Inform Form Perform

Architecture as a profession has always concerned itself with finding beauty in built forms. In the digital age beauty is changing; information controls our lives and true beauty is found in the way we interpret it. Architects have developed and employed parametric design strategies to both interpret this information and increase their production. Though these strategies have improved architectural design, they are not being used to their full extent in the design process. I propose taking the use of computers in aiding architectural design one step further; site information and program data should INFORM the project, driving the creation of a building FORM enabling it to PERFORM at higher levels than traditional design. As architects continue to improve these tools, owners and developers tend to choose an opposing strategy. They often finance cheaply built (and poorly designed) buildings in an effort to reduce the upfront costs of the project. However, in economics, reducing costs is only part of a sound financial decision. The other half of the equation is increasing the revenue generated by the project. By investing in a contextually informed design/decision making process, investors would be able to fund projects that are justified by a higher level of performance and beauty