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	sigradi2008_012
id	sigradi2008_012
authors	Dokonal, Wolfgang
year	2008
title	What is the state of digital architectural design?
source	SIGraDi 2008 - [Proceedings of the 12th Iberoamerican Congress of Digital Graphics] La Habana - Cuba 1-5 December 2008
summary	What is the state of digital architectural design? The ubiquity of the computer in architecture can be seen in the many computer based presentations from famous architectural practices. BIM (Building Information Modelling) is the key word and we can see implementations in very ambitious projects all over the world. Glossy magazines show the results of this kind of architecture and predict that this is the future of our profession. But when we go out into the “small world” (in Europe) and talk with architects in small firms, there is a very different reality – at least at the moment. Although they all agree that the computer is crucial for their work, it is a love/hate relationship for many them. Most still use the computer purely as a drafting device and AutoCAD is still the dominant tool. Although many of them agree with the statement that you can use the computer for design, only a minority really use the computer as a design tool in the early design stages. To find out more about the reality of the use of computers in design in “small town Europe” we have been undertaking two different kinds of research over the past 4 years. The first one is an educational experiment using first year’s students to find out about the different qualities of designing with and without the computer. The results have been presented at previous conferences and, since we are doing a last run of these experiments this year, we will update and finalise our findings in this paper. To make it comparable to previous years, we use largely the same settings using the same type of student (first year) and the same project/site. We will also be comparing the results for students designing ‘freestyle’ ie in the way that they want against the previous years controlled groups. The second strand of research we have followed is a survey amongst practitioners and some of the above statements came out of this survey. We did this survey using a web questionnaire and focused on a particular region of Europe. Although the numbers of participants for this survey were quite satisfying we are re-running the survey in a different region and country to see whether there are significant differences. The results of our research and our experience as teachers and architects leads us to the main question of how we can give recommendations on how to teach design the new generation of architects. In many aspects most of the teaching that is done in our faculties is still strictly divided into teaching design and teaching computer skills. The crucial question for architectural education are the implications of the ubiquity of the computer will have especially in the field of design. We will try to give some suggestions for these effects this could have on our teaching. In the long run, this is the only way to avoid some of the pitfalls and bring the benefits of computers in design to our small architectural firms. The paper will present a summary of the results of our research and try to propose an answer to the question: “What is the state of digital design in small town Europe?”
series	SIGRADI
email
last changed	2016/03/10 09:50

_id	cdc2008_085
id	cdc2008_085
authors	Morad, Sherif
year	2008
title	Building Information Modeling and Architectural Practice: On the Verge of a New Culture
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 85-90
summary	The introduction of machine-readable tools for architectural design, which do not just focus on mere geometry or presentation, but on the richness of information embedded computationally in the design, has impacted the way architects approach and manipulate their designs. With the rapid acceleration in building information modeling (BIM) as a process which fosters machine-readable applications, architects and other participants in the design and construction industry are using BIM tools in full collaboration. As a trend which is already invading architectural practice, BIM is gradually transforming the culture of the profession in many ways. This culture is developing new properties for its participants, knowledge construction mechanisms, resources, and production machineries. This paper puts forward the assumption that BIM has caused a state of transformation in the epistemic culture of architectural practice. It appears that practice in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is still in this phase of transformation; on the edge of developing a new culture. The paper attempts to address properties of such an emerging culture, and the new role architects are faced with to overcome its challenges.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	ecaade2008_000
id	ecaade2008_000
authors	Muylle, Marc (ed.)
year	2008
title	ARCHITECTURE ‘in computro’ - Integrating methods and techniques
source	26th eCAADe Conference Proceedings [ISBN 978-0-9541183-7-2], Antwerp (Belgium) 26-29 September 2008, 968 p.
