In what sense are architects still considered designers as their traditional level of control in the designing process appears to be usurped by software in parametric architecture?
Introduction
Designers and architects have slowly adapted to the new digital design tools. Most of the adaptation process is about modifying traditional techniques to benefit from digital technology. But digital technology offers the possibility to rethink the design process even to a degree where our conception of visual creativity is questioned. The intention of this paper is to investigate the preconditions for an expansion of the traditional design techniques and to invent, explore, develop the systematic techniques that are developed to draw advantage from design computing. It focuses on design techniques in relation to creativity.
Current State of Digital Practice
a. Creative Design Computing
A central aspect of creative design computing is the generative potential of the machine in the ability to produce complex models from relatively simple input. The speed and accuracy transformed design activities that had previously only been possible in laborious painstaking drawing and model making into a state of spontaneous design. This type of design would require considerable planning of the process and the output would be greatly influenced by material conditions. Control and non-control is a central theme in this paper. The question is not limited to the amount of control in certain phases of the process but it involves in giving up control in one aspect in order to gain greater control elsewhere. This loss of control comes from the use of generative computing that produces a large amount of unanticipated output. An important characteristic of the computer is its ability to handle complex data. The design data can be interlinked into complex systems that interact when we alter a single element in the system. Therefore, the regeneration of the output is automated.b. Creative Traditional Design
This has consequently led to a temporal decline of the importance of traditional design skills and to the appearance of a new generation of designers with no traditional education. These designers base their work on an intuitive trial-and-error process. Also the sub-cultural aspect seems to be strong with collection and recycling of graphical material. As a result, there are many different arguments for such a way of working. They span from a perspective of Artificial Intelligence to replace human creativity, to parametric approaches where the result from a computational process is derived from the computing of certain input parameters. From a perspective of design methodology, human designers have to adapt to technology generative techniques to produce an unanticipated output that would fertilise the design process. This process would still be monitored and controlled by the human designer.New Design Techniques
The introduction of digital tools into the design process has not really removed any of the more traditional ways of working. Exceptions are technical drafting, which is now almost entirely done on the computer. But marker and pen sketches, cardboard and foam or clay models have not disappeared. At the same time computer-use has expanded in many directions since the beginning. This is a generic trend in the development of the design process. The use of diverse techniques is already a reality in our everyday life as practitioners. The design process has expanded to a richer and more layered process, called the ‘hybrid process’.The Hybrid Process and its Elements
An example was taken from the M-velope project by the OCEAN team because the design illustrates the hybrid process. The physical space of the project demonstrates several of the digital techniques combine them with physical modelling techniques across representational and professional boundaries. The project challenge the notion of the two dimensional building façade through the deployment of multiple and varied enveloping conditions by producing a thickened threshold with the outcome offering varied spatial provision. They wanted to transform the homogeneous experience of inside and outside into an overlapping of multiple interior and exterior heterogeneous spatial conditions. This approach arises a need for rethinking the question of structures and daylight in plans. Furthermore, a differentiated visual and acoustic from the streetscape is being articulated. This suggests a redefinition of what constitutes a building envelope. The structure constitutes a building façade that articulates the visual framing that connects the interior and exterior setting. At the same time, the outer peripheral areas enable a seating area for visitors and passer-by to stop and take in the experience.
During the descriptive concepts became apparent. Pre and post-rationalisation strategies are developed and described through traditional process. Particular care is taken in the development of the spatial concepts for the development of the dynamic structures. The physical and digital modelling then took place in the following process. It was the main tool to create and to manifest the concepts of the project. Finally, the digital model of the installation was then translated into spatialisation data to be fed into the software.
Different categories were applied in the design process in various ways combining with traditional drawing, CAD and physical model building. The hybrid process implies through the switching between media and methods. The switching between ways of working and media has a potential to speed up the progress and to look into various aspects of the design to overcome issues. The hybridization strategy intends to take full advantage of each techniques and methodology. Therefore, the information generated is channelled between the different techniques and between designers and computer technology.
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