building blocks

What’s most important in design? It isn’t creativity alone. It is creativity and knowledge…knowledge of the materials, the structures, and the processes. Design is not just about knowing what something will look like. It’s about knowing how it will get there. It’s not just the result; it’s the process.

—Andres Cavieres

Yesterday I was fortunate to hear a lecture from one of the researchers at the AWPL (Advanced Wood Products Laboratory), Andres Cavieres. He’s working on parametric modeling software for buildings and masonry…really interesting stuff. So, the basic idea is that architects are somewhat limited in their design because it costs more to build a really “different” looking building since the components need to be custom-made. Some architects, like Frank Gehry, do make really different buildings, but the form of the building isn’t structural—it’s just a veneer. So, what’s the point? Yes, it’s an interesting looking building, but it’s artificial, and it’s quite expensive. By creating a modeling software based on parametrics, the idea is that an architect could have more freedom in the design. The software is “smart,” so it’s been programmed with data about structural load requirements, dimensions of standard building components, etc. An architect would be able to create a rudimentary CAD model of a building in any program, then import it into the parametrics program and have a CAD model which could potentially go directly into construction. I don’t know too much about architecture, but it seems pretty freaking cool to me.

Obviously, this idea isn’t strictly limited to architecture. It could easily translate into design: furniture, medical devices, electronics. Designers would have so much more power if they were able to have an intelligent piece of software that could provide the size requirements of the motor for a blender, or the load-bearing requirements and material capabilities of a bent wood chair. With a tool like this, designers could have so much control over the design process—we could take our designs to an engineer and not have to make major alterations because we didn’t understand the space allocation requirements the first time around. It could be pretty powerful.

I feel pretty inspired.