Prototype Shape Modeling with a Design Language

A programming approach to the rapid prototyping of architectural design is discussed in this paper. This is done with particular reference to the early steps of design development, where a number of preliminary design alternatives should be generated and evaluated. At this purpose we show that the generation of the 3D shape of each design alternative can be automated starting from the 2D layout of plans, sections and elevations. Each such geometric object can be symbolically defined with few lines of code using design variables and constraint operators. The 3D models generated by evaluation of program scripts may then be used as input to standard engineering evaluation methods concerning costs, heat exchanges and structural behaviour.