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	sigradi2004_333
id	sigradi2004_333
authors	Andrés S. Rodríguez
year	2004
title	Exploración de relaciones entre analogías y bocetos durante la generación de ideas en diseño industrial como elicitación de requerimientos para CAD [Exploration of Relations between Analogies and Sketches During the Generation of Ideas in Industrial Design for Eliciting CAD Requirements]
source	SIGraDi 2004 - [Proceedings of the 8th Iberoamerican Congress of Digital Graphics] Porte Alegre - Brasil 10-12 november 2004
summary	An exploration on the analogy-based idea generation process in industrial design is reported. In particular we try to identify relationships between the sketching process and the analogy building in order to elicit requirements for a supporting software. We use concurrent think aloud protocols to obtain experimental data and an extension of a proved content oriented schema to analyze them. Statistical analysis on segments containing .analogical chains. found relations between analogical and design actions that allow us to support the hypothesis that the sketch seems to be more useful for helping the analytical aspects of the analogical making (i.e. to code a situation in terms of higher order relations) than the synthetic ones (i.e. to identify an analogy source). Results were interpreted as software requirements for a Computer Aided Design Application.
keywords	Sketching, Analogy, CAD, Industrial design, Protocol analysis
series	SIGRADI
email
last changed	2016/03/10 09:47

_id	875c
authors	Bonta, Pedro
year	1999
title	CAO - Centro Asistido Por Ordenador
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1999.012
source	ACADIA Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 12-12
summary	The formal education of future professionals requires training in four basic skills: abstraction, systemical thought, experimentation and collaboration. The capacity of abstraction allows to understand and manage realty in different ways in order to create opportunities to reinterpret and reorganize the information. The systemical thought promotes the distinction and the interpretation, teaching how they should be interpreted and how they can be refuted. They should learn how to analyze the reality from different points of view, under different conditions, which allows imagining new alternatives and possibilities. Through the experimentation we look for different possibilities and results and verify analogies and relevant differences, comparing with previous ideas. Another relevant aspect is the capacity of collaborating, sharing troubles and solutions, building new knowledge.
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:54

_id	b339
id	b339
authors	Bunster, Victor
year	2011
title	Tropism-oriented generative design: Analogical models for heterogeneous goal integration
source	Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Thesis. Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne.
summary	Architecture often requires integration between heterogeneous objectives. Both empirical requirements and speculative aspirations inform design in ways that resist ready formalization under computerizable logic. This thesis explores the possibilities of tropism-analogy as strategy for tackling some of these diverse objectives in a generative system. The feasibility of addressing heterogeneous goals with a computerizable design system is established by reviewing the role of rule-based strategies in vernacular tradition and the possibilities of analogies in recent generative methods. Then, the concept of tropism is analysed in depth, starting from its origins to its manifestation in a broad range of disciplines. This analysis leads to the definition of tropism as a ‘process of turn’ that enables purposeful connections between a system and its environment, an invariant property that may result in different levels of adaptation. These generalized conditions are used as conceptual foundation to explore analogical connections between divergent dimensions of architectural problems, and to define a feedback-enabled generative system that uses tropism-inspired rules in tackling contrasting design objectives. This system is implemented as a proof-of-concept for the Chilean social housing program, where is used to generate façade prototypes that respond simultaneously to thermal comfort and formal expression criteria. The outcomes of this thesis suggest that tropism-analogy can be used in tackling heterogeneous façade objectives and, therefore, to define novel design methods to explore goal-integration in computer-based generative architecture systems.
keywords	generative architecture, design computation, tropism analogy, goal integration, social housing
series	thesis:MSc
type	normal paper
email
more	http://dtl.unimelb.edu.au/R/98KH7M6SLEUI1J2GUA82K5A1AQSR7NK9HMI4GPCRJGFAEYDGHF-01472?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=277253&local_base=GEN01&pds_handle=GUEST
last changed	2012/07/06 17:57

