Presentation at CAADFutures 2015, in Sao Paulo: http://caadfutures2015.fec.unicamp.br/. The paper is available at http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-47386-3_28.

1. Shape Grammars
for Architectural Design:
The Need for Reframing
Pieter Pauwels, Ghent University
Tiemen Strobbe, Ghent University
Sara Eloy, ISCTE - Lisbon University Institute
Ronald De Meyer, Ghent University
1

2. SHAPE GRAMMARS
2

3. SHAPE GRAMMARS
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
3

4. The designer as a reflective practitioner – D. Schön, 1983
the architectural design process
4

5. information /
experience
The designer as a reflective practitioner – D. Schön, 1983
the architectural design process
5

6. information /
experience
The designer as a reflective practitioner – D. Schön, 1983
the architectural design process
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
6

7. information /
experience
The designer as a reflective practitioner – D. Schön, 1983
the architectural design process
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
What if we put the
patterns of this grammar
in a database in a
computer and let that
computer use it? 7

8. ice ray lattice grammar Palladian grammar
Terry Knight grammar
Koch snowflake grammar
shape grammars – geometry/syntax
8

9. shape grammars – meaning/semantics
9
Malagueira house grammar FLW grammar

10. conceptual differences
geometry meaning
• geometric rewrite
rules
• ambiguous
• emergence
• ‘easy’ to implement
• little to no help for an
architectural designer
• semantic (graph)
rewrite rules
IF{‘left’} THEN {…}
IF{‘right’} THEN {…}
IF{‘street side’} THEN {…}
IF{‘ courtyard’} THEN {…}
• unambiguous
• emergence?
• ‘harder’ to implement
• does it help the
architect?
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11. So, how to use implemented
shape grammar interpreters for
architectural design support?
the question for this presentation
11
In a broad sense.
There are many flavours here.

12. the method
- literature study
- What systems have been implemented
- Which uses were targeted by those systems
- analysis of our own implemented shape
grammar interpreter + our experiences in
implementing and using it
==> qualitative evaluation by comparison
12

13. OUR IMPLEMENTATION
13

14. a computer-implemented shape grammar:
design paths in a design space
Finite set of shape rules R
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15. shape rules R
root design state I
design paths
visual
representation
graph
representation
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16. shape rules R
graph rewrite rules:
IF { GRAPH }
THEN { NEW GRAPH }
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17. 17

18. THE NEED FOR REFRAMING
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19. information /
experience
the presence of shape grammars
in the architectural design process
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
19

20. information /
experience
the presence of shape grammars
in the architectural design process
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
20
shape rules R
design state
following a design path

21. 21
traversal through design space
The design space is defined
by the shape rules and the
initial design state

22. information /
experience
at computer run-time
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
22
shape rules R
following a design path
FIXED design state

23. 23
changing design space
=> PROBLEM: THERE IS NO
WAY TO GO BEYOND /
CHANGE THE INITIALLY
DEFINED DESIGN SPACE

24. information /
experience
at architectural designer run-time
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
24
shape rules R
following a design path
design state

25. information /
experience
at architectural designer run-time
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
25
shape rules R
following a design path
design state
REFRAMING
THROUGH
INTERPRETATION
internalised
design state

26. 26
reframing in every single design move

27. CONCLUSION: TWO IMPLEMENTATION
AND USAGE APPROACHES
27

28. information /
experience
option 1: implemented shape grammars to be used
as ANALYTICAL grammars
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
28
shape rules R
following a design path
FIXED design state

29. 29
traversal through design space
The design space is defined
by the shape rules and the
initial design state

30. information /
experience
option 2: implemented shape grammars to be used
as ORIGINAL grammars
build up of design
grammar (known /
trusted patterns)
30
shape rules R
following a design path
FIXED design state

31. 31

32. Thank you
Pieter Pauwels
pipauwel.pauwels@ugent.be
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