Generative Design

Many students of architecture agonize over whether or not to learn programming. Arguments cut  both ways.

Many argue that programming is the ‘most powerful way’,  because programming – provides total control. Programming was therefore the preferred approach of most of early researchers in generative design. For each new design, fresh code was created from scratch. Alternatives were not available then.But this has changed. CAD is now easy to learn and easy to use. To many it is a natural extension of pencil and paper. But we forget what it is. It is a program.

The CAD packages that we use today are nothing but an accumulation of useful programs.

Behind each menu button is a program. The designs that we see on the screen are created by  programs. This may not be obvious to most; whether we like or not, designs that we create now are created by programs. But these programs are hidden behind friendly icons, awaiting to be launched by a simple click . Early CAD was not like this. It was difficult to use. Because it was some sort of graphical program. That did not help. Designers did not want programs.

CAD took off much later, when a veneer was created connecting designers to the older way of designing with tools that designers were familiar and comfortable with. Pencil icons, eraser icons, dustbin icons were introduced. Sketch lines and pencil marks continue to fool us.  The veneer is so complete that it hides  us from an important fact – that CAD is fundamentally a program.

CAD’s success and its wide-spread use is mainly due to this. It is based on denial; based on hiding its core and presenting to the designer something that they are familiar with. The key issue then  is not about programming or not programming, but about

using pre-made programs or writing your own programs

Thankfully, most CAD packages now allow macros or scripts to access their core CAD engines, allowing designers to incorporate their own programs – if they so wish. This is becoming increasingly easy. But, it depends very much on the CAD system that you choose. You may notice that the packages that make it easy for people to write programs (without programing) are becoming the natural play ground for generative design – for design is play.

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