Vol. 14 No. 1 (2017): Volume: 14 - Issue: 1
Articles

An Investigation On The Attitudes Towards Adopting The Design By Coding Paradigm

Bülent Onur Turan
Department of Informatics, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, Turkey
Kemal Şahin
Department of Informatics, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, Turkey
Ümit Işıkdağ
Department of Informatics, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, Turkey

Published 2017-04-17

Keywords

  • Design,
  • Coding,
  • Parametric Modelling,
  • Architecture,
  • Attitude

How to Cite

Onur Turan, B., Şahin, K., & Işıkdağ, Ümit. (2017). An Investigation On The Attitudes Towards Adopting The Design By Coding Paradigm. A|Z ITU JOURNAL OF THE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, 14(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.5505/itujfa.2017.18209

Abstract

The recent developments in the digital technologies have led to an increase in the parametric modelling efforts and the use of parametric patterns in design. In order to manage this new paradigm where the design is becoming more digital, the designer needs to utilize his/her analytical abilities in an effective manner as this is the only way for precise representation of concepts in the actual design itself. The parametric design is a holistic process. A key element of this is the development of design through coding. In this context, the aim of the study was understanding the attitudes of architects and architecture students towards adoption of analytical/algorithmic methods and specifically the object oriented paradigm and design-by-coding. In the first stage a randomly selected group of volunteers were provided training in object oriented programming concepts and design-by-coding over 15 weeks (and a total of 45 hours). Later in this study two data collection tools were utilised to understand the attitudes of the participants towards design-by-coding. The first tool used was an attitude scale, while the second tool used was a web based questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the participants did not show a significant positive attitude towards design by coding. This result might have been caused by the difficulties faced during the study, as the participants were experiencing a design-by-coding exercise as the first time. In fact, it is also observed that algorithmic thinking and parametric design abilities of the designers can be enhanced by training on design-by-coding concepts.