Articulating architectural design through computational media

Abstract

This thesis proposes the concept that computational tools can merge two high order cognitive operations for architectural designers. The first cognitive operation being the internalization of displacement (as defined by Kant and Piaget). The second being the construction of a mental Model (i .e. one that represents a tended external reality) . The existing computational tools allow for a new external representation that has a relationship with the internal representation in the designers mind . The conceptualization of complex systems is in a direct relationship with the designers ability to visualize infopro (information processing) paradigms. The designer must be afforded the opportunity to undergo the cyclic process of conjecture, reading and evaluation. How can an architects sensibility to physicality be integrated into computationally based modeling and representation. The larger contextual questions are; What are the inherent differences between actual physical models and computational models? What is lost and what is gained, and can they be reconciled with each other? What are the cognitive operations that are assisted through the use of these new computational models? As these questions are broken down, it becomes apparent that the difficulty of re-presenting the computational model back to the designer (and others) must be investigated . Interaction in virtual space is not new, but the investigation of an application using an architectural setting has not yet been explored. I propose the creation of an immersive tool that will allow for a phenomenological creation of a virtual model. The application will examine the interaction that occurs between "reality" and proposed reality. The addition of an abstractive navigation system will help facilitate the conceptualization of a congruent infopro model. When the program is completed (first 1/ 2 of the semester, different design approaches will be tested by different end users with different physical interaction models. The output that is generated will lead to the proposal a new typology of spatial forms . The proposed implementation will incorporate the presentation model, but only for reflection, the primary purpose is a computationally centric design process.