Extract

This paper discusses parametric design systems integration in the design studio as a mechanism for improving parametric design thinking among architectural design students at a second year undergraduate level. The merits of parametric design processes within architectural design practice have been discussed at length and are well established. Their ability to improve productivity, create adaptive design models and inform complex design systems continue to evolve and are useful for the quantification and comparison of variables in complex design systems. However, these processes are nuanced in their development, requiring great expertise. Additionally, a clear understanding of the variables that effect design is implicitly established. This represents a significant problem for the developing design student. Both the technical expertise and time required to generate a functioning and informed parametric system makes success near impossible. These issues are compounded as the student’s design thinking skillset is still in development. As a result, students do not absorb the value of parametric design thinking, a fundamental design approach, limiting their understanding of these processes. The following is the results of an eight week design studio project aimed at enabling technical engagement of instruments involved in parametric design and developing an understanding of parametric design processes.

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