metamorphogenesis003

Architecture has predominantly reaped benefits from nascent computational technology in the form of
computer-aided design tools. However, the discipline still lacks sufficient tools that actively enrich and
extend the design process. The notion that the elements of an architectural scenario (or site) have
agency and local interactions determined by both their properties and proximity to other elements is
strongly present in architectural design investigations. Elements of design are intended to emerge from
consideration of the non-linear, interdependent factors of a scenario and the non-linear process of
design. While this ALife perspective is present, to date architects lack adequate tools which would
enable them to explore dynamical systems within a comprehensive and rigorous framework. We have
coined the term Emergent Design (ED) for an approach to architectural design that emphasizes this
(relational) perspective.