ABSTRACT
Computational tools for architectural design tend to focus on the production of form or in the methods of design thinking, offering different vantage points over a design problem. Designers lack information of material supply, manufacturing technologies in the region, labor conditions, or neighborhood regulation. The knowledge of the environment in which a design can be executed often falls in the hands of a contractor, who will negotiate with the designer based on budget and local possibilities. The video game ‘Dwarf Fortress’ has pioneered design systems that integrate formal and functional simulations while accounting for material, social and manufacturing agency using ASCII graphics. The dialogue between design decisions and simulated feasibility generates an opportunity for creativity and empathy, encouraging the player to think of the conditions that will allow their design to be possible. Simulation software can in this sense aid to keep track of the layers of affinity and design constrains that designers consider relevant for a given problem.
