CAAD

Dragonfly: An Ecological Approach to Digital Architectural Design

by Michael J. Braund

Published in ACADIA 2011: Integration Through Computation, ed. by J.M. Taron, V. Parlac, B. Kolarevic and J.S. Johnson, pp.178-186. Stroughton, WI: The Printing House, 2011.

(Co-authored with Daniel Hambleton)

In his keynote address delivered to The American Society for Esthetics in 1976, James J. Gibson wrote, “Architecture... more In his keynote address delivered to The American Society for Esthetics in 1976, James J. Gibson wrote, “Architecture and design do not have a satisfactory theoretical basis.” He then asked, “Can an ecological approach to the psychology of perception and behavior provide it?” (1976, p. 413) We believe that it can, at least in part. In this paper, we expand upon Gibson’s insights into the nature of perceptual experience by applying the concept of “affordances” to the design of architectural objects in general, and to the domain of digital architectural design in particular. On our account, the affordance-concept supplies a useful theoretical basis for conceptualizing the relationship between environments and occupants with respect to the form and behavioral meaning of geometrically constructed layouts.

Donald Norman (1988) first introduced affordances to interaction design theorists, as a conceptual tool for predicting how agents will interact with a given product. The extensive body of literature that has since emerged, from human-computer-interaction studies (Ackerman, 1996; Conn, 1995; Moran, 1997; Norman, 1999) to architectural theory and practice (Koutamanis, 2006; Maier and Fadel, 2009), has followed Norman’s lead in defining affordances, somewhat amorphously, as whichever action-related properties of objects are sufficient to elicit the intended forms of behavioral interaction between the agent and object. However, while this is correct, it is only half the story. It leaves unexplained how human perceivers detect and “pair down” on the potentially vast range of possible affordances (at a given time), to select the ones that will be relevant to the coordination and guidance of the targeted actions. Call this the “selectivity problem,” a proper treatment of which is missing from the literature. This is no small matter. If the theory of affordances is to be useful to architects and designers, if it is to have explanatory and predictive power over how perceivers will interact with their surroundings, then some account of the cognitive procedure by which affordances are selected for the deployment of specific behaviors is necessary. Otherwise, it is unclear what the theory hopes to predict or explain.

To this end, we maintain that the couching of affordances in a framework of human intentionality is not only consistent with Gibson’s theoretical views (i.e., the action-oriented definition of the concept of affordances not only suggests an intentional perspective), indeed, such a perspective is necessary if we are to succeed in implementing the affordance-concept into an architectural design context in a way that addresses the selectivity problem. This is one of the goals of “Dragonfly,” a first attempt at implementing the affordance-based control of perceptually guided-action into a digital design simulation. Dragonfly enables human interaction with geometry by encoding the basic principles of ecological psychology (including a rudimentary form of intentionality) into an interactive CAD environment. New vistas for future research and interdisciplinary approaches to design are then discussed, with a special emphasis on their applicability to architecture.

Local Optioneering: Producing Complex Geometries through Opportunistic Networking

by Stanislav Roudavski

Cite as: Warnock, Finnian and Stanislav Roudavski (2012). 'Local Optioneering: Producing Complex Geometries through Opportunistic Networking', in Beyond Codes and Pixels: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, ed. by Thomas Fischer et al. (Chennai, India: CAADRIA), pp. 487-494

How can small architectural practices participate in contemporary architectural experimentation? One route is through... more How can small architectural practices participate in contemporary architectural experimentation? One route is through engagement with complex, parametrically controlled geometries. However, the utilisation of such geometries by small practices is comparatively rare. We sought to explore the circumstances of such engagements with the hope of finding what can make them more feasible. To this end, we developed a purpose-specific methodology based on the simulation of an integrated design workflow. To develop and assess this simulation, we exposed a hypothetical project to multiple stakeholders including fabricators, engineers, architects, builders, clients, planning authorities and researchers. The outcomes suggest that the conceptual stance described as optioneering in application to large projects can also be productive at smaller scales.

Keywords: digital architectural design; digital fabrication; local
expertise; parametric geometry; design innovation; optioneering.

For images and further details, see: http://issuu.com/finn.warnock/docs/local_optioneering_issuu/17

Estranged-Gaze Pedagogy: Probing Architectural Computing through Multiple Ways of Seeing

by Stanislav Roudavski

Cite as: Roudavski, Stanislav (2012). 'Estranged-Gaze Pedagogy: Probing Architectural Computing through Multiple Ways of Seeing', in Beyond Codes and Pixels: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, ed. by Thomas Fischer, et al. (Chennai, India: CAADRIA), pp. 659–668

This paper discusses the challenges of teaching architectural design theory in a world transformed by the digital... more This paper discusses the challenges of teaching architectural design theory in a world transformed by the digital revolution. Design is changing in dramatic ways and architecture is changing with it but a well-defined body of knowledge that can serve as a foundation for digital architectural design has – as yet – not been established. Relevant concepts, methods and precedents originate in many fields that are typically well beyond the scope of reading suggested to (or encountered by) students of architecture. This material is highly dynamic, often contradictory and, typically, of varying quality. Presenting this developing body of knowledge to students is a difficult challenge. A suitable pedagogical approach ought to reflect the heterogeneous and volatile nature of the contemporary design discourse enabling critical analysis of existing design practices, evidenced defence of one’s own creative work and successful communication with many heterogeneous stakeholders.

