ABSTRACT
The aspect of design theory that CAD is most suited to supporting the analysis of is that of the arrangement and ordering of forms and spaces. The scope and potential for the application of CAD to uncovering relationships within design precedents, is far greater than is presently exploited within schools of architecture. Irrespective of any design function, purpose, context or meaning, students should ‘be able to recognise the basic elements of form and space and understand how they can be manipulated and organised in the development of a design concept’ (Ching, 1996). Typically, a formal analysis starts with a CAD model of the generic form, which can be either a rectilinear plan or a volumetric 3-D model. Subsequent analysis then attempts to show how particular design factors lead to transformations of this form in order to clarify and understand a scheme, rather than showing how the designer designed it (Baker, 1989).
