The Digital Age & Architecture (original) (raw)

DIGITAL -The 'Digital' in Architecture and Design

AA Files, 2019

The digital in architecture and design refers to the use of computational design processes and their manifest effect on the architectural outcome, rendered or built. Due to the continuous progress in digital design tools and methods 'the digital in architecture' is a moving target that can only be pinned down temporarily. My approach here is therefore at once historical and future oriented. The digital is of course part and parcel of the technological transformations that sweep through all aspects of our civilisation impacting and indeed upgrading our lives via the digitalisation of all products, services and professional disciplines. The digital in architecture is thus inevitable, must be understood, embraced and push forward. That this has to be explicitly emphasized in the year 2019 is rather sad and alarming. Where is the architectural equivalent of the thriving research plus business ecosystems of FinTech, HealthTech, and LawTech in terms of the integration of Big Data and AI? Perhaps BIM comes closest, but concerns construction rather than design. Where is ArchTech? The movement of Parametricism comes closest, but the uptake of its insights, values and methodologies remains marginal within our field. My focus will here be on the discipline's acquisition of new, sui generis design capacities in distinction to the mere automation of prior ways of design, i.e. mere digital drafting or mere visualisation is not of interest here. A truly transformative ambition has been the hallmark of the avant-garde's investment into the digital from its beginnings 25 years ago. The new digitally empowered design capacities and repertoires that have since been elaborated imply indeed a new characteristic architectural language, and have manifested a new style with epochal ambitions: Parametricsim i. However, an ambitious concept of style involves more than a new architectural language; it implies a whole new paradigm for the design disciplines, with new purposes, values and related design methodologies that are congenial both to the societal challenges posed and to the technological opportunities offered by the new digital civilisation.

The Digital change. Reasons and meanings of a new architectural expressivity

2014

The entry of computing in architectural has produced a real revolution in architectural scenario, changing the designer's arsenals and producing new expressive trends. However, up to now it is unclear how designers have actually taken advantage of the use of software to develop new styles, it is unclear what is the relationship between programs, operations and tools provided by them, and the formal configuration of new architecture. Moreover, the only element to identify digital influence on design seems to be only what designers or critics say-so. Then, the goal of the research was to actually identify these digital influences on architectural designs by developing a framework for identifying and classifying architectural design elements that should be attributed to the methods and techniques of design computing. This framework was developed in terms of a database where to collect and classify sixty case-studies, which are prominent recent buildings and acknowledged products of...

The Impact of Cyberspace and Globalization on the Future of Architecture: Visionary Insight

The 6th Saudi Engineering Conference, KFUPM, …

Rapid advancements in telecommunications and information technology are witnessed all over the world. Architecture, the applied art of building for people, is expected to alter in one way or another in response to the remarkable changes resulting from such developments. The objective of this study is to discuss how futuristic alternative scenarios of architecture can be drawn or highlighted by considering factors such as information technology (IT), globalization, and the resulting constraints. The Internet (i.e. cyberspace) revolution is emphasized and presented. Potential impacts on sample buildings and spaces are analyzed and a short-term visionary reflection put forward. It is becoming evident that cyberspace has begun to take over architecture from the interiors we live and work in. However cyberspace should not be perceived as a threat; as people in a society we need physical interaction, so buildings will still be required Furthermore, the future of architecture within the framework of IT cannot be separated from the future of architectural education. Architectural education is the key to a new architecture that interacts with science and IT without undermining local heritage.

Architectural Objectiles – Architecture, form, meaning and experience in the digital era

2007

The ongoing change of technological paradigm has great consequences for the production of architecture. We are moving from the mechanical to the digital, and also from “mass-production” to “mass-customisation”. New technology make long series of identical elements obsolete, industrially produced components can be unique, optimal in the construction. Other possibilities for different architectural expressions open, and for the tectonic aspects of architecture. Digitally governed production could foster new modes of meaning creation. New conceptions and definitions of objects are emerging with parametric design. Non-standard production and culture could change our perception to more of an organic extension of human intelligence. This paper discusses, with architectural examples from Kas Oosterhuis and Lars Spuybroek, the consequences of these technological and conceptual changes for architecture. Will the new technological paradigm foster a closer relation to human experience? Are the...

The Emergence and Impending of Digital Design in Architecture

2013

The paper introduces and discusses current developments in architectural discourse, design theory, digital design models, techniques and their relations to design pedagogy. The evolution of design knowledge in architectural theory and praxis is explicated and its implications for required changes in design education are presented. The theoretical influence of architectural concepts is presented through historical references in digital architecture. This structure of design concepts is proposed as a medium of design education. An experimental design studio on: „Design as research: the exploration of digital architectural concepts‟ is presented as a pedagogical framework for educating the digital architect and a series of research and design programs carried out in an experimental design studio demonstrates this framework. Digital architectures are profoundly changing the processes of design and construction. By integrating design, analysis, manufacture and assembly of buildings aroun...

Interaction of Architecture with the Culture of Digital Civilization

Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2022

To this moment, several studies have been conducted on the specifics of the use of digital methods in architecture, however, researchers have yet to evaluate the continuously changing digital formation in architecture and the problems arising in the process of its evolution. The main purpose of this article is to identify and analyze topical issues of digital culture in nonlinear formation. Modern problems of digital shaping arising in the context of digital architecture are analyzed. The concepts of architectural theorists in the field of nonlinear architecture development based on the topic under study are presented. Contradictory aspects of modern design related to the limitations of new technologies and the difficulties of their integration into architectural processes are also presented. The issues of the absence of holism in modern architecture are investigated. In this regard, the problem with lack of integral design approach that would combine existing techniques into a common structure has been analyzed. The aspects of changing the perception of the role of the architect and urban space in the digital age are considered. Identification and analysis of the described problems of introducing digital tools into the structure of architectural shaping is an important step in the further development of the architectural discipline. This is necessary for timely identification of existing difficulties in the design and further evolution of shaping methods.

Digital Creativity: Embracing New Technologies for Architectural Innovation

2018

This chapter tackles the topic of digital creativity and the use of new technologies for architectural innovation. Architects exploit the possibilities offered by digital media, with a direct repercussion on the design process and style. It is vital to understand that new technologies are not to be isolated from traditional media, innovation may arise by the combination of analogue and digital techniques and design methodologies. New media opens up new possibilities and designers should experiment, evolve and use the immense power of computation to make the best of his designs. We must acknowledge the current generation of designers is witnessing a transition phase, as it comprises of both “digital natives” and “digital immigrants,” it is therefore a unique opportunity to examine the influence of digital media in architecture and education, critically observe the technological advances and integrate analogue and digital tools for form-finding.