Week 13: Terminal Velocities: The Computer in the Design Studio

1. Allen stats, "A rendering of a building is deemed successful if it looks sufficiently like a photograph of a building, and animations simulate the conventions of popular film." Is this really the case? Does the render have to directly represent the building or can it represent another aspect of the building?

2. Before advancements in computer technologies, architects had to work in orthographic projections to construct the building then progressed further into more details as the building evolved. With software programs like Revit, when everything is being constructed all at once. As students does that set us up for failure in the sense that we are never thinking of just plan or just section?

3. Digital fabrication methods have allowed up to produce anything we make on the computer. With the continuing development of 3D printing, how will this impact a designers way of thinking? Are more possibilities of design now available due to advancements in technology?

4. Why are developers so focused on making software that produces realism and replicating what already exists instead of creating something new or an alternative reality?

5. Is the thought process of mass production of a building material to save money necessary in today's world with our new fabrication methods?