Abstract
The broad theme that connects the papers in this issue is the application of computation to enhance techniques, outputs and environments. More specifically, there are two sub themes within this issue.
The first group of four papers deals with morphology and forms at different scales and in different ways. This begins with a paper looking at computational application to an urban morphology through to the final paper in this set of four dealing with the manipulation of form of a building component. The final pair of papers deals with very different, but current and challenging, new issues of computational application in architecture.
The first of the initial set of four papers looks at urban morphology. Our understanding of complex urban morphological issues has been enhanced by the application of algorithmic approaches to the modelling of both existing and future urban environments. Showkatbakhsh et al. present a particularly engaging and well-informed approach to the generation and manipulation of urban morphologies. With particular reference to the city of Fez, they show how a novel application of evolutionary algorithms can be used to explain and understand the urban patterns that are evident in such cities. The authors show how urban morphologies can be manipulated to respond positively to multiple variables, where there is ‘no clear single optimal solution’. The ideas presented offer an interesting aid and response to the challenges evident in contemporary dynamic cities.
The subsequent three papers share the common aspect of computational approaches to the generation of forms that respond to pragmatic requirements and practical needs. The first investigates performative aspects of architecture. Here, Brown and Mueller aim to enhance the application of parametric modelling to architectural design problems by an approach that enables the relevant design variables to inform and drive a design process. This research described extends machine learning and data analysis techniques to early stage design processes to ‘interrogate, modify, relate, transform and automatically generate design variables’ to enable richer architectural exploration of design alternatives.
In this set of three, the next contribution by Posada and Mauricio considers a theme that has had particular attention in recent years, computer-mediated topological manipulation. The authors investigate the generation processes relating to a topological interlocking configuration (TIC) in a surface tessellation. The authors have developed a method for generating TICs in one single iteration over a tessellation or mesh – thereby offering users a more effective and efficient means of generating TICs.
The final paper in this sub-set of three is by Agkathidis et al. Here, the authors consider the issue of generating composite doubly curved surfaces. The technique involves laminating together three-dimensional (3D) printed meshes with flat pre-stretched elastic materials. Releasing the prestress then allows the composite material to form itself into a doubly curved shape. The authors look at shape control for such an automatically generated 3D surfaces with an application potential in areas such as cladding panels and internal surfaces or buildings. As noted that the introduction of this editorial, the final two papers in this edition take a very interesting look at two very different but contemporary issues.
Cutellic takes ideas from parallel disciplines and areas of research. The author describes typical technologies in neuroscience and neuropsychology that have been studied in relation to the spelling of characters forming words. Very interestingly, this is then extended into the realm of visually encoded discrimination of shape features of high interest for generative design. The author describes the strategy of discrete-continuous visual cues and ‘ensembles of design beliefs for the computational modelling of architectural designs’. The assumption made in the paper is that there is possibility to shift within such a framework of understanding, that has vision as inverse graphics, from the encoding of shape features, to the encoding of spatial features.
Finally, Matthews and Perin take on the challenging issue of vision and surveillance within our cities. The authors note that in order to mimic human vision, a set of algorithm patterns are used to direct numerous ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ technologies intended to capture images, which are increasingly ubiquitous in our cities. The authors show how the techniques for capturing the images of a building surface ‘glitches’ the visual data captured within that image. By connection to ideas and means of camouflage, the authors discuss how the visual aberrations can modify strategically the visual representation of the urban fabric. Consequently, the authors show the digitally enabled visual representation of the city can be modified through this glitching process.
The issue ends with the review of the excellent book by Molly Wright Steenson, entitled Architectural intelligence: how designers and architects created the digital landscape.