Keywords: critical pedagogy; digital architectural design; architectural theory; architectural education.

MAP 1: Investigative Designing

by Stanislav Roudavski

Cite as: Roudavski, Stanislav, ed., (2011). MAP 1: Investigative Designing (Melbourne: University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Design)

A book showcasing ideas, projects, designs and courses united by the theme of Investigative Designing (and digital... more A book showcasing ideas, projects, designs and courses united by the theme of Investigative Designing (and digital architectural design). Realised at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne.

Paper copies can be purchased here: http://www.bookshop.unimelb.edu.au/bookshop/p?8880000451055

Selective Jamming: Digital Architectural Design in Foundation Courses

by Stanislav Roudavski

Cite as: Roudavski, Stanislav (2011). 'Selective Jamming: Digital Architectural Design in Foundation Courses', International Journal of Architectural Computing, 9, 4, pp. 437-461

This article considers how the concepts and practice of digital architectural design can influence early architectural... more This article considers how the concepts and practice of digital architectural design can influence early architectural education.The article approaches this topic through one example, the Virtual Environments course – a constituent of the Bachelor of Environments program at the University of Melbourne.The institutional remit of this course is to introduce first-year students to the roles of design representation. However, recently, the course developed to encompass these pragmatic educational aims and began to question canonical attitudes towards architectural education and practice.At the core of this course are the notions, methods and skills of digital architectural design, understood not as a stylistic option or as a novel paradigm, but as a catalyst for creativity, experimentation, critical thinking and the sustained growth of creative communities.

Il modello parametrico in architettura: la tecnologia BIM di Autodesk Revit

by Simone Garagnani

Ingegneri al servizio di ingegneri: i nuovi “attrezzisti” digitali per i progettisti delle costruzioni.

by Simone Garagnani

Published in e-zine "Ingegneri.CC - Tecnica, cultura, progetto", Maggioli Editore, n.11/2010, pagg. 8-9, ISSN 2036-3311.

Il termine “ingenius”, dal latino tardo medievale, qualifica etimologicamente l’ingegnere come colui che intuisce... more Il termine “ingenius”, dal latino tardo medievale, qualifica etimologicamente l’ingegnere come colui che intuisce concetti mentali e li gestisce mediante macchine.
Non è pertanto una novità che i professionisti del congegno si dedichino alla fabbricazione di strumenti per agevolare il lavoro di colleghi appartenenti al proprio settore di interesse, reinventando la professione dell’ingegnere come quella di un moderno “attrezzista”. Nel campo dell’edilizia questa attitudine si manifesta spesso, attraverso professionisti che mettono a disposizione i loro strumenti quasi artigianali soprattutto informatici (come dimostrano i numerosi fogli di calcolo reperibili in rete), o più compiutamente con ingegneri che diventano imprenditori di software house più o meno verticalizzate su campi specifici di indagine, distribuendo i propri prodotti su licenza commerciale od open source. Tuttavia questa tendenza è solamente figlia della crisi, oppure la figura dell’ingegnere “attrezzista digitale” è indispensabile per garantire il reperimento di strumenti affidabili e di qualità?

Interoperabilità dei software d’ingegneria: un problema ancora aperto.

by Simone Garagnani

Published in e-zine "Ingegneri.CC - Tecnica, Cultura, progetto", Maggioli Editore, n.14/2011, pagg. 9-12, ISSN 2036-3311.

Nella costruzione di un edificio, la collaborazione tra le figure professionali coinvolte è fondamentale, pertanto lo... more Nella costruzione di un edificio, la collaborazione tra le figure professionali coinvolte è fondamentale, pertanto lo scambio reciproco di informazioni e decisioni deve essere il più possibile rapido e disambiguo, indipendentemente dagli strumenti adottati dai diversi attori. La problematica dell’interscambio conoscitivo tra figure provenienti da differenti formazioni professionali e culturali si può affrontare evitando per quanto possibile l’informazione implicita e sfruttando le tecnologie informatiche che permettono la condivisione di elementi progettuali, preparati con software differenti per finalità o per scelta commerciale. Sistemi e protocolli sono stati predisposti a questo scopo, pur manifestando ancora limiti di non facile superabilità.

