Converting Algorithms into Tangible Solutions

Two main concerns drive the architectural practice: the design and the construction of buildings. This makes the creative practice highly dependent on construction viability, most design decisions having to consider, among others, the available materials and construction techniques and the associated manufacturing costs. Nevertheless, the desire to conceive complex geometries has always been present in architecture, often leading to innovative solutions and structures that go beyond what had been done to date. The emergence of computational design in the last decades has further accentuated this ambition by providing architects with unprecedented design freedom. The realization of such shapes, however, is not as easy as its 3D modeling due to limitations in the available manufacturing strategies. In this paper, we address this problem with Algorithm Design (AD), a design approach based on algorithms, presenting a design workflow that benefits from its (1) geometric freedom in developing facade design solutions and (2) expressiveness in converting and detailing the obtained solutions for manufacturing. We evaluate our proposal with an algorithmically developed prototype of a geometrically complex facade. The aim is to illustrate its potential in exploring design alternatives that consider multiple design criteria, while automatically detailing them for construction and producing the corresponding technical documentation. We also intend to demonstrate the importance of the proposal’s flexibility in considering different construction schemes that, in turn, result in different aesthetic outcomes and manufacturing needs.