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Does parametric design software create a new aesthetic?

Lars Hesselgren: "It genuinely helps to create new forms. You can draw anything by hand or with CAD, but you can't do iterative processes. It gives you enormous opportunity to do things that are simply not feasible otherwise. That changes people's attitudes to how you design. The first building we did, using Generative Components - the speed with which we were reacting to design decisions - if we were modeling something by hand in a complex situation it might have taken us a fortnight to do it. When we ran it in GC it would take five or ten minutes. A bit like word processing, it changes the way you work and because you work differently you can therefore seize other opportunities. That, for me, is just the beginning. People haven't really grasped what you can do because you can use iterative processes."

Jay Parrish: "Each of us uses it in a different way. For me, parametrics have meant it's possible to do things much more effectively. Before, maybe we’d have a couple of goes, and then run out of time – the project waits for no man – I see it as something that’s defining a particular form of design. It’s a very powerful set of tools that allow you to try things that you wouldn’t otherwise. It's also immensley helpful in dealing with the mundane and the repetitive that you really don't want to be wasting people's lives working out. Once you’ve identify the rules of design in a particular field, and codified those, you can concentrate on the things that are going to make a difference to your design and try out many more options. The end result is without doubt a better designed building."

Hugh Whitehead: "We’ve all been dabbling with parametrics for longer that we care to admit. What’s emerged now is a wonderful choice in different modeling strategies. Most design is developed using some kind of model strategy. It's much more like the way people tackle musical composition these days. We’ve got midi recording systems and synthesisers. It’s all out there and it offers a lot of new territory. But it does mean you have to put in the time building up fluency. The current generation are very energetic and keen to develop the skills. But putting them together in a meaningful work flow takes a lot of practice. We're seeing an amazing amount of technical fluency, but we're keen to see it directly applied to more obvious advantage. Let's experiment and see what happens when you have a design focus."

Jay Parrish says: "We have to be clear, it is not a substitute for design skill and experience and ability. It is something to empower them. But it is not a substitute in any shape or form."

Related document:
Smart Geometry 2009
Smart Thinking