Biomimesi e immagine della città. Modelli morfologico-funzionali per architetture sostenibili simulate e da abitare.

by Simone Garagnani

Published in e-zine "Ingegneri.CC - Tecnica, cultura, progetto", Maggioli Editore, n.3/2009, pagg. 6-9, ISSN 2036-3311.

Il processo edilizio, rivisitato o integrato per contemplare rigorosi elementi di controllo delle risorse energetiche... more Il processo edilizio, rivisitato o integrato per contemplare rigorosi elementi di controllo delle risorse energetiche provenienti da fonti rinnovabili, può portare, come suggerito da alcuni studi, alla copia di principi esistenti in natura: questa corrente di pensiero prende il nome di “biomimesi”, disciplina scientifica che analizza il regno animale e vegetale per replicarne disegni e processi, declinandoli in nuove tecnologie destinate all’industria ed all’edilizia.
Quando questo approccio produce risultati che si inseriscono morfologicamente nel tessuto urbano esistente, si crea l’occasione di confronto con nuove forme espressive che possono distaccarsi dall’immagine tradizionale della città o valorizzarne le architetture diffuse adiacenti. Gli strumenti di simulazione attualmente disponibili costituiscono un valido ausilio al progettista chiamato ad ordinare queste realtà, secondo principi di sostenibilità e compatibilità delle risorse: tuttavia la responsabilità del pianificatore risiede anche nell’utilizzo consapevole dei modelli prefigurativi
che l’informatica offre.

La nuova estetica del costruito e la ricerca della qualità. Integrazione di aspetti complessi nel progetto edilizio, mediante strumenti di archiviazione digitale

by Simone Garagnani

Published in e-zine "Ingegneri.CC - Tecnica, Cultura, progetto", Maggioli Editore, n.1/2008, pagg. 8-10, ISSN 2036-3311

La sfida dell’ingegneria delle costruzioni è da sempre il miglioramento della qualità della vita. L’umanizzazionemore La sfida dell’ingegneria delle costruzioni è da sempre il miglioramento della qualità della vita. L’umanizzazione
dell’ambiente costruito è importante, ma non può essere raggiunta senza considerazioni estetiche nel flusso di
progetto, dove coniugare differenti saperi all’utilizzo di strumenti moderni capaci di gestire interattivamente le fasi del
percorso edilizio. Ciò può condurre al raggiungimento della qualità, intesa come una moltitudine di aspetti gestibili dal
professionista del settore anche mediante programmi digitali.

Strumenti digitali per la modellazione d'architettura

by Simone Garagnani

Co-authored with Roberto Mingucci

Rappresentazioni digitali al tratto: tecniche visuali per un utilizzo avanzato del CAD

by Simone Garagnani

Building Information Modeling: la tecnologia digitale al servizio del progetto di architettura

by Simone Garagnani

Co-authored with Stefano Cinti Luciani and Roberto Mingucci

Rappresentazione tridimensionale di modelli digitali per l'architettura

by Simone Garagnani

In questo contributo verranno esaminate le diverse metodologie utilizzate per modellare in 3 dimensioni l'organismo di... more In questo contributo verranno esaminate le diverse metodologie utilizzate per modellare in 3 dimensioni l'organismo di architettura, sino ad arrivare ad una corretta visualizzazione delle forme nello spazio, mediante l'ausilio degli strumenti informatici. Il modello ottenuto e il suo trattamento successivo permetteranno la stesura di tavole contenenti viste assonometriche o prospettiche più o meno realistiche per l'illustrazione delle proporzioni tra i volumi e dei materiali impiegati. Verranno inoltre presentate soluzioni alle più comuni criticità che possono presentarsi a chi approccia per la prima volta la tematica. Sono state inserite a tal proposito numerose immagini a corredo del testo, frutto dell'attività didattica svolta dagli allievi durante il laboratorio progettuale di Disegno dell'Architettura II per il corso di laurea in Ingegneria Edile/Architettura dell'Università di Bologna.

Dal pixel all'acquerello: la tecnologia NPR nelle illustrazioni di architettura From pixel to watercoulor: the NPR technology in architectural portraying

by Simone Garagnani

Unpacking the "Chinese box": managing knowledge in architectural digital models

by Simone Garagnani

Published in ICERI2010 Proceedings (International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation), Madrid, 2010, ISBN 978-84-614-2439-9.

