grossju - Project 001 Reading Response

"Keepers of the Geometry", by Yanni A. Loukissas presents assorted depictions of the role of software, specifically CATIA, in the architectural office.  There are a few things within the article that I would particularly like to expand upon.  The first was Loukissas's discussion on different perspectives of practitioners toward the software.  In the example of Morris and Thorndike, the two designers look at and work on the same images on the screen, but are not "seeing the same thing."  Thorndike, more atuned with the workings of the software, views his simulations as rays of light reflecting off of geometry and into a virtual camera.  Morris views the same simulations on his own terms.  He brings his experiences of drawing with pencil on paper into the simulation and sees lines, surfaces, and colors.  The influence of different perspectives has always been desired within the architectural project team.  In a time when working with software is unavoidable, this discussion shows that the same sort of collaboration does not end with the introduction of the computer, but can actually be enhanced.

The other bit I would like to expand upon is the consideration over a design's versatility once it is modeled on the computer.  The belief of architect Rikle Shales, that "once they are represented, people tend to see the designs as frozen, as a done deal," is quite common within the architectural office.  This thinking might have some historical accuracy, but in my opinion, some forms of parametric software have the potential to reverse this opinion.  As attempted in this week's assignment on constraints and modifiable sketches, digital models that have been set-up correctly can be drastically altered by the simple change of one value or variable to another.  Overall, I believe that much of the resistance of the incorporation of software like CATIA into the architectural office is due both a lack of understanding of the software, and an unwillingness to consider the software as a player in the control of the design.