5 Pedagogical frameworks for emergent digital practices in architecture
The diverse roles of digital design and communication technologies are converging through the development of parametric modelling systems that offer flexible generative design capabilities and enable highly efficient design development documentation and fabrication functionality. The process of design development and articulation no longer involves shifting from a malleable generative medium to a more rigid and instrumental documentation medium. A parametric model sets up parameters for a design project that are both calculable and alterable. These mutable models are already compatible with digitally controlled manufacturing machinery. Design generation, design development and fabrication production can potentially be brought into an intimate dialogue. The relationship between digital representation and materialisation has become a significant practice and research question. Designers are also increasingly scripting the functionality of design software, opening up new applications tailored to specific project contexts.
These rapidly changing technologies and practices are challenging established approaches to architectural design, communication and technology teaching within academic institutions. This chapter addresses the issues at stake for architectural education in engaging with the rapidly shifting role of emerging digital technologies in architectural design, professional practice and ...
