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Parametric Design Parametric design Tool, medium or new paradigm? Aleksander Asanowicz1 1Bialystok University of Technology [email protected] Parametric design is an emerging research issue in the design domain. However, discussions about the creative process in parametric design are limited. What is more, despite the passing of 57 years of parametric design's existence we still do not know what parametric design is. Is it a simple tool, which is useful in some kind of optimization of the architectural form, or it is a medium, which helps architects develop unexpected solutions, and perhaps this is already a new design paradigm? The presented paper will contain general considerations relating to the nature of parametric design, the history of which starts in 1960, when D.T. Ross has formulated the thesis that our main objective is to formulate constrains and all needed parameters of the solved problem.Please write your abstract here by clicking this paragraph. Keywords: optimisation, parametric design, design tool, design media HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE PARA- “...we now declaim that our main objective is not to METRIC DESIGN solve problems, but to state problems”,which meant As a result, the development of a design methodol- to formulate constrains and all needed parameters of ogy, caused by the increasing complexity of both the the solved problem. (Ross and Mann 1960) The first object and the design process, as the main principle computer program conducted under the Computer- of improvement of architectural design approach has Aided Design Project was written by Ivan Sutherland focused on the objectivization and rationalization of in 1963 in the course of his PhD thesis at MIT. the design process. The main principle was defined In the following years research has focused on the as follows: “When we know exactly what is and also problems of how computers can aid the facility lay- exactly what ought to be we are able to establish out process and the designer’s interaction with mul- a direct efficiency relation. By appropriate compar- tiple design databases. The classical layout programs isons of what is and what ought to be, efficiencies, are: block diagramming software - CRAFT (minimizes both ideal and practical, can be established.” (Emer- nonadjacent cost and used when quantitative data is son 1964, p. 23)The first attempt of applying some- available) and relationship diagramming - CORELAP thing like parametric design was undertaken in 1960, (based on location preference between areas and when D.T. Ross in Computer-Aided Design: a state- used when quantitative data is not available). (Lee ment of objectives, has formulated the thesis that 1967).CRAFT: Computerized relative allocation of fa- PARAMETRIC AND GENERATIVE DESIGN - Volume 2 - eCAADe 35 | 379 cilities’ technique (Buffa, Armour and Vollmann 1964) rating, the order of entry of departments in the lay- was one of the most popular computer based lay- out, the numerical closeness value and distance be- out procedures. Algorithms elaborated by Buffa et. tween the departments are also shown. CORELAP ac- all, based on the heuristic approaches, were used to cepts relationships between as many as 40 depart- place factory spaces in a way which would reduce ments. (Lee and Moore 1967) The new version of the the total material transportation cost. The cost was a CORELAP algorithm can be obtained from Tompkins parameter defined by a function of the distance be- et al (2003) where a new interactive version of the tween work centers, the frequency of movement of software is presented. The user interface in this im- material between the centers, and the cost involved plementation of CORELAP is the spreadsheet and the in each move. The algorithm starts with an initial user inputs data through Microsoft Forms.In 1980, layout and proceeds to improve it by interchanging the author has in his diploma work used the routine, spaces in pairs to achieve its goal. The combinational a modification of CORELAP, developed by Maria Os- problem lengthens the solution process as the num- trowska in 1977. The diploma subject was a Primary ber of work centers increases. If designing layout for School. As the first step the functional program was 20 work centers, exchanging two work centers simul- defined and it was decided that the school should taneously, would require 190 evaluations. Exchang- consist of 9 areas: A - Library, B - Classes 1-4, C - Math- ing three work centers simultaneously increases the ematics and Environment, D - Humanities, E - Tech- number of evaluations to 1140, and if we would like nical Lab (DIY), F - Art, G - Sport, H - Recreation, I to change 20 centers it would need n! - 20! evalu- - Administration. In each area, different functional ations. With this amount of points, making changes blocks were placed, and as a result a matrix of 40 x 40 manually is practically impossible. elements was obtained. Connections between the The time requirement for a computer is trivial for an elements were evaluated on the basis of a 4-point evaluation of these possibilities. This technique per- scale: 1 - direct connection, 