Algorithmic Architecture

How do you choose the best design solution? Well, you rely on the optimization processes to help you. 💻 Choosing the right design variation is often a difficult decision to make. There are a lot of variables and often there are multiple criteria that have to be met. That means that architects and engineers need to solve a multi-dimensional problem (each variable is represented as a single dimension of possibilities), which is quite challenging. There are a lot of options to choose from and if you try to manually change input parameters, you will quickly lose track, or you won’t explore nearly enough different solutions. So, this is how we do it in most of the cases. The first step is to create a parametric model that is flexible enough to explore different design solutions. You need to be careful not to restrain your parameters and you would want to create a simplified model that is generated quickly (hopefully in less than 1 second). Then, you need to integrate an evaluation function into your parametric model in order to evaluate each design equally. For structural design problems, you will need rapid FEM analysis (like in this example); for facade optimization, you might need to include solar radiation analysis, etc. This function needs to return a number (or multiple numbers for multiple criteria). The final step is using sophisticated evolutionary algorithms for optimization, which can either minimize or maximize the fitness value from the evaluation process. For example, you can maximize the final score for your facade optimization or minimize the deflection for structural design. Multi-criteria optimizations can be challenging when they oppose each other and it takes some experience to strike the right balance. In this example, we are using the #Wallacei plugin for #Grasshopper3d (Wallacei). However, evolutionary algorithms are time-consuming and computationally expensive. Therefore, we are developing an optimization method that will include AI predictions and significantly reduce these resources. 🤖 If you’re interested in this topic, feel free to contact us. #algorithmicarchitecture #optimization #structuraloptimization #structuraldesign #rhino #grasshopper Our website: https://lnkd.in/eKZmezSk YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eG6s-9kB Instagram: https://lnkd.in/eJe93AYd