International Journal of Architectural Computing

Economically abandoned cities as well as urban cores depopulated because of catastrophic events have spawned urban renewal projects of all varieties. Often these projects promote civic programs such as arenas, theaters, museums, and aquariums as replacements for what was once an interactive public realm. Unfortunately the realization of these large programs promotes a disconnected series of sequestered activities rather than the prospect of a lively and potentially frenetic urban center governed by chance interactions. As an intervening strategy, this paper considers the possibility of implementing Nodal Generators, responsive systems that sense and adapt to environmental fluctuations to create localized microclimates capable of providing unscripted public space in the discarded and interstitial regions of the modern city. Inspired biotically and explored digitally, the Nodal Generators provide a linkage between community and technology using smart materials and adaptive assemblies. This paper details several speculations on the nature and form of these nodes and proposes their implementation into urban arid situations.

We can postulate that while the nodal generators speculated upon in this paper might at first draw attention to themselves through spectacle, they will ultimately create a shared community experience through eventual inhabitation of that public space.

Building management and planning professionals utilize database systems for administrative support, but these systems are inadequate for conveying architectural plans. In this article we describe the so-called Virtual Maquette that was developed at the Eindhoven University of Technology for the board of the University. The Virtual Maquette consists of a vertical display for 3D view and information of building stock, and an interactive horizontal display for manipulation of view and information. Interaction is implemented using infrared tracking of devices that are positioned on the desktop with the projected plan view. Through this interface the states of the buildings can be inspected at different periods in history and in the future. The support of multiple devices in a single environment is a technical challenge, but it provides a new interaction method for non-technical persons.

We have designed a hub and strut kit that interfaces to a 3D graphics application. FlexM is a prototype flexible physical interface for manipulating and building 3D geometry. Using the FlexM hub and strut components, designers can build and explore 3D geometry with the ease of a toy and the power of a computer. The hubs transmit the model's topology and geometry to the computer, where the model is rendered on the screen in real time. The paper reports on the iterative development of several versions of the project.

Combining the easy to use characteristics of tangible interfaces with the peripheral representation of ambient displays, two prototype energy displays – Energy Cube and Energy Magnets – were designed to help people become aware of their home energy consumption patterns. This paper reports on the design and evaluation of those two displays.

This paper assesses the use of 3D Digitization techniques by carrying out laser scanning of typical physical models produced by architecture students. The aim was to examine the product of laser scanning with respect to scanning and 3D modeling processes, and the effects of variables such as characteristics of the models, materials used, and design complexity. In order to assess the similarities and accuracies achieved by the scanning and 3D modeling processes, the research investigated human perception of differences between analogue and digital models. This enabled an assessment of the degree to which digital models were accurate representations of the real ones, and whether laser scanning can successfully be used as a medium to recreate and represent complex architectural physical models. The study presents a potential direction for digital translation in architectural education.

This paper describes the development of a tool, now available for use over the Internet, for the preliminary design of a class of fabric structures. This tool is based on the so-called grid method in which vertical equilibrium over a grid in the horizontal plane is used to determine shape for a cable net. It can subsequently be combined with other analysis routines to produce a detailed structural design.

This paper describes the results of a statistical-experimental investigation into the relationship between three variables: design cognition, the computer as a problem solving medium and ‘creativity’. The hypothesis put forward suggests a directional link between the use of ‘CAAD as a cognitive design medium’ and ‘levels’ of creativity in the design process. The hypothesis was tested statistically using first year architecture students as research design subjects.

In order to place the research within a context, develop a thesis and identify ‘operational’ measures for variables, a literature search with special emphasis on ‘creativity’ was conducted.

The statistical findings did confirm that levels of architectural ‘creativity’ in the design process and in the final product were somehow affected by the use of CAAD. Ideation fluency and originality, as ‘creativity’ indicators, correlated positively with CAAD as a cognitive medium with coefficients 3 0.5. The statistics from subjects- group design- revealed that computers' power of visualisation, slicing and Boolean operations has helped spatial ability and could eventually help novice designers to venture and create complex objects more than they would normally do with conventional media.

The integration of digital tools currently being used in many schools and offices with Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) hardware, has allowed architects to exert a far greater degree of control than they have previously been afforded. It is precisely this control that enables greater collaboration during design phases between architects and fabricators. However, the impact of this integration on academia and small practice is unknown. Several questions remain to be answered regarding teaching fabrication techniques and identifying strategies suitable for adoption in small firms. This paper investigates digital fabrication not as a software-specific set of capabilities, but as a design methodology that can allow schools to graduate young practitioners who can use these concepts to design and manage projects in more sophisticated ways. We outline six control and collaboration strategies and present several projects that explore those concepts through analog, digital, and hybrid methods.