During my time at architecture school, I saw an increased emphasis on computational design methods. At first, I was hesitant and wary of the possibilities it can bring. But in hindsight I think it was due to a combination of both my desire to solidify conventional design methods and my own incapability to master the program. At Rice, we used Rhino for 3D modeling and a parametric design plugin called Grasshopper. It is essentially a graphic coding software where you connect “batteries” to each other and end up with a very specific set of instructions for executing a design. Much like coding, it requires the user to pay attention to order of these batteries and requires constant debugging in order for the program to run. At first, I was quite put off by the computational nature of the software and its interface. But over time, I began to appreciate the beauty and power of Grasshopper as it allows the user to create designs that would otherwise take thousands of hours to complete. But what’s even more impressive is its power to organize data and create design systems that are interactive and respond to changes in input. It opened up a world of possibilities for 3D modeling.
I was captivated by this glimpse into the power of computation through my experience with Grasshopper. It has prompted me to seek out other software and technology like it. I think computation is such a powerful tool for design and I find it imperative to understand the basic logic and governing principles underneath. In today’s world, everything is digitalized to some degree, which means we cannot stray away from computation. And as someone who needs to understand how something works in order to utilize it, I now have my target set on coding and hence why I find myself at ICM. I believe the key to improving design is to improve the ways in which we design and the tools that we use. And because much of those tools now lie in the digital world, learning coding and computation almost becomes a must.