ABSTRACT
Most current CAD/CAM/CAE software utilizes parametrics. By the use of parametric equations, dimensions and other variables are linked to geometry in such a way that when the values change, the geometry may change as well. In this manner, design modifications and the creation of associated data can be performed remarkably quickly, compared with the redrawing required by traditional CAD. Parametrics are the heart and soul of building information modeling (BIM) software to the extent that parametric design has been used as an alternative label for BIM. It is rapidly becoming the design process of choice among “thirdgeneration” digital architects. In parametric design, it is the elements of a particular design that are declared, not its shape. By assigning different values to the parameters, different configurations can be created. The overall form can be manipulated by altering specific parameters that are able to automatically adjust building data such as total gross area, total building height, total number of floors, and aspect ratio. It changes the fundamental nature of the traditional design process that architects have used since the Beaux Arts. The “equisse” and the “parti” are gone and replaced by the spreadsheet and the script, or algorithm. The romantic notion that there is an “aha” moment of clarity when one “discovers” the “solution” due to inspiration found in endless design sketching is forgotten. The designer becomes a programmer. Control over form is at the mercy of the machine – the difficult whole is abandoned. The ordering system becomes predestined, opaque and out of reach.
