he digital age in architecture marks a new era, changing the way we design, manufacture, and construct buildings and environments. Driven by digital technology, new ideas in architecture are ever emerging, involving complex geometries, dynamic systems, and algorithms replacing older more traditional approaches. This led the design process to be more flexible and unpredictable, leading to innovative architectural endeavours.
Recently, there have been significant advancements in computer-aided design and manufacturing impacting building design and construction. The creation of complex structures that were previously too difficult to produce has been made possible thanks to the new digital age. The historic relationship between architecture and construction methods is now being reshaped by digital paradigms. In today’s digital age, architecture has come across a new language where virtual designs can create ground-breaking, multi-curvilinear spaces.
The Evolution of Architectural Design Approaches
Architectural design has seen increasing influence by computational concepts in the digital age. Ideas like topological spaces, motion and dynamics (animate architecture), key shape animation (metamorphic architecture), and the use of parametric design and genetic algorithms (evolutionary architecture), have gained popularity. The parametric design allows the creation of a variety of forms by adjusting certain parameters. Animate architecture, combines motion and force into the design process, creating dynamic spaces. Isomorphic architecture, on the other hand, involves geometric forms “blobs” interacting and merging based on gravity.
Another approach, metamorphic architecture transforms simple forms over time through bending or morphing methods. Topological architecture tends to move away from rigid, traditional spaces and adopts curves and surfaces resulting in fluid designs. Performative architecture is something that focuses on the function of the buildings. Finally, evolutionary architecture uses genetic algorithms for architectural forms to evolve inspired by nature. Many of these techniques are rapidly growing and affecting how the buildings are conceived and created.
Aesthetic Integration
Traditionally, composition and proportion have been principal concepts in establishing rhythm and balance in architecture, which ultimately help in making it aesthetically appealing and conveying the emotions/message that architecture is trying to set forth. Composition adopts the arrangement of elements within a space guiding the viewer’s eye and creating a harmonious balance. On the other hand, proportion deals with the relative size and scale of elements ensuring they visually fit together.
In the Digital Age, a new approach to aesthetics is seen. Moving away from Cartesian and dualistic theories, the line between real and virtual is getting blurred and there has been a shift in architectural approach leading to open-minded and media-inclusive architecture. New approaches in concepts like parametric, metamorphic, algorithmic, and animated have been successfully reshaping contemporary architecture that has been in use in the modern world. The use of algorithms has allowed the creation of complex and unconventional forms. With the advancement in digital modelling and techniques like NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-splines), the architectural field now can explore highly curvilinear and hybrid forms which were considered too difficult in the past. With this new approach, architects now are responsible for designing a virtual atmosphere alongside the form, to allow room for dynamic changes and innovation. The digital age now has information-rich geometries that have come into play recently marking a significant change in architectural thinking.
What is next for digital architectural evolution
There has been a rise in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AR/VR technology in the digital age that we are now in the field of architecture. Over the past five years, there has been significant growth in using AI for conceptual architectural design with a focus on methods like evolutionary computation (EC) and genetic algorithms (GA). These methods have helped optimise designs by creating efficient, creative, and aesthetically pleasing architectural concepts. GA’s have been popular because of their management capability for large and complex problems thanks to the balancing of multiple design criteria offered by it. However, it is to be noted that conceptual design in architecture is a complex process relying on experience and new ideas creation. In the application of AI in the field of architecture, the focus should be to use AI as a tool to explore and understand the needs of the project as well as feasible solutions and not just a single solution within a defined space.
Other AI techniques such as machine learning, fractal algorithms, and neural networks are being explored in the field of architecture to enable custom and user-specific designs based on aesthetic principles. In this digital age, architecture now is evolving towards new concepts like invisible architecture. In this concept, the spaces are animated and unpredictable, the traditional measurement systems are also freed. As architecture moves towards the digital revolution, there will eventually be a rise in new forms and experiences where the physical boundaries that architecture has/had will fade, giving rise to environments that are innovative and immersive, blurring the line between real and virtual.
References:
Akazaf, M. (2019) ‘The Impact of Philosophy and Mathematics on the Aesthetics of the Digital Architecture based on Parametric Design,’ Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems, 11(11-SPECIAL ISSUE), pp. 621–631. https://doi.org/10.5373/jardcs/v11sp11/20193075.
DEWIDAR, K., ELKHOLY, G.MOH., and ICCAE (2008) THE FIFTH SENSE OF ARCHITECTURE: DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE: a NEW AESTHETICS OF TOTAL SURREALISM, Proceedings of the 7th ICCAE Conf. https://iccae.journals.ekb.eg/article_45415_8ab0ee43769ca9d1ee3e8a0a29767482.pdf.
Kolarevic, B. (2001) ‘Designing and manufacturing architecture in the digital age,’ eCAADe Proceedings [Preprint]. https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2001.117.
Pena, M.L.C., et al. (2021) ‘Artificial intelligence applied to conceptual design. A review of its use in architecture,’ Automation in Construction, 124, p. 103550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103550.