2 - strong connection, 3- mits a considerably larger number of evaluations in medium connection, 4 - weak connection. a short time. It does not give the optimal layout; These values were the design parameters. Due to but the results are good and near optimal, which hardware limitations, this large matrix was simpli- can be later corrected to suit the need of the layout fied to a symmetrical matrix of 9 x 9 elements, which planner.CORELAP: Computerized Relationship Lay- meant that firstly the location of the 9 school ar- out Planning is the oldest Layout Planning routine eas was calculated - the computer produced a graph and was developed by Lee and Moore. CORELAP which graphically represented the links between generates a layout on the basis of the total closeness main functional elements. The same procedure was rating (TCR) for each department and begin with two then repeated for areas A, B, C, H and I. As a result major inputs: a relationship chart and space require- a comprehensive scheme of functional links was cre- ments. The starting point is creation of the Muther’s ated. On the basis of the schemes the building plan grid table which displays designer’s preferences for was created manually. To get many variants of the relative (pair-wise) department locations. Muther has plan, values of the chosen parameters were changed, proposed a six points scale: A - absolutely necessary, and matrix was calculated again. (see Figure 1) Prac- especially important, I - important, O - OK, U - unim- tice has shown little usefulness of these methods, es- portant, X - undesirable. To obtain a layout, the user pecially if the laboriousness of preparing data at the is required to input the following: number of depart- initial preparatory stages is taken into account. It was ments, relationships weights, relationships cut-offs, not possible to apply subjective parameters, which partial adjacency value, and relationship. Then the led to oversimplification of the plan. These programs computer generates the layout. The total closeness were characterized by a primitive input and output as 380 | eCAADe 35 - PARAMETRIC AND GENERATIVE DESIGN - Volume 2 Figure 1 Primary School (modification of CORELAP) they worked on the principle of batch processing. the program is based on the algorithm developed by The old programs were very user unfriendly. De- the Bozer, Meller and Erlenbacher. It extends a well- spite the difficulties caused by the imperfection of known facility layout algorithm (CRAFT) to facilities computer hardware (time consuming batch process- with multiple floors. It also enhances CRAFT by con- ing) and simple software, the relational method was trolling department shapes by allowing flexible de- helpful in designing the building plan.It should be partmental area requirements. (Bozer, Meller and Er- noted that with the development of computer tech- lebacher 1994)BLOCPLAN is an interactive program nology, these programs have become one of the developed by Donaghey and Pire. Quantitive and basic tools for industrial facility planners. This has qualitative data can be used as input. It can develop profound effects on organizational productivity and a single story or multi-story layout. As the BLOCPLAN profitability. Optimal layouts reduce materials han- generates an initial layout and makes enhancements dling costs, help streamline all operations in a facil- of this layout, it can be explained as both a construc- ity, and reduce energy costs. With large amounts tion and an improvement method. The user may op- of money being spent on new facilities each year, tionally choose the random construction and auto- it is natural that industrial facility planners, design- matic search. (Donaghey and Pire 1991)Micro CRAFT ers, and architects long for a superior Facility Lay- (MCRAFT) is an extended version of CRAFT, presented out Optimization software. On the market, we may by Hosni, Whitehouse and Atkins. MCRAFT divides find many professional computer programs for Lay- the plant area into bands and assign these bands out Planning.One of the interesting layout optimiza- to one or more facilities. Moreover, MCRAFT elim- tion tool is VIP-PLANOPT (formerly known as Layopt). inates the pair-wise exchange limitations. By using This software is an improvement algorithm for devel- MCRAFT, all pairs can be tried with the pair-wise ex- oping alternative and efficient block layouts from an change method, which makes a large contribution initial block layout provided by the user. In the ab- to finding an optimum solution. (Hosni, Whitehouse sence of an initial layout, one may be also randomly and Atkins 1980) generated by the program. The algorithm used in PARAMETRIC AND GENERATIVE DESIGN - Volume 2 - eCAADe 35 | 381 PARAMETRIC DESIGN AS AN “OPTIMIZA- decisions, which have the most significant cost im- TION TOOL” pacts, are made at the concept stage of a project.The All computer programs discussed above are a kind serious disadvantage is that parametric methods are of an optimization tool, the goal of which is design- mostly used at the stage of detailing of the project ing a cost-effective product in minimum time.
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