Constructing design concepts : a computational approach to the synthesis of architectural form

Abstract

Architects use concepts about space to solve problems and to form designs. A design concept is the manifestation of the basic instability of our mental performance: it is a makeshift that provides general direction for exploration. In synthesis architects explore concepts by inventing transitions that conclude to the description of artifacts. This study suggests that the process of synthesis, which is an act of human imagination, can be approached by the means of a calculus, as calculation. Taking into account the nature of design concepts and practices, as well as the developments in the field of shape computation, the study explains why and how computational methods can be applied in the process of synthesis of architectural form. Through a theoretical analysis, and actual design paradigms, it shows that shape computation can undertake conceptual and execution tasks in the studio.