The emerging digital style: Attention shift in architectural style recognition

Style'has long been an important index to observe the design thinking of designers in architecture. Gombrich (1968) defined style as a particular selection from the alternatives when doing things, Ackerman (1963) considered that a distiguishable ensemble of certain characteristics we call a style, Schapiro (1961) pointed out that style is constant forms, and sometimes the constant elements, qualities and expression, Kirsch (1998), Cha and Gero (1999) thought of style as a form element and shape pattern. As Simon and others referred to, style emerged from the process of problem solving, Chan (1994, 2001) ever devised a serious of experiments to set up the operational definitions of style, further five factors that relate to generating styles. Owing to that the greater part of sketches and drawings in the design process couldnit be replaced by computer-aided design systems (Eisentraut, 1997), designers must shift between different problem-solving methods while facing different design problems. The purpose in this research is to discuss the influences of computer usage on style generation and style recognition: The employment of certain procedural factors that occurred in the design processes that using conventional media is different from the ones that using computer media? Do personal styles emerge while designers shifting between different media in the design processes? Does any unusual phenomenon emerge while accustomed CAD-systems designers recognizing a style