Algorithmic design

Algorithmic design produces a form or a plan through a sequence of rules, an algorithm, rather than drawing it directly. The designer shapes the process that will produce the result instead of the result itself. That process might be written as a script or built from boxes and wires in a visual programming tool such as Grasshopper or Dynamo.

How it differs from parametric design

The two terms get mixed up, and they really do overlap. Parametric design centers on relationships between variables: when this value changes, that one follows. Algorithmic design also brings in repetition, loops, conditions and selection. An algorithm can generate thousands of plan options and keep the best ones by daylight or view. Patterns that mimic growth in nature, or that repeat themselves at different scales, are produced the same way.

Where you meet it in practice

Perforation patterns on a facade, complex roof structures, the distribution of trees across a landscape, parking layouts and density studies for a masterplan can all be worked out quickly this way. It helps visualization as well: hundreds of elements generated by the same rules arrive in the render scene consistently. We explore how algorithmic design meets AI in our article on AI in architectural design. The final call still belongs to the designer; the algorithm proposes, the architect chooses.