Generative Design. A swimmer in a natural sea frame
Celestino Soddu

Politecnico di Milano University.

Celestino.soddu@polimi.it website: www.soddu.it

Abstract

Generative Design is a logical synthesis of a creative process using transformation rules (algorithms). It can be realized designing a program able to simulate this process and to generate outputs as 3dmodels of architecture, cities, objects. As all creative processes it involves subjectivity in the definition of how the process runs and how the transforming rules are created and organized into a system.

As in all creative processes two main factors are involved: the unpredictability of external factors linked to each design occasion, like the environmental context and client’s requests, and the subjectivity of designers when they interpret these external factors.

Being a logical synthesis of this complex dynamical system, Generative Approach can be successful used in teaching architectural design as subjectivity-oriented approach.

Morphogenetic Meta-Project versus Project

Generative Design could be represented like a morphogenetic meta-project, an organized idea of “how to run” a design process. In sixties of last century meta-projects were the structure of organization of incoming projects. They were constructed with the aim of identifying the best structure to answer to “objective” functional needs. It was not possible to full develop this kind of approach because functional needs, extended to practice functions but also to symbolic and aesthetical functions, are strongly related to the subjectivity of customers and to the subjectivity of designers.

Generative Design is a meta-project with two fundamental extension:

1. it involves subjectivities going more in deep into complexity of (architectural, town environment, industrial objects…) designed artificial systems.

Perspective versus Axonometric

It’s like moving from axonometric to perspective view. Adding subjectivity you can move from the axonometric representation, “objective” because free from subjective views but limited by the dimension of the sheet, to the perspective view that, using subjective points of view, can represent the infinite in one sheet and, following that, the increasing complexity of represented systems.

2. it can run the design process a lot of times, being sensible to little variations of inputs (similar to the different feel of the designer in different moments) and it can generate a sequence of endless results, all different but all related to the designer idea.

Anamorphic versus Axiomatic

It’s like moving from normal perspectives view into anamorphic perspective views. Each different point of view transform the anamorphic representation into unpredictable scenarios. Looking at each of these outputs we can discover one of the possible representation of the idea.

Process versus Output

Generative Design, as subjective operative meta-project, can be used to design a kind of artificial objects, an artificial DNA of a species of objects because is oriented to set up a process and not only to reach one result. More, it defines and renders explicit all the steps of a “normal” design process, from the first sketch to the final executive project. And, in this way, it’s a wonderful support for teaching (architectural and industrial) design.

Idea versus Solution

If you are a designer and someone ask you: “which is your idea, which kind of forms are you thinking to” or “which character do you love for your architectures” or “ which kind of impact do you prefer to have when you enter in a unknown city”, you can explain it using words but you cannot show it if not using a generative approach because it represents an idea and not peculiar solution of problems. Each idea can be developed with multiple solution but each solution is not exhaustive of the idea.

Synthesis versus Simplification

Interpretation versus Analysis

The reason is that you cannot use drawings, forms or images able to explain your thought in an exhaustive way because you have to perform a synthesis of all your beloved forms, including possible unknown forms that could fit your needs. You cannot simplify.

More, answering to all these questions, you have to explain the complex system of relationships and possible interfaces that a town environment must have for linking your needs and your interpretation of unpredictable user’s needs.

Generative design is not an analytical process but a synthesis process. The core of each generative project is the synthesis, using algorithms, of own subjective approach to context and to own subjective cultural, technological and functional references. In brief, generative design performs own modus of approaching the transformation of existent worlds into possible environments more closed to own idea of quality.

Following that, In generative design processes, but also in all creative processes, the subjective interpretations of existing world are the main creative acts.

Subjectivity versus Objectivity

Imitation versus Copy

The role of subjectivity is really important in design activity. Without subjectivity we loose the main stimulus for evolving our functional scheme into a project, and we lose the possibility to use our cultural, symbolical, aesthetical, technological references because these references can be used only if we have our interpretation of them. If not we can do only copies.

Variations versus Optimisation

In last century we experienced a design approach focused on optimisation. It came by the need to identify “the best” and realize it with industrial assemblage chains. This approach belongs to the concept that all people are equal, all people need the same equal product. This approach is not more accepted and it’s known that we can realize a product with the best performances but with different form. These differences fit the need of personalization of products, fit the need of customers to find his own product, fit the need of each person to find out a product, a house, a car, a square, a city, an environment that fit his needs and that is the mirror of his identity and uniqueness. The subjectivity of designers fit the subjectivity of customers.

The possibility to manage variations is inside the quality of a design process. Generative projects face directly this need generating unpredictable, but recognizable outputs.

Identification versus Homologation

Because the recognizability of outputs is the explication of the architect’s (or artist’s) imprinting. But it’s also a function that each customer appreciates when looking for something facing his own subjectivity. We can recognize a print of Piranesi, also if we never have seen it before, because we recognize the style or, we can say, the DNA of his drawing process, his stratified interpretations of surrounding environment that makes unique his drawings.

Recognisable versus Anonymous

In the some way we need to identify our home when we go home, to identify our city and to love the link between its unique character and our way to look at the future.

Generation versus Cloning

Generative Design realize a species and not only single outputs. It’s like in Nature. Generation is strongly different from cloning, like art craft is different from assemblage chain. But now an industrial production of all different objects is technically possible using the existing industrial equipment and generative projects. More, variations, as in nature, enhance the recognizability and peculiarity of each idea facing, in the meantime, the need of personalization of each customer. In this era, when someone tries to clone, like in the last century industries, the natural events, we like to rediscover, in the artificial world, the uniqueness of generation, like in Nature.

Unpredictability versus Repetition

The unpredictability of variations of natural objects, like a rose or a cat, enhance the rose and cat concept, the identity of these species, like the unpredictability of a each variation of Bach enhance the identity of his music and our ability to identify and appreciate it. On the contrary, repetition destroys identity. A compound of all equal houses has less identity (and is less fascinating) of a compound where all the houses are different but each one follows a recognizable common idea of quality. Variations as mirror of the subjectivity of each inhabitant.

Random of requests versus Random of outputs

The use of random factors is important in constructing this process as software. It follows two different approaches. Random as possibility to create unpredictable requests, constrains, needs as occasions to improve the complexity of the process and testing the recognizability of the idea in all generated events, or random as generator of casual forms. The difference is, substantially, the recognizability of the artist/architect/designer imprinting.

Teaching How versus Teaching What

I am teaching architectural design from 30 years and, after having developed my first generative software in 1987 and published the related book in 1989 (C.Soddu, Citta’ Aleatorie (Random Cities), Masson Publisher), It was me clear that, as my Argenia Generative Software worked simulating the design processes and generating architectural outputs able to fit different occasions and client’s needs, so I would have been able to use Argenia as model for investigating about designing process. It is, in fact, an effective logical synthesis of normal design processes.

So I used it as base of an operative and effective teaching structure for Design Studio Labs in architecture, environmental and industrial design.

Outputs of students were soon really encouraging because based on discussions about “how” develop their work and not about “what” they are designing, giving tools for managing their work without discussing about their partial and temporary results but looking at them as a first step of a transforming process. This teaching approach enhanced their subjectivity and the possibility to use at the best their own cultural references. In other words they succeed in using all their previous learning work by interpreting these references as transforming codes. But this aspect created also some difficulties. We can synthesize these difficulties as belonging to the student’s denial to render explicit his subjectivity, his cultural peculiarity, also if only in the field of design approach. The common request of some students (b