Parametric Architecture – Beyond the Bubble

Module Parametric Design summer semester 2014

This course deals with the implementation of a design tool for architects which can be used to dynamically analyze complex characteristics of buildings and variations of spatial arrangements, rather than the traditional way of working with static charts and tables. Here, the approach relies on references, which in the first step will be gathered from the ‘ar:searchbox’. One has to decide which properties of a building are relevant for further design processes and how they should be understood by the user. In the second step, based on an analysis of analog layouts, the data collected on the model will be visualized. In order to streamline the acquisition process of several different floor plans for their specific fingerprints, an Architecture Plugin for Gephi was developed. For this process, uniform definitions, symbols and colors have been created to describe certain elements and properties. The resulting graph using the plugin files consist of the rooms (nodes) and their connections (edges), which can each be assigned with specific properties / values ​​and joined together to form an individual area network. In the third step, the graph can be formatted using the so-called Dolphin plugin for Grasshopper and be further processed. With Rhino one can derive geometric information from these abstract structures in order to recreate spaces.

The advantage of this method is that certain properties, such as the alignment of rooms, room size, room affiliations and groupings or a desired location in the overall layout, can be quickly applied and visually tested for their effectiveness. In an early design phase, space constellations can be easily adapted to conform to climate or culture-related conditions using the design tool. Floor plans from different contexts can be made comparable.