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2008
summary	The presence of both visible and hidden digital resources in daily life is overwhelming and their presence continues to grow exponentially. It is surprising how little the impact of this evolution is questioned, especially in education. Reflecting on past experiences of this subject to learn for the future seems rarely to be done, and the sheer fact that a digital method exists is often seen as sufficient justification for its use. Are these the perceptions of serious misgivings or isolated views that circulate in the educational world and beyond? We would suggest that the eCAADe (Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe) and its conferences provide the ideal forum to provide answers in this debate. For the first conference in what is to be the next quarter century of the existence of eCAADe, a theme was chosen that could easily include all aspects of this debate: ARCHITECTURE ‘in computro’ , Integrating methods and techniques It seems a bit vulgar to use a dog-Latin phrase ‘in computro’ for such a serious matter but at least it now has a place between ‘in vivo’ and ‘in vitro’. For more than 25 years CAAD has been available, and has been more and more successfully used in research and commercial architectural practice. In education, which by definition should prepare students for the future, the constantly evolving CAAD metaphor is provoking a challenge to cope with the ever expanding scope of related topics. It is not surprising that this has led to differing opinions as to how CAAD should be taught. Questions such as how advanced research results can be incorporated in teaching, or if the Internet is provoking self-education by students, are in striking contrast with the more fundamental issues such as the discussion on analogue versus digital design methods. Is CAAD a part of design teaching or is it its logical successor in a global E-topia? Although the E of education is a prominent factor in the ‘raison d’être’ of the organisation, the papers presented at this conference illustrate that eCAADe is open to all other relevant contributions in the area of computer-aided architectural design. It will be a fortunate coincidence that this exchange of knowledge and opinions on such state-of-the-art subjects, will be hosted by the The Higher Institute of Architectural Sciences, Henry van de Velde, located in the historical buildings of the Royal Academy of Fine Art established since the founding of the academy in 1662.
series	eCAADe
type	normal paper
email
more	http://www.ecaade.org
last changed	2022/06/07 07:49

_id	ijac20086405
id	ijac20086405
authors	Ahlquist, Sean; Fleischmann, Moritz
year	2008
title	Elemental Methods for Integrated Architectures: Experimentation with Design Processes for Cable Net Structures
source	International Journal of Architectural Computing vol. 6 - no. 4, 453-475
summary	Tension active systems are compelling architectural structures having an intimate connection between structural performance and the arrangement of material. The direct flow of structural forces through the material makes these systems attractive and unique from an aesthetic point of view, but they are a challenge to develop from a design and an engineering perspective. Traditional methods for solving such structural systems rely on both analog modeling techniques and the use of highly advanced engineering software. The complexity and laborious nature of both processes presents a challenge for iterating through design variations. To experiment with the spacemaking capabilities of tension active systems, it is necessary to design methods that can actively couple the digital simulation with the analog methods for building the physical structure. What we propose is a designer-authored process that digitally simulates the behaviors of tension active systems using simple geometric components related to material and structural performance, activated and varied through elemental techniques of scripting. The logics for manufacturing and assembly are to be embedded in the digital generation of form. The intention is to transform what is a highly engineered system into an architectural system where investigation is as much about the determination of space and environment as it is about the arrangement of structure and material.
series	journal
last changed	2009/03/03 07:48

_id	cdc2008_329
id	cdc2008_329
authors	Araya, Sergio
year	2008
title	Algorithmic Transparency
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 329-340
summary	This paper describes the procedures developed in the creation of an innovative technique to design and manufacture composite materials with transparency and translucency properties. The long term objective of this research is to develop a method to design and fabricate architectural elements. The immediate objective is to develop the methodology and procedural techniques to design and manufacture a composite material with controlled non homogeneous transparency properties. A secondary objective is to explore different levels of “embedded behavior” or responsiveness by using these techniques to combine different physical material properties on new designed “smarter” and “responsive” composite materials.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_129
id	cdc2008_129
authors	Breen, Jack and Julian Breen
year	2008
title	The Medium Is the Matter: Critical Observations and Strategic Perspectives at Half-time
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 129-136