_id	ijac202321209
id	ijac202321209
authors	Byrne, Ultan
year	2023
title	A Parochial Comment on Midjourney
source	International Journal of Architectural Computing 2023, Vol. 21 - no. 2, 374–379
summary	This paper recommends that critical attention towards machine learning should be focused on the ordering procedures at work in these models. More precisely, it draws attention to the central role of ‘latent spaces.’ The paper first explores ‘latent space’ through a series of analogies, and then briefly situates the concept in relation to a genealogy reaching back to developments in mathematical statistics at the turn to the 20th century
keywords	Midjourney, machine learning, latent space, projection, principal components analysis
series	journal
last changed	2024/04/17 14:30

_id	sigradi2003_106
id	sigradi2003_106
authors	Causa, Emiliano
year	2003
title	Vasarely Genético (Genetic Vasarely)
source	SIGraDi 2003 - [Proceedings of the 7th Iberoamerican Congress of Digital Graphics] Rosario Argentina 5-7 november 2003
summary	This work is a software application where the user will be able to go over a collection of optic art paintings, which are computer generated (they reproduce Victor Vasarely's works style). By selecting two of these paintings, the user will obtain a third one that will inherit their characteristics. The aim of this work is to generate a collection of paintings, which evolve according to the users' taste. For this purpose, we drew the analogies between the genetic evolution of living beings and their natural selection process to adapt themselves to the environment.
keywords	Genetic Art, Op Art, Artificial Intelligence, Victor Vasarely, Media Art.
series	SIGRADI
email
last changed	2016/03/10 09:48

_id	2005_599
id	2005_599
authors	Couceiro, Mauro
year	2005
title	Architecture and Biological Analogies
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2005.599
source	Digital Design: The Quest for New Paradigms [23nd eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9541183-3-2] Lisbon (Portugal) 21-24 September 2005, pp. 599-606
summary	The study described in this paper evolves within the larger context of a research aimed at inquiring into analogies between architecture and nature, and more specifically between architecture and biology. Biology is a recursive source of architectural inspiration due to the tight relationship between form and function, the natural balance of forces and the corresponding geometric solutions found in living beings. Roughly, one can classify historical analogies between architecture and biology into two main categories. The first tries to mimic biological forms and the second biological processes. The specific goal of the described study is to find how new technologies can redefine and support the process of constructing such analogies. It uses as a case study a tower project designed by the architect Manuel Gausa (ACTAR, Barcelona) called Tornado Tower because of its complex shape inspired in the frozen form of a tornado. Due to the geometric irregularities of the tower, Gausa’s team had difficulties in designing it, especially because solving the structural problems required constant redrawing. This paper describes the first part of the study which primary goal was to conceive a parametric program that encoded the overall shape of the Tornado Tower. The idea was to use the program to simplify the drawing process. This required a mathematical study of spirals and helices which are at the conceptual basis of the external structure and shape of the tower. However, the program encodes not only the shape of Gausa’s tower, but also the shapes of other buildings with conceptual similarities. Such class of shapes is very recurrent in nature with different scales and with different utilities. Therefore, one can argue that the program makes a mathematical connection between a given natural class of shapes and architecture. The second part of the study will be devoted to extending the program with a genetic algorithm with the goal of guiding the generation of solutions taking into account their structural fitness. This way, the analogy with genetic procedures will be emphasized by the study of the evolution of forms and its limits of feasibility. In summary, the bionic shape analogy is made by the generation of mimetic natural forms and a genetic process analogy starts with the parametric treatment of shape based on code manipulations. At the end the program will establish an analogy between architecture and biology both terms of form and process.
keywords	Genetics; Evolutionary Systems; Parametric Design
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:56

