In recent decades, new methodologies have emerged in architectural design that exploit the computer as a design tool. This has generated a varied set of digital skills and a new type of architectural knowledge. However, up to now, a theoretical framework is missing that would allow for a comprehensive pedagogical agenda for the teaching of digital design in architecture. The present paper offers an attempt towards such a theoretical grounding based on the concept of computable functions. This approach results in an abstract and formal perspective on digital design that enables a grouping of contemporary digital design methods and an understanding of their logical relationship. On a theoretical level, it opens a path for the study of the mechanism that facilitates the transfer of concepts from various scientific disciplines into architecture.
Reciprocal frame construction refers to a structural system that was developed first in eastern Asia in the 12th century. Short bar-shaped elements allow a surface to be spanned whose area is many times that of the length of the individual bars. In addition to the global geometry of the resulting surface, of particular interest is the interaction of forces between the individual bars that enables the load support and gives rise to the specific systemics of the overall structure. This paper intends to analyse these topics and the resulting possibilities.
This paper presents an interactive framework for the design of truss structures with aesthetic criteria. The truss chords are described using NURBS, a tool widely used in computer aided design (CAD) programs to describe free-form geometry. This allows for a convenient interface between the optimization scheme, a particle swarm optimizer, and the user. Driven from the fact that aesthetic design goals are not easily quantifiable, key elements are introduced and implemented herein towards an interactive framework for algorithmic design of truss structures. Within this framework, the user can visually assess interesting solutions, save them for later assessment, actively drive the optimization towards individual aims, re-initialize the optimization with a set of available solutions, or restart the design process. A criterion is introduced as a means of quantifying subjective goals, expressing the similarity of the shape of candidate solutions with respect to reference designs. The framework is tested on a benchmark case and then applied to the design of a truss tower. The effectiveness of the similarity criteria, as well as the ability of the user to drive the process towards specific design goals is demonstrated.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.