Adoption of generative design in the architecture design process : Revit and Dynamo

Abstract

The architecture design process is a complex matter that involves many actors, and problems can emerge unexpectedly. Finding the most convenient and fast solutions is essential to diminish the risks during the rest of the project and to ensure long-term sustainability. The commissioner of this thesis is Raami Architects, a Tampere-based architecture firm with more than 20 years of workingexperience. Hospitals, daycare, urban planning, and residential and office buildings are among their projects. The company wished to venture into Generative Design (GD), having as tools Revit and Dynamo.

The thesis aims to determine the benefits and challenges of adopting GD as an aiding tool to complement the current traditional design process. The objectives followed to achieve the goals are: To contemplate the benefits and challenges of using GD, to recognize the most common problems that emerge during the architectural design process, to analyze the impact of GD on the current design process of Raami, to identify the type of projects and tasks that benefit from GD, to determine the resources necessary for the adoption of GD, and to study and experiment with Revit and Dynamo GD tools.

The theoretical background of the thesis consists of literature on the architectural design process and GD for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Qualitative surveys, one-on-one interviews, and the learning experience of the author were used as material for the research.

Based on the research, it was concluded that the adoption of GD as a tool in the design process at Raami may be beneficial. It was also concluded that GD shouldbe used mainly in the early stage of complex projects and to solve problems that can be formulated mathematically. Identifying the type of problems GD can solve and knowing the possibilities, limitations, and when to use GD tools is essential to control the expectations of the designer. The research limitations were time-based. It would have been positive to analyze the experiences of other companies that have already adopted GD. It would have also been interesting to experiment with real architecture projects, but it was impossible due to the thesis schedule and the limitations on handling the tools.