_id	ga0015
id	ga0015
authors	Daru, R., Vreedenburgh, E. and Scha, R.
year	2000
title	Architectural Innovation as an evolutionary process
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	Traditionally in art and architectural history, innovation is treated as a history of ideas of individuals (pioneers), movements and schools. The monograph is in that context one of the most used forms of scientific exercise. History of architecture is then mostly seen as a succession of dominant architectural paradigms imposed by great architectural creators fighting at the beginning against mainstream establishment until they themselves come to be recognised. However, there have been attempts to place architectural innovation and creativity in an evolutionary perspective. Charles Jencks for example, has described the evolution of architectural and art movements according to a diagram inspired by ecological models. Philip Steadman, in his book "The Evolution of Designs. Biological analogy in architecture and the applied arts" (1979), sketches the history of various biological analogies and their impact on architectural theory: the organic, classificatory, anatomical, ecological and Darwinian or evolutionary analogies. This last analogy "explains the design of useful objects and buildings, particularly in primitive society and in the craft tradition, in terms of a sequence of repeated copyings (corresponding to inheritance), with small changes made at each stage ('variations'), which are then subjected to a testing process when the object is put into use ('selection')." However, Steadman has confined his study to a literature survey as the basis of a history of ideas. Since this pioneering work, new developments like Dawkins' concept of memes allow further steps in the field of cultural evolution of architectural innovation. The application of the concept of memes to architectural design has been put forward in a preceding "Generative Art" conference (Daru, 1999), showing its application in a pilot study on the analysis of projects of and by architectural students. This first empirical study is now followed by a study of 'real life' architectural practice. The case taken has a double implication for the evolutionary analogy. It takes a specific architectural innovative concept as a 'meme' and develops the analysis of the trajectory of this meme in the individual context of the designer and at large. At the same time, the architect involved (Eric Vreedenburgh, Archipel Ontwerpers) is knowledgeable about the theory of memetic evolution and is applying a computer tool (called 'Artificial') together with Remko Scha, the authoring computer scientist of the program who collaborates frequently with artists and architects. This case study (the penthouse in Dutch town planning and the application of 'Artificial') shall be discussed in the paper as presented. The theoretical and methodological problems of various models of diffusion of memes shall be discussed and a preliminary model shall be presented as a framework to account for not only Darwinian but also Lamarckian processes, and for individual as well as collective transmission, consumption and creative transformation of memes.
keywords	evolutionary design, architectural innovation, memetic diffusion, CAAD, penthouses, Dutch design, creativity, Darwinian and Lamarckian processes
series	other
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2003/08/07 17:25

_id	ga9803
id	ga9803
authors	Dehlinger, Hans E.
year	1998
title	The Artist´s Intentions and Genetic Coding in Algorithmically Generated Drawings
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	Art-work, based on line drawings, is challenging for a number of reasons. It is a very much reduced art form relying on and exploiting the calligraphic qualities of lines only. It is more related to writing than to painting and it has a transient element in it, which is attributed to the movements of the pen equipped hand. With the aid of computer programs line drawings can be produced, exhibiting very specific qualities. In asking what a single line is composed of, we may draw analogies to genetic coding and generate variations within a population of lines belonging to the same family. An artist can cast his intentions into the definition of such a genetic code and the drawings produced accordingly will populate a specific domain of the universe of machine generated drawings.
series	other
email
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2003/08/07 17:25

_id	683a
authors	Do, Ellen Yi-Luen and Gross, Mark D.
year	1995
title	Shape Based Reminding as an Aid to Creative Design
source	Sixth International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 9971-62-423-0] Singapore, 24-26 September 1995, pp. 79-89
summary	This paper describes "Drawing Analogies", a shape based reminding program that uses freehand sketches to index and retrieve visual references for creative designing. Architects often employ reference images from books, magazines, and other visual collections to find forms they can adopt and adapt into their designs. We give examples of how designers use drawing and analogies and describe our approach to finding similar drawings. We argue that a graphical reminding scheme based on sketching can help designers find interesting references from various domains.
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2004/10/04 07:49

_id	4809
authors	Do, Ellen Yi-Luen
year	1995
title	Drawing Analogies: Finding Visual References By Sketching
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1995.035
source	Computing in Design - Enabling, Capturing and Sharing Ideas [ACADIA Conference Proceedings / ISBN 1-880250-04-7] University of Washington (Seattle, Washington / USA) October 19-22, 1995, pp. 35-52
summary	In creative and conceptual designing, architects often look to books, magazines, and other collections of images to find forms they can adopt and adapt in designs. On line visual collections are becoming available but typically they are indexed only with descriptive key words. We argue that in addition to key word indexing, which supports retrieval of images based on design concepts or issues, a more directly visual, graphical reminding scheme based on sketches can help designers recall interesting references from various domains. We describe Drawing Analogies, a shape based reminding program that uses hand drawn sketches to index and query visual databases.
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	273f
authors	Elcock, E.W.
year	1983
title	How Complete are Knowledge Representation Systems?
source	IEEE Computer. IEEE computer society, October, 1983. vol. 16: pp. 114-118. includes bibliography
summary	Prolog, the most feasible of the first-order logic systems, has intriguing analogies with Absys, short for Aberdeen System, an assertative programming system developed in 1968. In this article, the issue of incompleteness is explored by comparing aspects of the two systems, and the incompleteness resulting from any serious use of Prolog as a vehicle for a knowledge-based system is addressed
keywords	PROLOG, algorithms, knowledge, systems, languages
series	CADline
last changed	2003/06/02 13:58

