The Tool(s) Versus The Toolkit

Abstract

As the architectural practice continues into the digital age, most designers agree that new computational technologies should be harnessed for the betterment of their buildings and workflows. However, there are currently several competing philosophies for how such technologies should be best integrated into the design process. Until recently, much of today’s practice has found itself leaning toward one of two camps: one that allows for a distributed yet disconnected approach and another that strives toward a centralized methodology. While each philosophy has its strengths, they both suffer from significant limitations.