Digital Tools and High Performance Architecture

This paper briefly recounts how computational design has surfaced in the architectural discourse during the recent decades, developing into what is now called parametric design. In this context, the authors argue against Parametricism, an avante garde movement which is limited to the issues of style and aesthetic fitness, whilst an approach that uses parametric modelling, simulation and visualization in an iterative way to generate design solutions for complexities of contemporary design problems is favoured. Following a discussion supported by representative examples from current practice, a possible organizational structure more appropriate to take advantage of digital tools to increase design performance is suggested