summary	This paper critically re-views the professional impact and functionality of the pervasive digital ‘matter’ we have come to believe we can no longer do without. On the basis of a playful exploration of the first ‘half-century’ of our digital age, an attempt is made to draw new perspectives for the next ’level’ of our digital culture in a broader (multi)media perspective and more specifically: the domains of Architecture. To stimulate an open-minded ‘second-half’ debate, the paper puts forward some potentially promising (and hopefully provocative) conceptions and strategies for imaginative interface applications and game-based architectural study initiatives. Furthermore, the paper proposes the establishment of a new cultural platform for the exchange of Critical Digital hypotheses and the evolvement of visionary design concepts through creative digital innovation, with the (inter)active involvement of older and younger team-players…
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_111
id	cdc2008_111
authors	Dounas, Theodore
year	2008
title	Algebras, Geometries and Algorithms, Or How Architecture fought the Law and the Law Won
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 111-114
summary	An Architect is required to deal quite often with a restrictive piece of Building Code during his/her practice, especially in traditional and hence protected environments. The paper examines the algorithmic nature of such a Building Code and in particular the President's Decree governing the design and architecture of traditional housing in the Old Town, “Ano Poli”, in Thessaloniki Greece. The nature of the constraints and descriptions the Decree contains is algorithmic, which means that the descriptions of the constraints is procedural with a specific start and a specific finish for a house design. The problem with such descriptions in a Law is that, although an architect can develop his/her own interpretations of the traditional language of the area, or even be able to trace his/her designs using shape grammars derived from traditional buildings preserved until today, the final result cannot be approved for a building permit since it does not comply with the Presidential Decree. We suggest that the nature of such legislation should be algebraic in nature and not algorithmic, since algebras allow an amount of freedom in development of architectural language while also permitting the restriction of scale, height and so on. This coupling of architectural design freedom and effective restriction on metrics of new buildings contained in algebraic systems can be shown to be much more effective than the established algorithmic system. The Decree's content comprises of regulations concerning the volume, form and use of new buildings in the protected and conserved built environment of “Ano Poli” in Thessaloniki.
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_035
id	cdc2008_035
authors	Fiamma, Paolo
year	2008
title	D.I.G.I.T.A.L. Defining Internal Goals In The Architectural Landscape
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 35-40
summary	The digital factor is a challenge to regain the meaning of Design on Architecture, in addition to evaluating its possible extension and transformations. Digital could be an answer for the actual needs of architectural design: Architecture should be digital because digital is profit. Digital could help to understand architectural design as ""verified conception"" through the concept of computational modelling: Architecture should be digital because digital goes in line and not against design tradition. Digital could enhance the didactic dimension, really important for students: Architecture should be digital because is actual. Digital offers cognitive and ontological value for the design and new skills for the designer: Architecture should be digital because digital is a catalyst of new and creativity. Digital reshapes constructed architecture introducing new aesthetic paradigms: Architecture should be digital because digital is the mental landscape as reference point for the actual theoretical phase of Architecture … There are several answers to the question: “Why Architecture should be digital?”, but without rigor and critical dimension cannot be any digital benefit in architectural landscape, and the main risk could be that the “representation” prevails over ""the fact"".
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_105
id	cdc2008_105
authors	Friedrich, Christian
year	2008
title	Information-matter hybrids: Prototypes engaging immediacy as architectural quality
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 105-110
summary	‘Immediate Architecture’ is an exploratory investigation into possibilities of immediate interactive and constructive interaction with the built environment supported by digital technologies. Aim is to realize interactive reconfigurable architectural objects that support their informational and material reconfiguration in real-time. The outcome is intended to become a synergetic amalgam of interactive architecture, parametric design environment, automated component fabrication and assembly. To this end, computational and material strategies are developed to approach the condition of immediate architecture and applied in real-world prototypes. A series of developed techniques are presented, ranging from realtime volumetric modeling, behavioral programming and meta-application protocol to streaming fabrication and dynamic components for interactive architecture.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_007
id	cdc2008_007
authors	Giddings, Bob and Margaret Horne
year	2008
title	The Changing Patterns of Architectural Design Education in the UK
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 7-16
