Parametric architecture: can artificial intelligence to design cities?

When you think about the future, what pictures arise in front of your eyes? As a lover of retro-futurism – a genre which is based on representation of the people in the past about the future, I always imagined the city of the future built buildings, such as on magazine covers 1950-ies. My vision changed when I learned about a new architectural style – the parametric or algorithmic architecture that exists in the form of avant-garde design more than ten years. Over time the development of computer technology has greatly affected the style: in fact, all building in a parametric style designed artificial intelligence. However, according to estimates from the Harvard school of design (Harvard Graduate School of Design), the introduction of AI in architecture is at the initial stage. In this article, you will learn about the principles of the algorithm and unusual buildings with it have already appeared.

In fact, about parametric architecture is quite difficult to write because there are absolutely and are waging a fierce debate between each view in an architectural practice. In its simplest definition, parametric architecture creates a system of so-called «options» or variables and a set of constraints to obtain the result (for example, geometric shapes such as a cube) that can be altered by changing variables. In the case of our cube variables can be length (X) width (Y) and height (Z), with the help of which you can control its size. Now imagine that instead of three simple variables X, Y and Z we have about a thousand options that instead of the cube will create the best of all possible forms of the building, as if solving your design problem. I doubt that this is possible? As if!

What is parametric architecture?

As we said earlier, parametric architecture is like a box with a set of keys as input, which combined together help to open the lock. But what happens inside the box?

It Turns out that in its final form parametric architecture creates , which is a set of rules and restrictions. The algorithm takes the input that we, as architects, provided by him, then by calculations, or architectural form, as designed to find the optimal answer to the problem. Sometimes, however, to calculate the optimal shape can be quite difficult.

Developing the right algorithm, setting the correct rules and restrictions, as well as adjusting certain parameters, we can consider a wide range of forms and variants. There remains the last question: what are these parameters and how to define them?

These are the factors of design, with whom we have business architects – for example, climate, culture, functionality, and so on. But how do we translate all this into a computer language? How can I put the social behavior of residents of the area for which you want to build a shopping center, in a quantitative measure? And here parametric architecture is powerless. It is important to understand that parametric design gives the opportunity to find forms and solutions that were not initially conceived by the architects. But the most important and cool in parametric architecture, in my opinion, this exploration of new possibilities.

How to look like buildings in parametric style?

Favor to the architecture of parametric design has grown since then, as there were computers, and architects around the world used this technique in the design process, but there are also dissatisfied. So, associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley and a well-known author Christopher Alexander believes that the genius of the architect's intuition and professional skill should be the main design tools, not computers, which often require overly simplified version of the task.

the space of the cultural center of Heydar Aliyev is divided into three programme elements – a conference hall, a gallery and a Museum.

Modern computers ' Power is enough to use the new algorithm. With its help vary millions of possible combinations of parameters with the specified end result for the building, which has no straight lines. The resulting structure is not unlike any building ever created by man, but like some of the creations of nature. Look at Cultural center named after Heydar Aliyev, which was built in 2012 in Baku – there is really no straight lines. No. In fact, the last few years, parametric modeling is very actively used by designers and engineers. In many cities of the world there was a marvelous building, which otherwise futuristic call.

Pavilion UK

Exhibition pavilion UK Pavilion was developed , which was called “Seed Cathedral”. All because London is the greenest city on such a scale in the world. When the pavilion was built, it was a box 15x10 meters. From each facethe boxes were made by silver rods of clear acrylic, each not less than 7.5 metres in length. At the tip of each stem were presented samples of more than 25 thousand seeds of the Chinese Institute of botany Kunming. In General, the surface of this striking design containing not less than 60 thousand members. Some of them, as it turned out, was attached to the lower part of the building. It ascended above the earth at one meter. Unfortunately, the pavilion was dismantled soon after the exhibition, and transparent acrylic rods were donated to the British schools.

by Day the interior of the pavilion was illuminated by sunlight that passed through each rod. And yet it was possible to follow the movement of the sun and shadows that are cast birds, flying over the pavilion.

Don't know about you, but I pavilion UK seems to be something alien but at the same time, something native. Inside the pavilion, too, was something to see – the day the interior was illuminated by sunlight, the rays of the Sun passed through each rod. This allowed us to follow the movement of the Sun across the sky and the birds flying over the pavilion. Beauty.

Mobile Chanel Mobile Art pavilion

Will You look at that structure – the surface of the mobile Chanel pavilion is reminiscent of the leather from which made the legendary handbags (the classic model of 1955). Such effect is created thanks to the translucent FRP material – a mixture of plastic and fiberglass. In fact, this mobile pavilion of arches, which is easy to assemble and disassemble – Assembly takes about a month, but to dismantle the pavilion can be in two weeks.

In fact, the pavilion forms a loop – you go in and out from one of the same point

In the center of the pavilion is a courtyard. The gallery continues on the outside terrace, which is raised above the ground to a height of one meter. Beginning in 2007, Chanel traveled to Moscow, new York, Hong Kong, Tokyo and many other cities around the world. At the beginning of 2011, the fashion house Chanel presented it to the Institute du Monde Arab.

Pavilion of arts Temporary Art Pavilion

The Pavilion of arts in Salzburg were created by the Austrian architecture office Soma in 2011. The whole building outside cover of shiny aluminum studs, which are located randomly. In fact, if you look closely, the lack of clarity allows you to focus on your amenyah, not visual images. But the most amazing thing is, what looks like the pavilion of art depends on your point of view, and lighting from different angles the shape of the pavilion changes. If not , then I don't even know.

a Very unusual building, which is covered with covered with shiny aluminum rods

Inside the pavilion space surrounded by a membrane. Depending on the position of the Sun, the shadows projected onto the membrane of a lightweight material and are also changed throughout the day. Amazing, isn't it? By the way, parametric architecture – not the most amazing thing that is capable of artificial intelligence. About how to use it in the future it will be possible to treat people, read .

a Combination of natural appearance and artificial intelligence creates the buildings of the future