Architectural DNA: A genetic exploration of complex structures

The approach demonstrated in this paper uses Evolutionary Computation (EC) to enhance and modify structural form based on biological micro structures.The forms are modified to conform to new boundary conditions associated with architectural structures.The process is based on a Genetic Algorithm (GA) which visually exposes for the designer a range of good performing solutions within the design space. The application of the GA is combined with parametric software, in this case Generative Components (GC). The program described here as ParaGen (Parametric Genetic Algorithm), uses a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to determine the structural performance of the forms.This allows the designer to manipulate and optimize a parametrically defined model based on predefined criteria and parameters.The opportunities and limitations of this design process are explored and evaluated based on an experimental case study using topologies based on radiolarian skeletons.The design procedure described includes user interaction in the exploration of solutions that perform well both for the explicitly defined programmatic criteria (structural) as well as for the implicit criteria provided by the designer (visual aesthetic)