summary	Digital technologies have been introduced to students of architecture for over two decades and at present it could be argued that students are producing some of the highest quality designs, and some of the most interesting forms ever to come from University Schools. The value of computer aided design (CAD) is also being demonstrated in architectural practice, with high profile, large budget, bespoke and iconic buildings designed by internationally renowned architects. This paper reviews the changing patterns of architectural design education and considers the contribution digital technologies could make to buildings with more commonplace uses. The study offers a perspective on different kinds of buildings and considers the influence that emerging technologies are having on building form. It outlines digital technologies, alongside students’ application for architectural design and considers the role they could play in the future, in developing a shared architectural language. It is suggested that some of the biggest opportunities for future research will be in the design of external spaces, often a neglected part of architectural design education.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_099
id	cdc2008_099
authors	Harrison, David and Michael Donn
year	2008
title	Using Project Information Clouds to Preserve Design Stories within the Digital Architecture Workplace
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 99-104
summary	During the development of an architectural design a series of design stories form. These stories chronicle the collective decision making process of the diverse project team. Current digital design processes often fail to record these design stories because of the emphasis placed on the concise and accurate generation of the virtual model. This focus on an allencompassing digital model is detrimental to design stories because it limits participation, consolidates information flow and risks editorialisation of design discussion. Project Information Clouds are proposed as a digital space for design team participants to link, categorise and repurpose existing digital information into comprehensible design stories in support of the digital building model. Instead of a discrete tool, the Project Information Cloud is a set of principles derived from a proven distributed information network, the World Wide Web. The seven guiding principles of the Project Information Cloud are simplicity, modular design, decentralisation, ubiquity, information awareness, evolutionary semantics and context sensitivity. These principles when applied to the development of existing and new digital design tools are intended to improve information exchange and participation within the distributed project team.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	acadia08_088
id	acadia08_088
authors	Hynes, Hugh
year	2008
title	When The Going Gets Tough, The Pluripotent Get Going: Resilient Developmental Models
source	Silicon + Skin: Biological Processes and Computation, [Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) / ISBN 978-0-9789463-4-0] Minneapolis 16-19 October 2008, 88-93
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2008.088
summary	Mechanisms of biological development, such as in embryogenesis, offer promising models for resilient architectural systems well-suited to volatile or unpredictable contextual conditions. The resilience of embryonic development as a process is such that successful development—“success” defined here as that which results in the birth of an organism that can survive—can sustain extreme shifts in a normal developmental process, triggered by mutations, environmental pressures, injury, or experimental intervention. More specifically, biological development combines mechanisms of standardization with mechanisms of customization to create open-ended or what biologists call pluripotent systems—poised (“-potent”) to develop into a wide range (“pluri-”) of potential forms—which we can endeavor to reproduce mimetically. ¶ This paper considers biomimesis less a matter of replicating these developmental mechanisms physically or formally, but rather borrowing aspects of the mechanisms’ operation in order to test project outcomes digitally. The discipline of developmental biology affords a virtually ready-made conceptual framework and terminology to guide an open-ended digital methodology, in the hope of incorporating increasing degrees of resilience into the resulting design work. Searching for a capacity to sustain a similar fluidity of differentiation afforded by organisms in early development, we explore a pluripotent architecture for which differentiation might occur over time, and which might be better able to absorb volatility.
keywords	Adaptation; Differentiation; Morphogenesis; Resilience; Scenario
series	ACADIA
last changed	2022/06/07 07:50

_id	cdc2008_049
id	cdc2008_049
authors	Jaskiewicz, Tomasz
year	2008
title	Dynamic Design Matter[s]: Practical considerations for interactive architecture
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 49-56
summary	This paper explores the concept of interactive architecture. The first section begins by formulating a daring vision of a radically new kind of architecture. In the second chapter this vision is further elaborated upon, by proposing a generic approach towards practically accomplishing the originally formulated theoretical concept. Opportunities and threats that emerge from this vision and approach are discussed in the third section and eventually, in section four and five, the proposed approach is brought to practical applications and illustrated with a number of experimental building component examples that all together include all necessary features to create a complete large scale architectural object. All projects and explorations have been conducted as part of the Hyperbody group’s research at the Delft University of Technology and have been inspired by group’s director, prof. Kas Oosterhuis.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_003
id	cdc2008_003
authors	Kalay, Yehuda E.
