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Spatial grammar implementation: From theory to useable software

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2012

Alison McKay ,
Scott Chase ,
Kristina Shea  and
Hau Hing Chau
Alison McKay*
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Scott Chase
Affiliation:
Department of Architecture, Design, and Media Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
Kristina Shea
Affiliation:
Virtual Product Development Group, Institute of Product Development, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
Hau Hing Chau
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
*
Reprint requests to: Alison McKay, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. E-mail: a.mckay@leeds.ac.uk
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Abstract

Currently available computer-aided design tools provide strong support for the later stages of product development processes where the structure and shape of the design have been fixed. Support for earlier stages of product development, when both the structure and shape of the design are still fluid, demands conceptual design tools that support designers' ways of thinking and working, and enhance creativity, for example, by offering design alternatives, difficult or not, possible without the use of such tools. The potential of spatial grammars as a technology to support such design tools has been demonstrated through experimental research prototypes since the 1970s. In this paper, we provide a review of recent spatial grammar implementations, which were presented in the Design Computing and Cognition 2010 workshop on which this paper is based, in the light of requirements for conceptual design tools and identify future research directions in both research and design education.

Keywords

Computational Design SynthesisImplementationSpatial Grammar

Information

Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
AI EDAM , Volume 26 , Issue 2: Design Computing and Cognition (DCC'10) , May 2012 , pp. 143 - 159
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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