Integrated Workflows

Abstract

As design thinking shifted away from conventional methods with the rapid adoption of computer-aided design and fabrication technologies, architects have been seeking ways to initiate a comprehensive dialogue between the virtual and the material realms. Current methodologies do not offer embodied workflows that utilize the feedback obtained through a subsequent transition process between physical and digital design. Therefore, narrowing the separation between these two platforms remains as a research problem. This literature review elaborates the divide between physical and digital design, testing and manufacturing techniques in the morphological process of architectural form. We first review the digital transformation in the architectural design discourse. Then, we proceed by introducing a variety of methods that are integrating digital and physical workflows and suggesting an alternative approach. Our work unveils that there is a need for empirical research with a focus on integrated approaches to create intuitively embodied experiences for architectural designers. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing~Interaction design theory, concepts and paradigms

Merging Physical and Digital in the Initial Design Stages of Architecture

“…In recent years, nature-inspired movements are coming into prominence within architectural discourse, and architectural practices are implementing non-linear, complex free-form geometries (e.g., NURBS, meshes, and subdivision surfaces) into their designs [7]. Ongoing advances in parametric design software and digital fabrication tools make modeling and testing of complex geometries Doctoral Consortium ISS '20 Companion, November 8-11, 2020, Virtual Event, Portugal more efficient in terms of time, cost, and material resources.…”

“…To establish a theoretical framework and to form a link between architecture and HCI domains, I completed a literature review during the first year of my Ph.D. The literature review paper was published with the title "Integrated Workflows: Generating Feedback Between Digital and Physical Realms [7]" as part of the CHI 2019 conference. The literature review included 106 papers and books from three fields of research; architecture (40 sources), human-computer interaction (54 sources), haptic principles, and materiality (12 sources).…”

“…Computer-aided design (CAD) software and new fabrication technologies provided resources for architects to communicate their ideas through virtual models alongside physical prototypes. As architectural practices adopt parametric design tools, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing techniques, there is a growing interest in integrating materiality into digital design processes within architecture and HCI research communities [7]. With the influence of makers' movement [3] and significant advances in digital design and fabrication technologies, new methods are being developed to study touch-based design knowledge and physical model making [1,10,27].…”

“…The current research in this field focuses on digital fabrication, robotic fabrication technologies, hybrid and tangible approaches to address the divide between physical and digital processes. The literature review I have completed during the first year of my studies presented that there is a need for further research and exploratory investigations with a specific focus on the feedback exchange between physical and digital design workflows [7]. The term 'workflow' refers to the iterative progression of the design process from initiation to completion.…”

“…For my doctoral research, I focus on the initial architectural design process to investigate the feedback cycle between physical and digital design platforms. The main goal of this research is to identify the current understanding of computational design practices and support creative design procedures by introducing a feedback-oriented approach [7].…”