8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Strategy & Organization
8:10 am Keynote: Outlining the Computation Roadmap from Hiring & Establishing a Team to the Grand Future Vision of Building Design
Synopsis
• From nowhere to today: why we invested in computation, how we built a team and piloted applications
• The immediate ROI: how we maximize the benefits of computation on real projects and justify efforts to clients, executives and project teams
• The vision of the future: what is the role of computation in 2, 5, 10 years from now? And how can we plan ahead for that next step?
9:10 am Panel Discussion: Identifying the Projects & Applications that Most Easily Demonstrate Computation ROI & Gain Additional Buy-In
Synopsis
• Understanding what types of projects benefit from different types of computation: facades, energy efficiency, task automation?
• Identifying the need of clients and prioritizing applications around the metrics they care about and their level of engagement in each stage of the building design process
• Aligning the time and cost implications of doing computation with the benefits to the project: how large does the building need to be to get a sufficient return?
10:00 am Structured Networking & Morning Refreshments
Design Optimization
10:40 am Utilizing Generative Design to Rapidly Compare Multiple Floor Plans for Residential & Commercial Buildings
Synopsis
• Reviewing the tools and technologies used in generative design and their appropriateness for multi-family
• Determining the metrics that indicate success for multi-family: is it all about cost and sale price?
• Improving the speed of generating iterations and reviewing design options to proceed with the project on schedule
11:20 am Integrating Skillsets & Collaboration to Design the Retail Sector of the Future
Synopsis
• How the physical environment informs the digital and vice versa (physical/ digital twin) in the retail sector
• Hearing how a collaborative approach enables the niche skillset of specialist companies to be brought into your design process
• Revealing how computation and collaboration have designed the omnistore/store of the future
12:00 pm Combining Computation with Target Value Design to Optimally Align Cost with Client Specifications
Synopsis
• Exploring the use of generative processes to develop and optimize floor plans
• Hearing how to integrate target value design in the preconstruction process to keep control of costs
• Understanding how cost feedback and client coordination is looped into the design process
12:40 pm Networking Lunch
1:40 pm Estimating the Quantities & Costs of Materials in the Conceptual Design Stage to Integrate into Design Decision Making
Synopsis
• Exploring the latest in automated quantity take-off from designs: what materials and equipment do we need to cost?
• Hearing how engineers and contractors can provide rapid cost feedback to designers: what are the tools available?
• Integrating cost feedback into the design process: how is the client informed, and how can designers reserve creativity?
2:20 pm Audience discussion: Design Optimization
Façade Design
10:40 am Balancing Client Needs & Creativity to Define Success on Façade Design: The Computer as a Partner, Not a Director
Synopsis
• Creating shared expectations across the client and design team on the purpose of the building and the design: what are the metrics to hit?
• Ensuring there is a process for reviewing design iterations: how do you choose the best complex geometry?
• Exploring how natural phenomena and patterns can reduce subjectivity and influence good design
11:20 am Reviewing Tools & Methods for Rapid Energy Modelling & Sustainability Analysis in Conceptual Façade Design
Synopsis
• Determining the tools and method for rapidly estimating energy performance of many design iterations, so analysis can be integrated into tight design schedules
• Factoring in embedded carbon, future building use and other data that will influence the lifecycle sustainability of the building
• Understanding how sustainability can be integrated into design choices and not sacrificed for improved short term cost and time considerations as the design matures
12:00 pm Assessing Constructability of Complex Geometry in Early Design & Determining Your Design Limitations
Synopsis
• Estimating the cost and logistics consequences of custom design elements when you have no historical data to refer to
• Understanding how to provide your computation with variables limited by standardized components to ease constructability reviews
• Exploring when the design benefits justify custom parts and breaking the limitations of traditional suppliers and construction methods: how do you reach shared agreement that it’s worth the cost?
12:40 pm Networking Lunch
1:40 pm Leveraging Automation to Create & Update Digital Fabrication Documents When Using Complex Geometry
Synopsis
• Understanding the end-to-end documentation process from conceptual design to fabrication and installation: what can be automated?
• Appreciating the role of computation in keeping documents updated as the design matures
• Identifying inefficiencies in the current documentation process and what tools or quality assurance checks can overcome them
2:20 pm Audience Discussion: Façade Design & Digital Fabrication
2:50 pm Afternoon Refreshments
Scaling Up & Driving Adoption
3:20 pm Scaling Computational Design for Smaller Firms: People, Data & Workflows
Synopsis
• Discuss the learning processes of computation design tools, how to educate green versus senior staff and the successes and shortcomings of teaching strategies
• Explore use cases at a variety of scales ranging from data management to design iteration and how to integrate it within existing workflows
• Gauge interest in specific tools to further develop and integrate them into general staff workflows. Understand tools for the masses versus specific, purpose-built, instances
4:00 pm Driving Internal Awareness of Computation & Setting Training Expectations to Accelerate Adoption
Synopsis
• Building internal knowledge and understanding of how computation can be applied so architects and engineers want it on their projects
• Budgeting time for training and setting expectations so designers are motivated to learn it for themselves
• Creating training resources that factor in and support the different learning abilities of a diverse range of staff
5:00 pm Panel: Hearing How Women & Minorities Can be Supported in Accelerating Their Use of & Careers in Computational Design
Synopsis
Speakers will outline their career journey, how they have applied computation and their ambitions for the future. At each stage, panellists will touch on challenges they’ve faced, how they overcame them, and what support helped along the way.