Abstraction versus Case Based: A Comparative Study of Two Approaches to Support Parametric Design

Abstract

We describe an experimental study testing the reuse of design knowledge as a method to support learning and use of parametric design in architecture. The use of parametric design systems and programming environments offer architects new opportunities, providing a powerful means to create geometries and allowing dynamic design exploration, but it can also impose substantial challenges. The proposition tested in this study is that the reuse of design knowledge can improve architects' ability to use parametric modelling, and reduce the barriers to using programming in a design context. The paper explores and compares two approaches as a means of accessing and reusing existing design solutions: the reuse of abstract parametric ‘Design Patterns' [1]; and secondly the reuse of parametric solutions from specific design cases (Case-Based Design). This paper outlines the principles and methods of ‘abstract' versus ‘case-based’ approaches to reuse parametric solutions; and focuses on the results of their practical implementation through the statistical analysis of a comparative study involving 126 designers. In conclusion, it is proposed the outcomes from this study can be applied to inform the methodology for introducing parametric design in architecture and design disciplines.