Real design practice, real design computation

Abstract

The business model of architecture has been accused of being technologically deficient. Through case studies, this paper investigates alternatives to the status quo of computation in architecture, with a focus on design-oriented service providers. It first examines the discourse on computation within the field, then describes the experiments of a relevant design firm before discussing implications for the wider industry. In the process, the paper articulates the gap between theoretical computing applications and the realities of the architecture business. It addresses difficult technological adaptations within the industry with concrete use cases of integrated computing expertise, highlighting opportunities, benefits, and, more importantly, the need for a computational workforce.

Parametric design and multirobotic fabrication of wood facades

“…Parametric Design and Multirobotic Fabrication of Wood Facades Augustynowicz, Smigielska, Nikles, Wehrle, Wagner domain are focused on building information modelling (BIM), which, however, do not bridge effectively different perspectives of various stakeholders (Çıdık, Boyd, and Thurairajah 2017) and require digital-integration-driven organizational change (Dossick and Neff 2011;Harty 2008;Whyte and Lobo 2010;Whyte 2011) that is often hard to control (Çıdık, Boyd, and Thurairajah 2017). Moreover, basic BIM software does not enhance the design and production of customized building components, and additional tools have to be introduced (Wang 2021). An alternative approach is a custom digital-to-fabrication platform developed by a project team for one specific project.…”