_id	70b1
authors	Emdanat, S.S., Vakalo, E.0. and Malkawi, A.M.
year	1996
title	A Conceptual Framework for Integrating Morphological and Thermal Analysis in the Generation of Orthogonal Architectural Designs
source	Proceedings of the 84th ACSA Meeting; Boston, pp. 117-131
summary	Digital networks are gaining importance as environments for learning and creative collaboration. Technical achievements, software enhancements, and a growing number of applicable principles make it possible to compile complex environments that satisfy many aspects necessary for creative collaboration. This paper focuses on three issues: the architecture of collaborative environments, communication in these environments and the processes inherent to creative collaboration. The information architecture of digital environments looks different from physical architecture, mainly because the material that it is made out of is information and not stone, wood or metal and the goal is to provide appropriate paths and views to information. Nonetheless, many analogies can be drawn between information architecture and physical architecture, including the need for useability, aesthetics, and consistency. To communicate is important for creative collaboration. Digital networks request and enable new strategies for communicating. Regarding the collaborative creative process we have been able to detect principles and features that enhance this process, but there are still many unanswered questions. For example, the environment can enable and improve the frequency of surprise and coincidence, two factors that often play decisive roles in the creative processes but cannot be planned for in advance. Freedom and transparency within the environment are other important factors that foster creative collaboration. The following findings are based on numerous courses, which we have taught using networked environments and some associated, research projects that helped to verify their applicability for architectural practice.
series	other
last changed	2003/04/23 15:50

