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Introduction to Computational Design: Subsets, Challenges in Practice and Emerging Roles

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Industry 4.0 for the Built Environment

Part of the book series: Structural Integrity ((STIN,volume 20))

Abstract

Computation-based approaches have been flourishing in the construction industry for the past years. From experimental practices to mainstream production, the usage of digital tools tends to be diverse and versatile. This is especially true for computational design (CD) which encompasses multiple practices, transforming the future of the industry and its stakeholders. Through the ever-increasing speed and capacity of computers, computation enables dealing with geometries and tasks which were traditionally either too time consuming or too challenging to be accomplished by human alone. However, CD is not just automating existing traditional processes or tedious tasks; it is about shifting the way we think and design. To better understand how to unlock the opportunities of CD, this chapter discusses the following: 1—the main subsets of CD, called parametric, generative and algorithmic design; 2—presents CD’s different toolsets and their evolutions and finally 3—interrogates how CD is integrated in practice, with its emerging roles and skillsets.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Architecture Engineering Construction and Operation.

  2. 2.

    CAD: Computer-aided design systems such as AutoCAD (Autodesk) or Microstation (Bentley Systems).

  3. 3.

    To be more specific, Menges and Alquist define an algorithm as “a finite sequence of explicit, elementary instructions described in an exact, complete yet general manner” [2, p. 13].

  4. 4.

    About the difference between explore or search: “Search is a process for locating values of variables in a defined state space while exploration is a process for producing state spaces” [27].

  5. 5.

    EZCT Architecture and Design Research (with Hatem Hamda and Marc Schoenauer) Studies on Optimization: Computational chair design using genetic algorithms, 2004, Chair Model “T1-M” after 860 generations (86,000 structural evaluations).

  6. 6.

    See Chapter “Building Information Modelling and Information Management”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Liège University, allée de la Découverte 9, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Aurelie de Boissieu

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  1. Aurelie de Boissieu
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Correspondence to Aurelie de Boissieu .

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  1. Mace, London, UK

    Marzia Bolpagni

  2. Europe Foundation, Digital Built Environment Institute (DBEI), Delft, The Netherlands

    Rui Gavina

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering of Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Diogo Ribeiro

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de Boissieu, A. (2022). Introduction to Computational Design: Subsets, Challenges in Practice and Emerging Roles. In: Bolpagni, M., Gavina, R., Ribeiro, D. (eds) Industry 4.0 for the Built Environment. Structural Integrity, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82430-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82430-3_3

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