algorithmic architecture

Problem Statement:

 L-systems are among the algorithms for calculating the self-organizedprocess of “environmentally sensitive growth” of plants. They are one of the five main generativemethods that, given the structure and main field of application, promise great potential inarchitecture. But at the same time, examples of their application in architecture are few and havenot yet been sufficiently developed. Therefore, their development requires a comprehensive study.So, in this study, while identifying the possible potentials in architecture, the background of theirapplications in architecture as well as in other fields are reviewed. Then, these applications aredivided and compared, and accordingly, some suggestions for development are presented.

The purpose of this research is to comprehensively investigate L-systemsand identify their applications and potentials in architecture.

This article is descriptive-analytical, and the data collection method isdocumentary-based. The documents used in this article include a variety of articles, books,dissertations, and architectural competitions, all or part of which is related to research onarchitectural applications and other related applications of L-systems that have been publishedsince 2000.

Exploring the algorithm in the field of botany, the five main concepts of L systems are:development, abstraction, self-similarity, complexity in simplicity, and topology; Among these,the concept of development is more popular in architecture, while other concepts have receivedless attention. In this regard, reviewing their applications in other fields and their methodologieswill be inspiring. In this article, research trends in the architectural applications of the L-system areidentified and the reasons for its decline in recent years, as well as suggestions for development,are presented. Other analyses are also presented, including the scientific validity of the documentsused, the types of applications, the methodology of the L-system, and the design stage.

Nowadays, the importance of the design process has reached a point where many experts say that the importance of the design process is equal to the design product. Design is often considered subjective and inspired, and observing the process that architects go through to achieve the ossification of a design always remains in a state of ambiguity. In this way, answers to questions such as Where do the designs come from? Or how can the design process emerge through an objective approach? It is simply not possible, and even diagrams and ideograms, despite expressing some ideas, are incomplete in their full realization. The possibility of visual reading of hidden ideas in the mind is one of the most important issues facing architects and the shapes grammar as a kind of law-based systems based on geometric changes, causes the analysis and production of multiple answers by extracting visual rules and developing them in different stages. The present study, with the help of data collected from library studies and comparing this data with the process used to produce the design, tries to introduce the shapes grammar as a type of rule-based design processes, which have the ability to generate various answers. Suggest analytical methods in shapes grammar to understand the design path and observe the process of project formation. In order to better answer this question, first the fields of introduction of grammatical attitudes into the academic and the architectural profession are discussed, then the process and steps of using shapes grammar are mentioned along with examples of analysis of architectural works. Finally, among the three approaches, analytical, design and combination, the analytical approach to the shapes grammar will be introduced as a rule-based process in architectural design and a method for visual representation and objective emergence of design formation process. Also, if the design approach to the shapes grammar is combined with analysis and the rules extracted from a particular place or style are changed, and then the foundation of a new style is laid, a combinatorial approach is formed. We will be able to produce a new grammar by relying on the existing grammar and changing its rules. This attitude can also be effective in developing existing designs.