_id	2145
authors	Engeli, Maia and Mueller Andre
year	1999
title	Digital Environments for Learning and Collaboration Architecture, Communication, Creativity, Media and Design Process
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1999.040
source	Media and Design Process [ACADIA ‘99 / ISBN 1-880250-08-X] Salt Lake City 29-31 October 1999, pp. 40-52
summary	Digital networks are gaining importance as environments for learning and creative collaboration. Technical achievements, software enhancements, and a growing number of applicable principles make it possible to compile complex environments that satisfy many aspects necessary for creative collaboration. This paper focuses on three issues: the architecture of collaborative environments, communication in these environments and the processes inherent to creative collaboration. The information architecture of digital environments looks different from physical architecture, mainly because the material that it is made out of is information and not stone, wood or metal and the goal is to pro-vide appropriate paths and views to information. Nonetheless, many analogies can be drawn between information architecture and physical architecture, including the need for useability, aesthetics, and consistency. To communicate is important for creative collaboration. Digital networks request and enable new strategies for communicating. Regarding the collaborative creative process we have been able to detect principles and features that enhance this process, but there are still many unanswered questions. For example, the environment can enable and improve the frequency of surprise and coincidence, two factors that often play decisive roles in the creative processes but cannot be planned for in advance. Freedom and transparency within the environment are other important factors that foster creative collaboration. The following findings are based on numerous courses, which we have taught using networked environments and some associated, research projects that helped to verify their applicability for architectural practice.
series	ACADIA
type	normal paper
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	acadia15_173
id	acadia15_173
authors	Erdine, Elif
year	2015
title	Generative Processes in Tower Design: Simultaneous Integration of Tower Subsystems Through Biomimetic Analogies
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2015.173
source	ACADIA 2105: Computational Ecologies: Design in the Anthropocene [Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) ISBN 978-0-692-53726-8] Cincinnati 19-25 October, 2015), pp. 173-184
summary	The research presented in the paper formulates part of the methodological approach of a recently completed PhD thesis. The principle aim of the thesis is to achieve simultaneous integration of tower subsystems which can coherently adapt to their internal and external context during the initial phases of the design process. In this framework, the tower subsystems are grouped as the structural system, floor system, vertical circulation system, facade system, and environmental system. The paper focuses on the implementation of the specific biomimetic analogies towards the integration of tower subsystems through computationally generated dynamic systems. The biomimetic analogies are the mechanical and organizational properties of branched constructions, the mechanical properties of the bamboo stem, and the micro-structure of the porcupine quill/ hedgehog spine. Each biomimetic analogy is described in relation to the design domain. Methods of employing the mathematical and geometrical principles of the biomimetic analogies during design explorations are elaborated. Outcomes of the design output are outlined and discussed with a concentration on achieving tower subsystem integration, differentiation, and co-adaptation properties.
keywords	Tower, integration, biomimetics, minimal detours, bamboo stem, porcupine quill, hedgehog spine, generative
series	ACADIA
type	normal paper
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	ecaade2013_192
id	ecaade2013_192
authors	Erdine, Elif
year	2013
title	Biomimetic Strategies in Tower Design
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2013.1.559
source	Stouffs, Rudi and Sariyildiz, Sevil (eds.), Computation and Performance – Proceedings of the 31st eCAADe Conference – Volume 1, Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, 18-20 September 2013, pp. 559-568
summary	The paper argues that the tower needs to respond to its environment by changing from a closed building typology towards a heterogeneous, differentiated open system that can adapt to the changing conditions within and around it. This argument is supported by focusing on the analogies and principles of specific biological examples in order to propose computationally-generated self-organizing systems. The goal of analyzing these models is to integrate their structural and geometrical characteristics with the aim of overcoming high lateral loading conditions in towers, as well as elaborating on the existence of multi-functionality and integration throughout the subsystems of the tower. A series of computational models which abstract the biological properties and articulate them with a generative approach through the use of agent-based systems are implemented according to designated evaluation criteria.
wos	WOS:000340635300058
keywords	Tower; biomimetics; integration; differentiation; generative algorithms.
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	a126
id	a126
authors	Finucane E, Derix C and Coates P
year	2006
title	Evolving Urban Structures using Computational Optimisation
source	Proceedings of the Generative Arts conference, Milan, 2006
summary	This paper investigates the use of computer analogies for naturally inspired optimisation techniques as an aid to developing the site layout and massing for the new World Trade Centre development in Pristina Kosovo, which is being designed and developed by 4M Group architectural company, in conjunction with the Advanced Modelling Group Aedas. The development of a genetic algorithm will incorporate various techniques, that have been developed in the field of multi-objective optimisation, to create three dimensional massing models, and site layout solutions which partially fulfil the Prisina brief requirements, which are taken from specifications created by 4M Group. Genetic algorithms are based on natural evolutionary principles which are explained in this paper. It will incorporate Pareto concepts to manage the optimisation of the various objective functions. For example, these will include volume and position of units, which will ensure that the different and sometime conflicting needs of the site are balanced throughout the optimisation. This type of problem is often known as an NP-complete (non-determinate polynomial time) problem. This will provide architects and planners with a number of Pareto optimised site massing solutions as an aid to the design process. An initial investigation into the specifics of the Pristina site requirements, will be followed by an investigation into the the genetic algorithm which is created in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) linked with AutoCAD as the graphical output of the code. The embryology (development) of the various solutions from the genetic information incorporates an ‘ant’ pheromone trail model, which simulates the action of ants during food foraging, as a tool for initial route planning within the site. Diffusion and cellular automata are used during the development of the solution to construct the massing for the site.
keywords	urban planning, evolutionary algorithms, pareto optimization, Lindenmayer systems, ant-colony optimization, cellular automaton
series	other
type	normal paper
email
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2012/09/20 18:33

