Computational Design Thinking

The current transition from Computer Aided Design (CAD) to
Computational Design in architecture represents a profound shift in
design thinking and methods. Representation is being replaced by
simulation, and the crafting of objects is moving towards the
generation of integrated systems through designer-authored
computational processes. While there is a particular history of
such an approach in architecture, its relative newness requires the
continued progression of novel modes of design thinking for the
architect of the 21st century. This AD Reader establishes a
foundation for such thinking. It includes multifaceted
reflections and speculations on the profound influence of
computational paradigms on architecture. It presents relevant
principles from the domains of mathematics and computer science,
developmental and evolutionary biology, system science and
philosophy, establishing a discourse for computational design
thinking in architecture. Rather than a merely technical approach,
the book will discuss essential intellectual concepts that are
fundamental not only for a discourse on computational design but
also for its practice.



This anthology provides a unique collection of seminal texts by
authors, who have either provided a significant starting point
through which a computational approach to design has been pursued
or have played a considerable role in shaping the field. An
important aspect of this book is the manner in which adjacent
fields and historical texts are connected. Both the source of
original inspiration and scientific thought are presented alongside
contemporary writings on the continually evolving computational
design discourse. Emerging from the field of science, principally
the subjects of morphogenesis, evolution and mathematics, selected
texts provide a historical basis for a reconfigured mindset of
processes that generate, arrange and describe form. Juxtaposed
against more contemporary statements regarding the influence of
computation on design thinking, the book offers advancements of
fundamental texts to the particular purpose of establishing novel
thought processes for architecture, theoretically and
practically.

* The first reader to provide an effective framework for
computational thinking in design.

* Includes classic texts by Johan W. von Goethe, D'Arcy
Thompson, Ernst Mayr, Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Gordan Pask,
Christopher Alexander, John H. Holland, Nicholas Negroponte,
William Mitchell, Peter J. Bentley & David W. Corne, Sanford
Kwinter, John Frazer, Kostis Terzidis, Michael Weinstock and Achim
Menges

* Features new writing by: Mark Burry, Jane Burry, Manuel DeLanda
and Peter Trummer.