The current transition from Computer Aided Design (CAD) to Computational Design in architecture represents a profound shift in design thinking and methods. Representation is being replaced by simulation, and the crafting of objects is moving towards the generation of integrated systems through designer-authored computational processes. While there is a particular history of such an approach in architecture, its relative newness requires the continued progression of novel modes of design thinking for the architect of the 21st century. This AD Reader establishes a foundation for such thinking. It includes multifaceted reflections and speculations on the profound influence of computational paradigms on architecture. It presents relevant principles from the domains of mathematics and computer science, developmental and evolutionary biology, system science and philosophy, establishing a discourse for computational design thinking in architecture. Rather than a merely technical approach, the book will discuss essential intellectual concepts that are fundamental not only for a discourse on computational design but also for its practice. This anthology provides a unique collection of seminal texts by authors, who have either provided a significant starting point through which a computational approach to design has been pursued or have played a considerable role in shaping the field. An important aspect of this book is the manner in which adjacent fields and historical texts are connected. Both the source of original inspiration and scientific thought are presented alongside contemporary writings on the continually evolving computational design discourse. Emerging from the field of science, principally the subjects of morphogenesis, evolution and mathematics, selected texts provide a historical basis for a reconfigured mindset of processes that generate, arrange and describe form. Juxtaposed against more contemporary statements regarding the influence of computation on design thinking, the book offers advancements of fundamental texts to the particular purpose of establishing novel thought processes for architecture, theoretically and practically. The first reader to provide an effective framework for computational thinking in design. Includes classic texts by Johan W. von Goethe, D’Arcy Thompson, Ernst Mayr, Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Gordan Pask, Christopher Alexander, John H. Holland, Nicholas Negroponte, William Mitchell, Peter J. Bentley & David W. Corne, Sanford Kwinter, John Frazer, Kostis Terzidis, Michael Weinstock and Achim Menges Features new writing by: Mark Burry, Jane Burry, Manuel DeLanda and Peter Trummer.

Visionary designer and technologist John Maeda defines the fundamental laws of how computers think, and why you should care even if you aren't a programmer. "Maeda is to design what Warren Buffett is to finance." --Wired John Maeda is one of the world's preeminent interdisciplinary thinkers on technology and design. In How to Speak Machine, he offers a set of simple laws that govern not only the computers of today, but the unimaginable machines of the future. Technology is already more powerful than we can comprehend, and getting more powerful at an exponential pace. Once set in motion, algorithms never tire. And when a program's size, speed, and tirelessness combine with its ability to learn and transform itself, the outcome can be unpredictable and dangerous. Take the seemingly instant transformation of Microsoft's chatbot Tay into a hate-spewing racist, or how crime-predicting algorithms reinforce racial bias. How to Speak Machine provides a coherent framework for today's product designers, business leaders, and policymakers to grasp this brave new world. Drawing on his wide-ranging experience from engineering to computer science to design, Maeda shows how businesses and individuals can identify opportunities afforded by technology to make world-changing and inclusive products--while avoiding the pitfalls inherent to the medium.

This pocket-sized introduction to computational thinking and problem-solving traces its genealogy centuries before the digital computer. A few decades into the digital era, scientists discovered that thinking in terms of computation made possible an entirely new way of organizing scientific investigation. Eventually, every field had a computational branch: computational physics, computational biology, computational sociology. More recently, “computational thinking” has become part of the K–12 curriculum. But what is computational thinking? This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers an accessible overview—tracing a genealogy that begins centuries before digital computers and portraying computational thinking as the pioneers of computing have described it. The authors explain that computational thinking (CT) is not a set of concepts for programming; it is a way of thinking that is honed through practice: the mental skills for designing computations to do jobs for us, and for explaining and interpreting the world as a complex of information processes. Mathematically trained experts (known as “computers”) who performed complex calculations as teams engaged in CT long before electronic computers. In each chapter, the author identify different dimensions of today's highly developed CT: • Computational Methods • Computing Machines • Computing Education • Software Engineering • Computational Science • Design Along the way, they debunk inflated claims for CT and computation while making clear the power of CT in all its complexity and multiplicity.

"With the rapid emergence and adoption of new computational design technologies in the design field, it is important to critically understand how designers response to those new environments. This book systematically explores the impact of emerging computational design environments on design and designers. It offers an unique opportunity to look into design thinking in the current digital age"--

Codify: Parametric and Computational Design in Landscape Architecture provides a series of essays that explore what it means to use, modify and create computational tools in a contemporary design environment. Landscape architecture has a long history of innovation in the areas of computation and media, particularly in how the discipline represents, analyses, and constructs complex systems. This curated volume spans academic and professional projects to form a snapshot of digital practices that aim to show how computation is a tool that goes beyond methods of representation and media. The book is organized in four sections; syntax, perception, employ, and prospective. The essays are written by leading academics and professionals and the sections examine the role of computational tools in landscape architecture through case studies, historical accounts, theoretical arguments, and nascent propositions.

Computational design is an emergent discipline that operates at the intersection of computer science, engineering, and design knowledge to develop new strategies, tools, methods and workflows in and for the conceptualisation and construction of the built environment. While computational design thinking and methods are widely argued to be troubling and transforming long-standing ways of working in the architecture, engineering and construction industries, the shift from promise to practice remains a challenge.This book documents the unique nexus of research and practice collaborations that form the basis of the Computational Design Education and Research programme at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. The diversity of projects and positions outlined in this publication contributes to advancing computational design as an interdisciplinary pursuit that is capable of innovatively addressing real-world built environment problems and opportunities through collaborative human-machine thought and action.

Empower tomorrow’s tech innovators Our students are avid users and consumers of technology. Isn’t it time that they see themselves as the next technological innovators, too? Computational Thinking and Coding for Every Student is the beginner’s guide for K-12 educators who want to learn to integrate the basics of computer science into their curriculum. Readers will find Practical strategies for teaching computational thinking and the beginning steps to introduce coding at any grade level, across disciplines, and during out-of-school time Instruction-ready lessons and activities for every grade Specific guidance for designing a learning pathway for elementary, middle, or high school students Justification for making coding and computer science accessible to all A glossary with definitions of key computer science terms, a discussion guide with tips for making the most of the book, and companion website with videos, activities, and other resources Momentum for computer science education is growing as educators and parents realize how fundamental computing has become for the jobs of the future. This book is for educators who see all of their students as creative thinkers and active contributors to tomorrow’s innovations. "Kiki Prottsman and Jane Krauss have been at the forefront of the rising popularity of computer science and are experts in the issues that the field faces, such as equity and diversity. In this book, they’ve condensed years of research and practitioner experience into an easy to read narrative about what computer science is, why it is important, and how to teach it to a variety of audiences. Their ideas aren’t just good, they are research-based and have been in practice in thousands of classrooms...So to the hundreds and thousands of teachers who are considering, learning, or actively teaching computer science—this book is well worth your time." Pat Yongpradit Chief Academic Officer, Code.org