_id	46d4
id	46d4
authors	Fischer, Thomas
year	2008
title	Designing (tools (for designing (tools for ...))))
source	RMIT University, Melbourne
summary	Outcomes of innovative designing are frequently described as enabling us in achieving more desirable futures. How can we design and innovate so as to enable future processes of design and innovation? To investigate this question, this thesis probes the conditions, possibilities and limitations of toolmaking for novelty and knowledge generation, or in other words, it examines designing for designing. The focus of this thesis is on the development of digital design tools that support the reconciliation of conflicting criteria centred on architectural geometry. Of particular interest are the roles of methodological approaches and of biological analogies as guides in toolmaking for design, as well as the possibility of generalising design tools beyond the contexts from which they originate. The presented investigation consists of an applied toolmaking study and a subsequent reflective analysis using second- order cybernetics as a theoretical framework. Observations made during the toolmaking study suggest that biological analogies can, in informal ways, inspire designing, including the designing of design tools. Design tools seem to enable the generation of novelty and knowledge beyond the contexts in and for which they are developed only if their users apply them in ways unanticipated by the toolmaker. Abstract The reflective analysis offers theoretical explanations for these observations based on aspects of second-order cybernetics. These aspects include the modelling of designing as a conversation, different relationships between observers (such as designers) and systems (such as designers engaged in their projects), the distinction between coded and uncoded knowledge, as well as processes underlying the production and the restriction of meaning. Initially aimed at the development of generally applicable, prescriptive digital tools for designing, the presented work results in a personal descriptive model of novelty and knowledge generation in science and design. This shift indicates a perspective change from a positivist to a relativist outlook on designing, which was accomplished over the course of the study. Investigating theory and practice of designing and of science, this study establishes an epistemological model of designing that accommodates and extends a number of theoretical concepts others have previously proposed. According to this model, both design and science generate and encode new knowledge through conversational processes, in which open-minded perception appears to be of greater innovative power than efforts to exercise control. The presented work substantiates and exemplifies radical constructivist theory of knowledge and novelty production, establishes correspondences between systems theory and design research theory and implies that mainstream scientific theories and practices are insufficient to account for and to guide innovation.
keywords	Digital design tools, geometry rationalisation, second-order cybernetics, knowledge generation
series	thesis:PhD
type	normal paper
email
more	http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080424.160537/index.html
last changed	2008/05/10 08:31

_id	sigradi2011_086
id	sigradi2011_086
authors	Florio, Wilson
year	2011
title	Raciocínio Analógico Paramétrico: uma experiência criativa em arquitetura [Analogical Parametric Reasoning: a creative experience in architecture]
source	SIGraDi 2011 [Proceedings of the 15th Iberoamerican Congress of Digital Graphics] Argentina - Santa Fe 16-18 November 2011, pp. 39-42
summary	The aim of this paper is to examine the role of the analogies in the parametric modeling, particularly as factor of induction of creativity in architecture design process. For this purpose two experiments are presented. In the first one the students tested the relationship involving parametric modeling in the Paracloud and Rhino, that resulted in physical models produced by laser cutter. In the second experiment the students produced algorithms in the Grasshopper, resulting in families of structures. The results allow us to affirm that the parametric modeling stimulates the creativity, therefore allow combining parameters that result in unexpected discoveries.
keywords	Parametric Modeling; Laser cutter; Analogy; Creativity; Design Process
series	SIGRADI
email
last changed	2016/03/10 09:52

_id	b1db
authors	Francis, Sabu
year	1999
title	The Importance of Being Abstract: An Indian Approach to Models
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1999.101
source	Architectural Computing from Turing to 2000 [eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-5-7] Liverpool (UK) 15-17 September 1999, pp. 101-109
summary	Traditional Indian way of life is surrounded by ambiguity. This is in direct contrast to an Aristotelian approach, where polarised stands are always taken. A black and white approach tends to yield results speedily, but exhaustive solutions which can explain complexity are usually brute force procedures. Even so, their conclusions in the end are still suspect. The author believes that rich solutions may exist when we use an 'alternate' or abstract synthesized reality to do our modelling instead of relying on analogies and other direct links to the real world. Models that allow synthesis tend to accept ambiguity. The author presents in this paper an 'unconventional' system to represent architecture which has had some amount of success probably because it started of, on pure abstract grounds that allowed ambiguity instead of basing it on an Aristotelian, analytical model.
keywords	Aristotle, Buddha, Representations, Abstract Models
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:50

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

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