Computational Design and Built Environments

Drawing has always been the most powerful instrument for the conceptualization, interpretation and representation of spaces and forms. Today, the computer screen complements the eye-brain telescope with an additional lens that increases the ability to understand, visualize and ultimately design the built environment. Computational design is dramatically shifting not only established drawing and modeling practices, but also ? and perhaps most importantly ? design thinking processes in the very conception and morphogenesis of forms and of their complex relationships in space. Specifically parametric modeling allows to understand geometry and manipulate shapes in dynamic, articulated and yet intuitive ways, opening up unprecedented design opportunities but also diminishing the importance of the design process for the sake of formal complexity. This chapters offers some insights on the incredible design opportunities offered by new computational instruments, as well as highlighting circumstances in which the act of ‘modeling' takes over the ‘design.'

The Dynamic Eye

During the Sixteenth century, the studies about perspective reach an higher level of systematize, so high to open their field of action to geographical and astronomic representations: In the painting and ornamental art, especially, it start to use a different way of perspective technique more cunning and provocative, in agreement with the desire of contemporaneous artists and scientists to go beyond, across the limit of reality where ‘it shown only things that you can see' for a fresh look – physical and symbolic - to the Other from her- or himself, to a new and more exciting overlook in which “…the appearance eclipses the reality”. The more odd and bizarre aspects of the perspective rules' turn into the aim of research, where its interior laws are taken to an extreme level and are employed to verify the expressive prospect of the same technique, beyond any restitution of realistic appearance to the represented subject, organic or not. It is so the time of anamorphosis.

On the Biais Passé

Among the famous dynamic string models conceived by Théodore Olivier (1793-1853) as a primary didactic tool to teach Descriptive Geometry, there are some that were strictly related to classic problems of stereotomy. This is the case of the biais passé, which was both a clear illustration of a special warped ruled surface and an example of how constructors dealt with the problem of building a skew arch, solving structural and practical stone cutting demands. The representation of the biais passé in Olivier's model achieved a perfect correspondence to its épure with Monge's Descriptive Geometry. This follow from the long development of representational tools, since the 13th century sketch of an oblique passage, as well as the improvement of constructive procedures for skew arches. Paradoxically, when Olivier presented his string model, the importance of the biais passé was already declining. Meanwhile other ruled surfaces were appropriated by architecture, some of which acquiring, beyond their inherent structural efficiency, a relevant aesthetic value.

Oblique Perspectives and CAD Software

The great advances in the field of computer graphic design, have led to the development of more powerful applications, which have become an essential tool for the designer and have revolutionized the teaching of Descriptive Geometry. However, design software is not perfect, as there are some limitations that have to be overcome. This chapter focuses on solving the problem of obtaining oblique perspectives from a 3D model, as it is a common trouble in most of CAD software, since they only provide orthogonal projections and perspectives from a 3D model. This obstacle has led to the fact that the use of oblique projections, such as military and cavalier perspectives, has been drastically reduced.

Transiting between Representation Technologies and Teaching/Learning Descriptive Geometry

Teaching descriptive geometry, in the context of this study, is characterized by the continuous investment in recognizing digital representation technologies which can enhance the didactic activities in architectural training. This study describes this trajectory which includes the use of virtual reality, augmented reality and parametric modelling, as well as freehand drawing and the production of physical models both by automating the unfolding process and by digital fabrication processes of 3D printing and laser cutting. In addition to questioning the relevance and sustainability of the infrastructure needed to ensure the continuation of this trajectory, the potentialities identified in each of the learning activities that have been structure, are shown. Although these potentialities are specific to this context, it is considered that this type of record contributes to understand the issues being faced in teaching practices.

Projective Visualization

We will basically deal with three issues. Firstly, talking about visualization in relation to Design seems to be matter of the present era while talking about projection mostly pushes our feelings back to the past, despite even advanced digital visualizations are projection-based, or better, they are projective visualizations. Secondarily, these projective visualizations are not only mere supports to show design results but, mainly, they are irreplaceable thinking-and-operational tools for design development. Third, given their semantic wideness, these visualizations work as very customized tools in the various branches of Architectural, Engineering, or Product Design and so forth, as we also discussed in a cycle of seminars on The Visual Language of Technique Between Science and Art organized by the author during the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Politecnico di Milano (Cocchiarella, 2015). Last, in order to connect the abovementioned issues we will remark the combined power of Geometry and Graphics, friendly called The Ghost and The Ghost-Buster and their roles over time.

The Interpretation of Vernacular Architecture through Fractal Models

Mathematical algorithm and nonlinear theories were used in order to study the establishment and development of traditional settlements since the second half of twentieth century. In order to interrogate vernacular architecture, fractal geometry is one of the most advanced methodologies in this study. Vernacular architecture is an organic architecture, which is formed in response to environmental, cultural, economical factors. There are plenty of variations in topography; climate and geographical issues among the mountainous areas in Iran. Therefor, there are many useful thought, which can be learnt from the existing vernacular architecture. This study is going to investigate fractal pattern of housing in Masouleh village, Iran. By referring to the fractal dimension calculated with box counting method, different type of information will be collected and this attempt will help decision makers, planners, architects and designers, especially in new housing developments.

The Post-Parametric Attitude in the Digital Materialization of Architecture

The purpose of this essay is to outline a particular evolution path of digital achievements and improvements in architecture. The author depicts the historical emergence of the digital in architecture presenting a sequence of world-renowned and pioneering researches focusing the dissertation on the materiality feature of the digital designs. The author paraphrases several scientific papers and books using the designer's words to support his story telling. In this way, this chapter proposes not only an illustration of several researches that go beyond the boundaries of computational thought. The author argues his standpoint that is the awareness of materiality as the substantial feature of architecture. The digital tools and any further related improvement of powerful parametric logics for design require the physical objecthood of fabrication to really enrich architecture. The chapter does not illustrate an own research project; it neither aims to establish a digital workflow for the digital fabrication of architecture. Rather it aims to highlight the fallacy of digital productions (in the meaning of simplistic virtual representation), pointing out the material instance as the address of the advancing of the digital as a method. The increasing availability of technical equipment kits should not be confused with the potential of the computation for architecture. According to these premises, it is necessary to start to examine some of the cornerstones of the last century to support the validation of digital fabrication and robotics as a powerful research field.

Swimming in the Liquid Age

Aim of the chapter is to present a critical reflection on computer-based visualization of the architectural heritage and investigate on its relationship with other disciplines, starting from interdisciplinary experiences and from examples of other subject areas, in particular the archaeological one. In particular digital tools are used indifferently and simultaneously in dissimilar research fields, and scholars of different fields work and publish together. A clear definition of the ontologies, principles and procedures for advanced surveying, modeling, and visualization could allow the interdisciplinary collaboration. But cornerstone is the awareness of the disciplinary characteristics of the architectural heritage's issues for its critical digital representation.

Morphogenetic Paths between Geometrical Traces and Fabrication Issues

The growing population of buildings in contemporary cities has pushed the search for innovative and recognizable architectures to unpredictable peaks, where the sole aim is to emerge from the skylines. The first and most intuitive way to reach this aspiration is an increase in complexity of shapes. Understanding how the complexity is reached is an aim worth to be explored, through the analysis of the geometry. The complexity of geometry is such to require specific tools to be properly studied and used. The aim of this work is the understanding of the parametric morphogenesis, meant as the process of form creation, of the 30 St. Mary Axe in London, by Norman Foster. In this sample, the shape characterization is analyzed, not as a complexity showing off in itself, but as a perceived result of a synergy between environmental, structural and functional issues through its geometrical analysis.