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Design n n n n Te set of rules governing the iterative process could easily be linked to a building’s energy performance or structural integrity. “Te use of generative design methods is clearly helping architects and engineers deliver inspiring, more sustainable, higher perform- ing buildings—in other words, buildings that are far superior aesthetically, structurally, and functionally,” says Huw Roberts, Bentley’s global marketing director. “Te time invested by the many participants at the SmartGeome- try 2010 Workshop and Conference in Barce- lona exemplifies the interest the architectural and engineering professions have in exploring What Is the Difference Between CAD and Computational Design? Live Components is the ‘flexibility’ of design. The former [CAD] is a para- metric program for ‘construction.’ The latter is a sort of parametric program or components for ‘design’ itself. For instance, I am using Live Compo- nents, which I developed for Grasshopper to ‘design’ a new building at our office. But we are communicating with other technicians who are using Revit or ArchiCAD to ‘construct’ our designed model. –Hyoung-gul Kook All assumptions of how you work are changed, because you’re having to work at a higher level of abstraction. This give us a huge opportunity to change the way we think about design—and all sorts of fields are doing just that to be more responsive and quicker. What we want is for the computer to be our partner and not our opposition, actually actively helping us design things. –Lars Hesselgren, PLP Architecture and SmartGeometry Director the potential benefits and applicability of this technology-empowered methodology.” SmartGeometry workshop leader Brady Peters recalls a project he worked on at Fos- ter and Partners: the Smithsonian Courtyard enclosure in Washington, DC, which fea- tured a new roof structure over the previ- ously open courtyard. “Te desire for this space to be used for concerts and receptions led to a specification in terms of acoustic absorption. Te roof structure was the only place to put the ab- sorbing material,” Peters says. “Tis complex roof structure was designed using parametric design software and included parameters that controlled the amount of absorbing material. In this way, the form of the roof was linked to its acoustic performance.” For the SmartGeometry Group, and other like-minded designers, the advantages of gen- erative design methods certainly add up—par- ticularly considering that the goal of number- driven geometry is to be purpose-driven. Kenneth Wong is a freelance writer who focuses on the computer game and CAD industries, exploring innovative usage of technology and its implications. He can be reached at Kennethwongsf@earthlink.net. n Windows-32 /Windows-64 / OSX-32 /OS X-64 32-bitonly $399 High Performance CameraTracking Use SynthEyes for animated critter insertion, fixing shaky shots, virtual set extensions, making 3Dmovies, architectural previews, accident reconstruction,virtual product placement, face and body capture, andmore. Includes Stereoscopic features used in AVATAR October 2010 21