Computer Aided Design (CAD) is commonplace in countless fields, but architects still hardly benefit from the interaction between humans and machines. PhD candidate Onur Sönmez developed a computer assistant that can lighten the workload of those in the most labour-intensive profession in the construction sector.
Sönmez' assistant designer first checks if draft construction plans are similar to existing designs. In this way, the information embedded in existing buildings can be used as computer assistance for the development of new designs. His methodology incorporates the possibility of evolution - through natural selection, pairing and mutation. He does this by using the Evolutionary Computation (EC) technique. The more similar a draft is to an existing plan, the greater the chance of combining them. "The resulting plans will undergo the same process. This repeated evolutionary process results in plans that are increasingly superior," explains Sönmez. For this purpose, he uses a self-designed Interleaved Evolutionary Algorithm (IEA) as an underlying mechanism. This dynamic, adaptive algorithm continues the selection process until further improvement is no longer possible.
The programme can handle different subtasks. The architectonic design can therefore also be linked to, for example, the building-related part of the design.
The main objective of the research is the creation of artificial design assistants that can independently create partial (draft) designs. An Architectural Stem Cells Framework ensures that all partial designs are integrated into a single design sketch.
Sönmez hopes that his system will make the work of architects easier and improve their competitive strength. He is currently working on an assistant for the creation of partial building façade designs. His automatic design method cannot be used as a design aid for entire buildings yet. In two to three years, however, the research should have progressed far enough to be applicable to large-scale projects.
The Turkish doctoral candidate does not exclude the possibility that designs may be entirely created by artificial intelligence in the distant future. At the moment, however, his main goal is to lighten the workload of architects. "Why are the working weeks of architects often twice as long as those of, for example, civil engineers? Because they do not use computer power effectively. It is high time for our profession to get an intelligent assistant."
Published: April 2015
More information
- PhD thesis 'Evolutionary design assistants for architecture'