The ability of evolutionary algorithms and related search techniques to explore a varied space of solutions with efficiency and often surprising innovation makes them useful tools for design. This typically requires the explicit definition of a goal or objective function and so has been ideally suited to engineering optimisation tasks. For many design problems however, and particularly for those of great complexity, it is difficult to specify such a goal in advance. Design and creativity themselves, particularly in a social context, are often seen as processes of guided, but open exploration. Steels has shown that effective languages can be generated without an external measure of quality by allowing robots to speak and evaluate each other in an environment. Such approaches have been incorporated into genetic algorithms by allowing the objective to change over time.

Author: Sean Hanna

Publication:Proceedings of GECCO '07: Genetic And Evolutionary Computation Conference | full text (PDF)

Year: 2007

The human eye is intuitively drawn to the organic shapes of sand dunes, curling vines, rolling hills and other natural phenomena. Because of its strong aesthetic appeal, our particular interest is in generating biologically inspired form for architects. In the past, architectural form was constrained by material and structure and was able to re ect only a small degree of natural form in examples such as rounded pillars and domed roofs. In an exciting paradigm shift in architecture, contemporary computer aided design and manufacturing in interaction with integrated, human designed materials have largely unleashed today's architects from these shackles. They can now move beyond simply appreciating the graceful form of an emerging ower that bends in response to the sun's position or admiring the evolved shape of a natural shelter that responds to seasonal elements.

Author: Martin Hemberg
Author: Una-May O’Reilly
Author: Achim Menges
Author: Katrin Jonas
Author: Michel da Costa Gonçalves
Author: Steven R. Fuchs

Publication:Juan Romero and Penousal Machado (eds) The Art of Artificial Evolution: A Handbook on Evolutionary Art and Music, Springer - Natural Computing | full text (PDF)

Year: 2008

Recent developments in innovative technologies and smart materials have created new opportunities and are suggesting significant changes in the way we design and build architecture. Traditionally, however, there has always been a gap between the new technologies and their applications into other areas.

Author: Robert Sheil
Author: Kelvin C. Leung

Publication: Ataman, O, (ed.) Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture. (pp. 254 - 259). ACADIA: Savannah College of Art and Design

Year: 2005

Style is a broad term that could potentially refer to any features of a work, as well as a fluid concept that is subject to change and disagreement. The idea of a style in any discipline is a fluid concept that is always subject to change, and therefore suited to a flexible representation. What is suggested here is that it can nevertheless be accurately represented and emulated. This work has presented an algorithmic method for both deriving a stylistic definition automatically from examples, and using it to generate new designs. Architectural examples were used, and were investigated primarily in terms of their spatial features, but it is intended as a general model in that other forms of input and classification algorithms may be used. Likewise, axial analysis and the aggregation model are not essential to the method, but the principles of feature space reduction and archetype should apply to a variety of analysis and synthesis techniques.

Author: Sean Hanna

Publication: Design Computing and Cognition '06. Springer. pp. 3-22 | full text (PDF)

Year: 2006