“Computing in Architectural Design”
by Yehuda Kalay is essentially a history of how computer technology came to
exist in the design profession at the level at which it does today. This
article highlights some of the key struggles and landmark accomplishments
encountered during the development of these technologies.
Kalay begins with a brief history
of computation in general. He talks about the use of geometry in architecture
to calculate areas, sizes, and volumes as they related to the built
environment. Proportion was also of critical importance when Kalay spoke of the
Renaissance, the Vitruvian ideal, and the quest for architects to create
designs using the most “perfect” geometrically proportional relationships,
between building components i.e. the golden section. The development of
perspective as a calculated method of drawing was also an important step for
architects as a means of communicating their designs. In addition to space
planning and effective design communication, Thomas Young developed calculations
and computations as tools for predicting structural performance and building
safety in 1807.
Kalay also writes that the first
computers used in building design were used for engineering analysis, and to
study the transfer of forces within a structure. The first software program
used to do this was developed at the University of Michigan. The program they
developed, abbreviated CAEADS, and was a system that conducted habitability,
engineering, and building specification verification analysis. Another example
of analysis software, called Building Design Advisor (BDA), was developed at
the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for performing energy related building
performance computations, which took into account climate data, building
material characteristics, etc. One might say this was similar to a primitive
version of Ecotect.
It wasn’t until 1963 when computers
were used to actually aid in the design process. This began with Ivan
Sutherland’s Sketchpad system, which took the designers sketch and made it into
a perfect architectural drawing. The idea of computer aided drafting, though a
good one, didn’t step out of the laboratory and become practical for
professional use until the creation of Macintosh in 1984. Along with the
development of the personal computer, software was created to make drafting and
modeling on these machines possible. With the appearance of the PC, multiple
view ports were also added to these types of software.
As it was mentioned earlier in this
essay, perspective-drawing techniques were developed as a calculated means of
visual communication. Companies such as Revit, and Graphisoft, among others
mentioned in Kalay’s article, have developed computative rendering software for
the design profession. These programs, like perspective drawing, added another
element of realism, and dimension to developing projects. Reading Kalay’s
article helps one to appreciate and respect the power technology gives us as
designers to understand our designs, and communicate our ideas.