Parametric architecture: the second international style

Abstract

Parametric architecture (parametric design) emerged as a concept or theoretical idea in the world of architecture around 2008, in parallel with the development of digital design tools and the rise of the new communication technologies that have spread widely in recent years, supported by the digital revolution. Many research attempts have thus been made to deal with parametric design, with interest focusing both on defining it as a philosophical and theoretical concept in contemporary architecture and as a new architectural style with specific characteristics; it may also be considered an architectural movement, or a set of techniques for the production of form at the design and implementation levels. Many attempts have also been made to define it in order to promote teamwork through collaboration between architects and other engineering specialists during the design process. This paper discusses the possibility of achieving multiple such goals by defining the notion of parametric architecture; the research problem is thus the lack of clarity of the concept or the idea of the style in terms of formal characteristics as a result of over-rapid adoption of the methods and techniques of parametric design. The research aim is to discover and explain this idea more fully, demonstrating its difference from conventional concepts of style, by comparing it with the concept of the international style that emerged based on modern architecture theories, techniques and methods during the first half of the twentieth century. To achieve this, the paper presents a set of global experiences illustrating the use of digital design technologies in different stages of production, highlighting the final characteristics of the products and what they have in common. Schumacher’s dogmas and the taboo principles were thus adopted in an attempt to develop this comparison with the international style that emerged from the theories and implementations of modern architecture, and to investigate the role of modern technologies in producing its forms. The paper ends with a general conclusion that demonstrates the possibility of presenting parametric architecture and its products globally as a second international style, though currently in the stage of formation, as its fundamental principles are based on the idea of renewal and revolutionary rejection of all that has preceded it; thus, the repetition of these attempts results from dealing with the same theoretical principles and standards imposed by the techniques that produced the contemporary architectural form.