CAD as a tool in urban design : a study in reunited Germany

Abstract

Architecture is a phenomenon of space and time. Since ancient times mankind has found its place in space and time with the help of architecture. Thus architecture refers to more than just practical requirements, science and business. It is concerned with existential meaning. Every architect experiences the relationship between the ideas, the drawings, the completed buildings and the urban environment, when a building is erected. Since the era of humanism, when the modern theory of architecture was established on Vitruvius, there have been repeated attempts to define and develop this relationship. The system in situ is barely able to manage all the information concerning the design as well as the erection process. This thesis is an attempt to organize all available information on an urban scale using a CAD system and develop a design strategy to serve the idea of reflection of the past in today's urban environment. With a famous past, a rapidly changing present and, hopefully, a brilliant future the City of Dresden / Germany is used as an example to demonstrate both tasks.