UCL Discovery

Abstract

The emergence of digital architectures reveals a gradual transformation of the design philosophy and consequently the design prcess itself. This thesis intends to explore the potential held by a representation of architectural forms that departs from the conventiona methods of representation; a representation that is adjusted to the digital design framework. The thesis hypothesizes that it is possible to create a simple parametric system to generate an almost complete set of buildingtypes based on ruled surfaces. The aim is to investigate whether a parametric description of architecture, which fully exploits the power of information technology, can sufficiently represent architectural forms and whether it is able to enhance the design process. The possibility of an extended, more “active” role representation may play in the design process is also considered. Various approaches that use a numerical description of form are discussed and some special features of Parametric Design are hihlighted in order to draw up a list of criteria for the development of the parametric system. Its efficiency is tested by constructing a program and implementing it on a series of existing structures. The output is evaluated by the amount of information the system can provide and by its comparison to other methods of represenation. The thesis suggests that the parametric system that has been developed can be quite successful. The possibilities afforded by the system are discussed as well as its current limitations. Finally suggestions are made for further improvement.

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