Wide uptake of digital drafting techniques shapes part of a generalized praxis today, almost in all universities... more Wide uptake of digital drafting techniques shapes part of a generalized praxis today, almost in all universities involved in teaching engineering and architecture. The design activity has been deeply transformed due to advances in technology, soundly changing how students today and professionals
tomorrow develop their documentation even if the construction industry is notoriously reluctant towards not proven shifts. The proposed research is based on a teaching and Ph.D. work lasted three years, ended with production of digital models intended as graphical and alphanumerical architecturaldedicated
informative systems, layered into the "Chinese box" paradigm. The integrated model’s structure in architecture is bound to the building’s logical deconstruction and embedded information
can be looked up with several software interfaces by different actors involved in survey and fabrication process, from architects to engineers, from students to professionals, in order to share knowledge about the built environment. Each analytical aspect implies a nested model refinement, producing
evolutionary steps from synthesis (processing of geometry) to reduction (preparation for analysis) and finally projection (visualization on various devices and environments). In order to quantify the effectiveness of a digital model, in observance to the purposes for which it has been generated, each
value previously isolated has been characterized as an improvement in complexity, affecting the Complication Ratio (Rc, from Italian expression rapporto di complessità), a numerical value derived from auto-similarity and fractal mathematic, portrayed by a recursive modification of morphologies and contents. Increasing their Complication Ratios, models are qualified as progressive knowledge-based
catalogues generated by different software, from scripted C.A.A.D. (Computer Aided Architectural Design) to parametric B.I.M. (Building Information Modelling), easily interchangeable among actors and extremely useful to understand how existing architecture works or imagined one could be.

Packing the “Chinese box”: a strategy to manage knowledge using architectural digital models

by Simone Garagnani

Published in Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia CAADRIA / The University of Newcastle, Australia 27-29 April 2011, pp. 717-726, 2011.

The architectural design activity has been transformed due
to technological advances in building knowledge... more The architectural design activity has been transformed due
to technological advances in building knowledge management. The research proposed is based on a three years long Ph.D. work on 3D models intended as graphical informative systems, layered according to the "Chinese box" paradigm and destined to professionals and researchers in architecture. The applied case study is referred to San Vitale’s church in Ravenna, Italy: the monument was investigated through nested digital models produced by different computer programs.
Passing through evolutionary steps identified as synthesis, reduction and projection, the resulting archive lowered its Complication Ratio, a numerical value inspired by fractal’s auto-similarity, indicating a recursive modification in morphologies and contents. Models so conceived are qualified as progressive knowledge-based catalogues easily interchangeable and useful to understand how new or existing
architectures work. As a result of this approach, representations obtained with surveys, historical chronicles, light analysis and acoustic simulations were composed following gradual refinements: technical data were collected running parallel to bibliographic research, enriching interactive virtual models sprung from a recursive criterion destined to increase the information enclosed into an undivided, lossless, digital archive.

One-Behind-The-Many Metaphysics and the Myriad Things

by Thomas Fischer 費道聞

In this paper I identify the metaphysical assumptions underlying much of the science, technology, education and design... more In this paper I identify the metaphysical assumptions underlying much of the science, technology, education and design thinking practiced in contemporary CAAD research in Asia as a Western import. Citing some traditional Asian complements to such assumptions and offering an alternative model, I hope to enable a discussion about assumptions underlying our field as well as an awareness of different standards of thought and responsibility between which CAAD research in Asia may operate.

When is Analog? When is Digital?

by Thomas Fischer 費道聞

Kybernetes, Volume 40, Numbers 7 and 8 (Fall 2011), 1004 - 1014

Purpose – This paper presents a cybernetic way of seeing analog and digital along with a basic vocabulary for... more Purpose – This paper presents a cybernetic way of seeing analog and digital along with a basic vocabulary for discussing assumptions underlying the use of both terms.

Design/methodology/approach – Taking analog and digital not as properties of observed phenomena but as properties of observers, I ask not what is digital or analog, but what I do when I use these terms. I analyze introspectively, and report on, what I think my assumptions are when using the two terms.

Findings – I develop a basic vocabulary to describe engagements that I describe as analog or digital. This vocabulary is applicable beyond technical contexts and suitable also for discussing social and creative processes. It includes a kind of observer who I call matchmaker.

Research limitations/implications – The presented research is preliminary and subjective.

Originality/value – While previous discussions consider analog and digital as properties of observed phenomena, they are considered here as properties of observers. The presented discussion is sufficiently abstract to account for the analog and the digital at various scales, including electronic signal processing and human interaction. I argue that discussions of engagements described as analog or digital must account for observers of these engagements, including those who act as their matchmakers.

Keywords: analog, digital, observer, matchmaker, design
Paper type: Research paper

One-Behind-The-Many Metaphysics and the Myriad Things

by Thomas Fischer 費道聞

In this paper I identify the metaphysical assumptions underlying much of the science, technology, education and design... more In this paper I identify the metaphysical assumptions underlying much of the science, technology, education and design thinking practiced in contemporary CAAD research in Asia as a Western import. Citing some traditional Asian complements to such assumptions and offering an alternative model, I hope to enable a discussion about assumptions underlying our field as well as an awareness of different standards of thought and responsibility between which CAAD research in Asia may operate.