Generative Systems Based on Animation Tools: Shaping Alternatives to Structure and Form in Architectural Design

Our system is based on computer animation tools, employed in the context of architectural synthesis. The pipeline of the tool consists of “time” and space design constraints of boundaries / objects affecting a given architectural design, with an output of alternative designs. The alternative designs vary from the original according to their temporal and/or spatial distance from the original object on the animation time-line. Specific tools [shape driven curves, speed and time-line functions,parent child relationships, boolean operations, arrays, lattices etc.] empower the designer with the ability to transform his original idea in almost every way the designer likes in a completely visual, interactive and straightforward manner. The solutions sets change according to time, speed, location, configuration of the objects and/or the constraints and rules the designer/user configures. Previous work on our tool stemmed from the rule based structure of shape grammars, but has evolved to a tool where the designer does not have to define a rule set beforehand but does so as his idea evolves during design. The animation tools used are form independent (that is the designer can use any two- or- three-dimensional form) and can represent structural decisions in a given design. The independence from form makes the tool suitable for almost every kind of architectural design, be it experimental, real or conventional while the ability to represent structural decisions and relations of parts in a design implicitly help the designer/user acquire a clear picture of each design and solution set. Finally the possibility of a structured graph representing each solution is discussed, where the designer can evaluate the merit of an individual solution in terms of conforming to the initial core idea or where alternative spatial configurations evolve in a different structure from the original design.