Architecture… from Generative Design

Abstract

From designing the product we are going to the design of the system (the process) that designs the product. The evolution of the design resources, the needs of the buildings performances, the current connection with the innovative “printing” and manufacturing techniques are pushing the architectural field to re-discover a scientific approach to the architectural fact. According to the generative paradigm, Architecture is considered as a form of artificial life, prone to, like the natural world, principles of morphogenesis, genetic coding, replication and selection. Some amazing buildings are - de facto - new icons from new generations of designers. In the new building, shape, envelope, structure, thermal performance, materials are conceived, verified and built, all at the same time, reducing the traditional gap between the phase of design and the phase of construction: Generative Design obtains this goal, using the virtual space of the computer in a manner analogous to evolutionary processes in nature. In fact, we are going towards a ‘script’ architecture… coming from a “script” of computer. The research looks like totally open to very complex and fascinating scenarios. Is it, may be, time to “programming architecture”? Can data stop being ‘virtual’ data, and can be considered architectural form?