year	2008
title	The Impact of Information Technology on Architectural Education in the 21st Century
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 3-6
summary	Architecture is a technology-intensive discipline. It uses technology—both in the process of designing and in its products—to achieve certain functional, cultural, social, economic, and other goals. In turn, technology transforms the discipline. The importance of technology to the discipline and to the practice of architecture has been demonstrated again and again throughout history. In the 21st century, the advent of computer-aided design, computerassisted collaboration, construction automation, “intelligent” buildings, and “virtual” places, promise to have as much of an impact on architectural design processes and products as earlier technological advances have had. Like most other early adoptions of a technology, the first uses of computing in the service of architecture mimicked older methods: electronic drafting, modeling, and rendering. But this rather timid introduction is changing rapidly: new design and evaluation tools allow architects to imagine new building forms, more responsive (and environmentally more responsible) buildings, even radically new types of environments that blend physical with virtual space. Communication and collaboration tools allow architects, engineers, contractors, clients, and others to work much more closely than was possible before, resulting in more complex, more innovative, and more effective designs. Understanding and shaping this transformation are the basis of architectural education in the 21st century.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_023
id	cdc2008_023
authors	Karandinou, Anastasia; Leonidas Koutsoumpos and Richard Coyne
year	2008
title	Hybrid Studio Matters: Ethnomethodological Documentary of a Tutorial
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 23-34
summary	This paper looks into the electronically augmented, or ‘hybrid’ contemporary environment, through the spatial and temporal thresholds or ‘seams’ that it encompasses. Electronically augmented environments have been studied increasingly within the past few years. The question of how architects respond to the new spatial conditions, how they interpret and design space, is a major emerging issue. Within these broad questions, we conducted an ethnomethodological analysis of a particular environment-example: the architectural design studio, through the documentation and analysis of an episode in an architectural tutorial. The analysis of this case-study is based upon the seams, the thresholds or ruptures that occur between different media. We argue that the shift or transition from one medium to another can be smooth and un-noticed, whereas, in other instances, it shifts completely the centre of attention, the flow of the tutorial or the perception of the means (and other elements) engaged. The transitions, occurring within the recorded tutorial, are studied in relation to the notions of engagement, immediacy and continuity. We consider that these three notions bring forth the complexities, conflicts and richness (of the hybrid environment) that the tutorial recording reveals.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_245
id	cdc2008_245
authors	Kim, Simon and Mariana Ibanez
year	2008
title	Tempus Fugit: Transitions and Performance in Activated Architecture
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 245-251
summary	Meaning in architecture has isotropic instances of realization, one that can unfold during the design process and one that can be layered onto the artifact of the building; its components and forms constitute a communication flow that emerges from an abstract form of description to its physicality. The internal cognition of this condition situates the subject as the third element, one that identifies the meaning from the extant building to its proxy meaning. In this manner, narrative and aesthetics perform the actualizations (the spatial and physical sequences) so that the occupant may understand its implications.1 Architecture is thus a one-directional flow of information (the building is an inert object from which meaning is derived, its physicality is static). Even in process-driven design, the synthesis of the many and the ordered, is evident in the materiality of the architectural manifestation; the building, although presented as a result of process cannot be separated from the reading of the generative operations. 2 Rather than continue in this manner of constructing meaning from an extensive coding (joining a concept to an object) or the instantiation (producing one from a larger field of possibilities) from a version, we suggest a dialectic that is bi-directional, or even multinodal, that is, continually self-renewing in meaning and material configuration with the active participation of the occupant. This representation is one that is time-based.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_221
id	cdc2008_221
authors	Lobel, Josh
year	2008
title	The representation of post design(v.) design(n.) information
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 221-228
summary	Attempts to address interoperability issues in digital design information have become stilted. A lack of any real success is more indicative of the questions asked rather than the solutions proposed. If design information is the progenitor of design representation, and representation is a method by which to encode, store, and distribute design information, then the issues associated with digital design information can be seen as special cases of the general the problems associated with communication. Considering a representation by asking: ‘What is the information that needs to be communicated?’ and, ‘With whom is this information being communicated?’ may provide a better perspective from which to assess specific technological problems such as software interoperability. The goal of this paper is a call to attention – an exercise in critical thought and a provocation. Can re-conceptualizing the problems with the representation and interoperability of digital design information as generic problems of communication offer insight on novel solutions? A brief overview of the challenges posed to interoperability is presented along with current and past efforts to address this issue. An alternative methodology for the communication of design information via process rather than state descriptions is proposed, followed by a summary conclusion.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_243
