Formalising Design Exploration as Co-Evolution

Abstract

This paper introduces a model for design exploration based on notions of evolution and demonstrates computational co-evolution using a modified genetic algorithm (GA). Evolution is extended to consider co-evolution where two systems evolve in response to each other. Co-evolution in design exploration supports the change, over time, of the design solution and the design requirements. The basic GA, which does not support our exploration model, evaluates individuals from a population of design solutions with an unchanged fitness function. This approach to evaluation implements search with a prefixed goal. Modifications to the basic GA, are required to support exploration. Two approaches to implement a co-evolving GA are: a combined gene approach and a separate spaces approach. The combined gene approach includes the representation of the requirements and the solution within the genotype. The separate spaces approach models the requirements and the solutions as separately evolving interacting populations of genotypes. The combined gene approach is developed further in this paper and used to demonstrate design exploration in the domain of braced frame design for buildings. The issues related to the coding of the genotype, mapping to a phenotype, and evaluation of the phenotype are addressed. Preliminary results of co-evolution are presented that show how exploration differs from search.

Co-evolution as a computational and cognitive model of design

“…The upward arrow corresponds to the evaluation of P using S as the source of the focus. After searching for relevant requirements in the problem space, the new problem requirements space is the basis of the focus for the search for a solution (introduced in Maher and Poon, 1996). The interaction between the spaces can include transferring variables from one space to the other.…”

The social life of the novel idea: what did social psychologists ever do for us?

“…Amabile describes creativity as "the production of useful and novel ideas" and innovation as "the successful implementation of ideas." In light of this definition, when discussing the social aspects of innovation in the design team, this paper will focus upon the extent to whether social interaction can hinder or facilitate the presentation of the 'novel idea' within the collaborative design space, to use the vocabulary of the co-evolution design model (Maher et al, 1996;Dorst and Cross, 2001). This is supported by existing observational research which notes the generation of novel ideas being limited, or design direction being steered, as a symptom of implied and normative social interaction (Matthews, 2009;Barrett, 2010).…”

A Mobile Agent Oriented Method of Simulating the Interaction Between a Built Environment and the Occupants’ Action

“…An example that tells us how the indoor climate-human action interaction simulation, which is incorporated with a CAD system in a Mobile Agent Oriented Community, supports exploration (Maher 1995) in a design problem solving process. The example is not a real situation but is likely to arise in architectural design.…”

“…Architectural design process is formulated as a goal-oriented, constrained, decision-making, exploration, and learning activity that operates with in a certain context (Gero 1990). The evaluations of the quality of a building in question and the simulation of the building performance facilitate the decision-making process and the exploration process (Maher 1995) by giving information with which the participants in the design process can formulate a less illformed design problem and find the corresponding solution from an ill-defined problem.…”