efficient and reliable simulation systems and the emphasis on environmental aspects throughout a building’s lifecycle combine to stimulate exploration of aspects such as lighting and air quality by computational means. Nevertheless, a frequent complaint is that the addition of such simulations makes design information processing timeconsuming and cumbersome, thereby increasing uncertainty and indecision. Therefore, it is imperative that simulation is integrated in the strategies and tools normally used by the digitally-minded architect. In this respect a central issue is the relations between the simulation and the design representation used as connecting tissue for the whole design environment. Input of design information in the simulation means identification of relevant objects, aspects, parts and properties of these objects, as well as relationships between objects. The explicit description of objects such as spaces, doors and windows in the design representation allows for ready extraction of relevant information, including automatic recognition of relationships such as adjacency between a window and a space. The addition of information specific to the airflow analysis was resolved by the extension of the representation to cover front-end service components such as inlets and outlets and general properties (annotations) such as activities accommodated in a space and the primary choice of cooling and heating subsystems. The design representation is also the obvious target for the output of the simulation (feedback). Visualization of airflow in terms of the resulting voxels makes effortless and enjoyable viewing but merely allowing the visualization to coexist with the representation of spaces and building elements does not provide design guidance. One way of achieving that is by treating spaces not as integral entities but as containers of relevant surfaces. These surfaces determine the adaptive subdivision of the space and function as attractors for voxel clustering.
keywords	Simulation, Representation, Visualization
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2006/11/07 07:22

_id	554e
authors	Koutamanis, Alexander
year	2001
title	3 x 2 Approaches to Design Management
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2001.220
source	Architectural Information Management [19th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-8-1] Helsinki (Finland) 29-31 August 2001, pp. 220-225
summary	Following the arguably successful introduction of building, project and real estate management to traditional architectural areas, design management is emerging as the new hot issue. One of the main arguments for it is the alleged low performance of the architect in the face of the technical complexity and operational intricacy that characterizes current design problems. In this respect, management is seen as the missing link in the architect’s methodical and operational framework. The paper suggests that this link derives more from the constraints of the domain and its subject matter rather than a management perspective. Design management refers to two main dimensions of architectural design, these of design method and of design subject. With respect to the first dimension we distinguish between three main categories: proscriptive, prescriptive and descriptive approaches. In the second dimension the distinction is between the coordination of the design process and that of the design product. The 3x2 matrix defined by these two dimensions stresses the significance of descriptive approaches for the informatization of the representation and communication of the design product. In this framework design information management emerges as an applied area of (computational) design theory that facilitates the amphidrome development of a design, i.e. not only from brief to postoccupancy but also from detail, case and precedent to design idea and solution, as well as the identification and management of critical moments, i.e. moments characterized by convergence of activities and hence extensive and intensive communication.
keywords	Method, Management, Descriptive, Informatization
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	72fb
authors	Koutamanis, Alexander
year	2001
title	On the Management of Visual Design Documentation
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2001.124
source	Architectural Information Management [19th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-8-1] Helsinki (Finland) 29-31 August 2001, pp. 124-130
summary	One of the most significant consequences of computerization in design practice is a spectacular increase in the amount and complexity of information produced for the specification, analysis and communication of design decisions and products. Computerization is intended to have a positive effect on such subjects but offers no builtin guarantees. The complexity, redundancy and amount of information that is generated on a variety of media has accentuated the problems of archiving, indexing and retrieving design documentation, either in the same project or in related ones. The shortcomings of visual information processing derive from a number of inherent problems: lack of integration in information carriers and kinds; organizational uncertainty, especially with respect to archiving and retrieval; superficial replication of analogue practices; limited understanding of information utility; chronic underestimates of automation potential coupled to overestimates of costs. A progressive improvement of design documentation should focus on: (1) the integration of information kinds and carriers in a single representation (in the direction of virtual prototyping); (2) correlation of information registration and processing with information utility; (3) structural rather than opportunistic or deterministic integration of utility requirements in design representations; (4) recognition of informatization and information management as a new specialization that complements existing roles in the design and management of the built environment
keywords	Computerization, Management, Visual Representation, Integration
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	ecaade03_561_150_martens
id	ecaade03_561_150_martens
authors	Martens, Yuri and Koutamanis, Alexander
year	2003
title	Realestate online information systems
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2003.561
source	Digital Design [21th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9541183-1-6] Graz (Austria) 17-20 September 2003, pp. 561-567
summary	Several commercial real-estate sites provide listings of available commercial property on the Internet. These listings are generated on the basis of selection criteria as floor area, price and location. Despite the obvious utility of the listings and their promise for the transaction process and market transparency, one third of commercial realestate listing sites went bankrupt in 2001 and 2002. To provide an explanation for the failure, 63 commercial real-estate sites were analysed and classified into three basic business models: the Research / Information model, the Marketing model and the Transaction model. A common success factor for all models is the functionality of the site, especially interaction between the user and the available information. The paper proposes that the transfer of existing architectural representations, information-processing instruments and decision-taking tools is an essential component of future development towards integrated services that accompany a building throughout its lifecycle. This transfer amounts to (1) the addition of building and contextual information from standard documentation and online information services, (2) the derivation and coherent description of programmatic requirements database, and (3) advanced user interaction with building information.
keywords	e-commerce, human-computer interaction, building information systems,web-based communication
series	eCAADe
email
more	http://www.re-h.nl
last changed	2022/06/07 07:59

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