id	cdc2008_243
authors	Loukissas, Yanni
year	2008
title	Keepers of the Geometry: Architects in a Culture of Simulation
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 243-244
summary	“Why do we have to change? We’ve been building buildings for years without CATIA?” Roger Norfleet, a practicing architect in his thirties poses this question to Tim Quix, a generation older and an expert in CATIA, a computer-aided design tool developed by Dassault Systemes in the early 1980’s for use by aerospace engineers. It is 2005 and CATIA has just come into use at Paul Morris Associates, the thirty-person architecture firm where Norfleet works; he is struggling with what it will mean for him, for his firm, for his profession. Computer-aided design is about creativity, but also about jurisdiction, about who controls the design process. In Architecture: The Story of Practice, Architectural theorist Dana Cuff writes that each generation of architects is educated to understand what constitutes a creative act and who in the system of their profession is empowered to use it and at what time. Creativity is socially constructed and Norfleet is coming of age as an architect in a time of technological but also social transition. He must come to terms with the increasingly complex computeraided design tools that have changed both creativity and the rules by which it can operate. In today’s practices, architects use computer-aided design software to produce threedimensional geometric models. Sometimes they use off-the-shelf commercial software like CATIA, sometimes they customize this software through plug-ins and macros, sometimes they work with software that they have themselves programmed. And yet, conforming to Larson’s ideas that they claim the higher ground by identifying with art and not with science, contemporary architects do not often use the term “simulation.” Rather, they have held onto traditional terms such as “modeling” to describe the buzz of new activity with digital technology. But whether or not they use the term, simulation is creating new architectural identities and transforming relationships among a range of design collaborators: masters and apprentices, students and teachers, technical experts and virtuoso programmers. These days, constructing an identity as an architect requires that one define oneself in relation to simulation. Case studies, primarily from two architectural firms, illustrate the transformation of traditional relationships, in particular that of master and apprentice, and the emergence of new roles, including a new professional identity, “keeper of the geometry,” defined by the fusion of person and machine. Like any profession, architecture may be seen as a system in flux. However, with their new roles and relationships, architects are learning that the fight for professional jurisdiction is increasingly for jurisdiction over simulation. Computer-aided design is changing professional patterns of production in architecture, the very way in which professionals compete with each other by making new claims to knowledge. Even today, employees at Paul Morris squabble about the role that simulation software should play in the office. Among other things, they fight about the role it should play in promotion and firm hierarchy. They bicker about the selection of new simulation software, knowing that choosing software implies greater power for those who are expert in it. Architects and their collaborators are in a continual struggle to define the creative roles that can bring them professional acceptance and greater control over design. New technologies for computer-aided design do not change this reality, they become players in it.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_287
id	cdc2008_287
authors	More, Gregory
year	2008
title	The Matter of Design in Videogames
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 287-294
summary	What is videogame matter? This essay examines the matter of videogames in relationship to architectural design, and advances a definition that videogame matter is: meta, modular, indexical, and distributive. These attributes support an argument that the materiality of the videogame has a markedly different set of properties than the matter of the physical world. A definition of videogame matter is critical to understanding the value of design within virtual environments, which then aids architects and designers utilizing the immersive environments of the videogame for representation, design and collaboration.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

_id	cdc2008_393
id	cdc2008_393
authors	Oxman, Neri
year	2008
title	Oublier Domino: On the Evolution of Architectural Theory from Spatial to Performance-based Programming
source	First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matters(s)? - 18-19 April 2008, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge (USA), pp. 393-402
summary	The conception of the architect as form-giver has since historical times dominated the field of architecture. It is precisely this image which has devalued material practice in the distinction between form and matter consistently inherent in architectural discourse. Recent technological developments in the field of design computation, coupled with environmental concerns and philosophical debates have contributed to the shift in focus from form, as the exclusive object of design practice to matter and materials as an alternative approach to the conception of form. Such a shift calls for a reorientation of existing protocols for design generation. Design based upon performance appears to justify and make sensible computational design processes that integrate material properties with structural and environmental constraints. These processes, as demonstrated here, contribute to the elimination of traditional architectural typologies replaced with spatial organization driven by need and comfort. This paper proposes a new approach in design where processes of formgeneration supporting sustainable design solutions are directly informed by structural and environmental constraints. Computational models are developed and implemented that incorporate data-driven form generation. Fabrication tools and technologies are customized to include material properties and behavior. The projects illustrated in this paper are currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art.
email
last changed	2009/01/07 08:05

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