It wasn’t that long ago I found myself developing Android Apps for a startup company I created called\u00a0Architect Machines. \u00a0The idea was simple. \u00a0I needed tools to help me do my job that didn’t exist on the market place. These machines (software apps) would help keep me organized and efficient. \u00a0I had a lot of licenses, certification numbers and renewal\u00a0dates to remember so I wrote a free app called Member ID<\/a>\u00a0to help remind me of\u00a0that information. Between it and PhotoDoc<\/a> I had\u00a0around 10,000 downloads (1,550 active users). By comparison to other apps out there, it failed. \u00a0My intent wasn’t to make a buck but to create something I could use and others as well. \u00a0Little did I know that would set me on a journey to explore computer programming for architecture further. \u00a0While I am not a true programmer, I’m a licensed architect with a background in engineering. My ability to put together a building far outweighs my knowledge of computer programming, but I did learn how to code. \u00a0This led to tinkering with Arduino sketches (ironically how I thought of the title quote) and that led to Raspberry Pi development and as many of you know, Data Streams<\/a> w\/ co-Founder Michael Vander Ploeg.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Then I saw this fantastic little tool for Revit Architecture called Dynamo<\/a> at Autodesk University<\/a> 2013. \u00a0You can take pre-scripted code and insert\u00a0them over an open dashboard to manipulate data in Revit similar to Grasshopper for Rhino. Like most code, it’s rule based and its great at math. Two things I find myself doing a lot of in the field of architecture, engineering and building science. In reality, a lot of what we all do, especially repetitive tasks, is math based. \u00a0What we think is human thought for some types of design\u00a0criteria\u00a0is a series of calculations that address\u00a0possible outcomes. \u00a0Take for instance a parking garage. There’s probably an assortment of ways<\/a> to “make” them work, but really it gets narrowed down to 2\u00a0or\u00a03\u00a0foundations pretty quick. At the end of the day you’re really just looking for a parking stall count and how big that is on the site, then maybe any height restrictions thrown in. The link below\u00a0is one simplified scenario that allows designers to specify those parameters quickly in order to get faster answers to the team and ultimately to the client. (two story only)\u00a0https:\/\/www.dynamoreach.com\/share\/5793c57a1cea5a924f4682fb<\/a>\u00a0Why would we\u00a0spend 20+ hours modeling multiple variations of them\u00a0in Revit or Sketchup when we\u00a0have a tool like this?<\/p>\n

Taking this one step further, we ask ourselves what drives the size of the parking lot? \u00a0Is it stadium attendees? Then with a little further coding we can have that stadium population data drive the parking data. \u00a0No need for a person to even open the parking garage model until the stadium options are ready for computation. \u00a0This idea is a slide-in\u00a0to generative design.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Coding is the new sketching”.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>We start to see a process of extreme speed and accuracy by cleverly coding our design outcomes to meet expectations. While I’m not discouraging napkin sketches, another way of putting it\u00a0is you state the goals of your problem and have the computer create design iterations for you, as designer you can\u00a0select the best option. \u00a0The old way composed of the designer\u00a0having a dream and drawing it. Coding is one way to extend your idea downstream instead of stopping it on paper.<\/p>\n

At RTC North America 2016 I was able to participate as an expert panelist for this discussion involving FormIt360 and Dynamo<\/a>\u00a0and the future workflow of design. \u00a0What I have been witnessing over the past few AU’s and RTC’s is this revolution of parametric\u00a0driven designing. \u00a0We can expect our machines to help us with architecture in ways we didn’t think were possible even five years ago. \u00a0With the technology out there available and forthcoming, the future looks bright!<\/p>\n

Please share your thoughts and questions! \u00a0Is coding the future of design? \u00a0How does it impact your process and what workflows have you developed to provide better results for you and your clients?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wasn’t that long ago I found myself developing Android Apps for a startup company I created called\u00a0Architect … Continue reading Coding is the New Sketching<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[62,61,60],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n