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We gain a lot… but what are we losing?: A critical exploration of the implications of digital design technologies on sustainable architecture

Title:

We gain a lot… but what are we losing?: A critical exploration of the implications of digital design technologies on sustainable architecture

Soulikias, A., Cucuzzella, Carmela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4677-8518, Nizar, Firdous ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4297-671X, Hazbei, M. and Goubran, Sherif ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2365-0351 (2021) We gain a lot… but what are we losing?: A critical exploration of the implications of digital design technologies on sustainable architecture. 9th International Conference of the Arab Society for Computer Aided Architectural Design .

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Abstract

In the field of architecture, new technologies are enabling us to promptly simulate, quantify, and compare multitudes of design alternatives and consider an ever more expanding list of environmental and economic parameters within the early design phases of projects. However, architecture today veers further towards non-neutral technologies, changing our culture, introducing new values, and (re)shaping our social ideals. The change of media, from the manual to the digital, has deeply transformed architecture and city design. There is undoubtedly progress, but what are we losing in this automation, virtualization and over-digitalization? Are architects—creators of space, human experience, and cultural capital—starting to occupy the role of technicians? Sustainable architecture is a field that is already experiencing tensions between the quantitative and the qualitative, the optimum and the ethical, and the parametric and haptic methods. Yet the rapidly evolving CAAD technologies overlook many of the non-quantifiable values of these binaries. Gains in speed and efficiency in the design process with the help of parametric design may be challenging the designer’s reflection-in-action process required for critical architecture while ethical, cultural, and human dimensions can hardly be modelled algorithmically. Similarly, computational thinking and digitalization in architectural education, have yet to come to terms ‫‪with‬‬ ‫‪the‬‬ ‫‪loss‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪analogue‬‬ ‫‪ways‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪learning‬‬ ‫‪that‬‬ ‫‪favour‬‬ ‫‪a‬‬ ‫‪more‬‬ ‫‪diverse‬‬ ‫‪and‬‬ ‫‪inclusive‬‬ ‫‪classroom‬‬ ‫‪environment.‬‬ ‫‪Instead‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪keeping‬‬ ‫‪the‬‬ ‫‪analogue‬‬ ‫‪and‬‬ ‫‪the‬‬ ‫‪haptic‬‬ ‫‪practices‬‬ ‫‪away‬‬ ‫‪from‬‬ ‫‪the‬‬ ‫‪immaculate‬‬ ‫‪realm‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪CAAD,‬‬ ‫‪this‬‬ ‫‪paper‬‬ ‫‪argues‬‬ ‫‪for‬‬ ‫‪hybrid‬‬ ‫‪technologies‬‬ ‫‪that‬‬ ‫‪recognize‬‬ ‫‪these‬‬ ‫‪practices‬‬ ‫‪and‬‬ ‫‪their‬‬ ‫‪value‬‬ ‫‪in‬‬ ‫‪sustainable‬‬ ‫‪design‬‬ ‫‪and‬‬ ‫‪incorporate‬‬ ‫‪them.‬‬ ‫‪Film‬‬ ‫‪animation,‬‬ ‫‪as‬‬ ‫‪a‬‬ ‫‪branch‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪architecture’s‬‬ ‫‪most‬‬ ‫‪expressive‬‬ ‫‪means,‬‬ ‫‪film,‬‬ ‫‪can‬‬ ‫‪serve‬‬ ‫‪as‬‬ ‫‪a‬‬ ‫‪paradigm‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪a‬‬ ‫‪feasible‬‬ ‫‪disruptive‬‬ ‫‪technology,‬‬ ‫‪but‬‬ ‫‪most‬‬ ‫‪importantly,‬‬ ‫‪as‬‬ ‫‪an‬‬ ‫‪indicator‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪the‬‬ ‫‪hybridity‬‬ ‫‪between‬‬ ‫‪the‬‬ ‫‪handmade‬‬ ‫‪and‬‬ ‫‪the‬‬ ‫‪digital‬‬ ‫‪and‬‬ ‫‪its‬‬ ‫‪effectiveness‬‬ ‫‪in‬‬ ‫‪expressing‬‬ ‫‪vital‬‬ ‫‪elements‬‬ ‫‪of‬‬ ‫‪sustainability‬‬ ‫‪that‬‬ ‫‪are‬‬ ‫‪otherwise‬‬ ‫‪dismissed.‬‬

Divisions:Concordia University > School of Graduate Studies > Individualized Program
Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Authors:Soulikias, A. and Cucuzzella, Carmela and Nizar, Firdous and Hazbei, M. and Goubran, Sherif
Journal or Publication:9th International Conference of the Arab Society for Computer Aided Architectural Design
Date:2021
ID Code:988041
Deposited By: SHERIF NADER AL GOUBRAN
Deposited On:19 Mar 2021 20:17
Last Modified:19 Mar 2021 20:17

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