Architecture and Computers: Action and Reaction in the Digital Design Revolution - Hardcover

James Steele

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823003248 ISBN 13: 9780823003242

Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2002

Synopsis

Computers have revolutionized architecture, raising deep philosophical issues that are forcing a paradigm shift in the profession. Initially seen as a positive breakthrough that would make previously inconceivable projects possible, computer-aided design programs are increasingly being viewed as a mixed blessing that must be carefully accommodated in order for architects to retain creative identity.
An introduction explores the theory behind cyberspace and traces the effects that the worship of technology has had on society. This is followed by five chapters exploring different aspects of the computer in architecture. Themes discussed include the computer as a design tool; Frank Gehry's pioneering use of the CATIA program, first developed to design fighter planes: the results of letting the computer lead the design process; the backlash led by Eric Owen Moss and Moore, Ruble, Yudell; and the place of the computer in architectural education, with examples of student projects from the University of Southern California School of Architecture. The book features prominent projects by Gehry, Morphosis, Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, Foster and Partners, Hamzah and Yeang, Coop Himmelb(l)au, NBBJ and others.

About this title

About the Author

James Steele is Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles.

Reviews

ARCHITECTURE As computer-assisted design (CAD) software replaces the drafting table in today's architectural firms, it begets yet another debate in the cultural critique of the role technology plays in shaping our world. Steele (Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles) contends that as aging pen-and-pencil architects are succeeded by their younger computer-savvy counterparts, the very nature of the design process is, for good or ill, undergoing a transformation. The introduction, though somewhat unfocused, persuasively situates CAD in the broader contexts of city planning, sociology, philosophy, and advanced physics. Following chapters outline the evolution of the computer from humble beginnings as a tool facilitating routine tasks into preeminence as an indispensable guide for inventing startlingly new, unanticipated forms. Finally, the author muses on the unsettling implications all this has for architecture students and instructors. Vividly illustrating his thesis is an eyeopening selection of buildings and projects, heavy on examples from Los Angeles. In the field of architecture, Steele is among the few who caution against the uncritical embrace of technology for its own sake. A timely purchase for professional and academic collections. David Solt sz, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823003248
• ISBN 13: 9780823003242
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240