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The Real Origins of Computational Design in Architecture

šŸ“° Neil Katz FAIA traces computational design in architecture from geometry and early programming to BIM and AI, revealing how mindset shifts matter more than tools. This newsletter edition is a rare breakdown of his first-hand account of how design automation actually evolved inside practice.

The Real Origins of Computational Design in Architecture
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This newsletter provide key insights for forward-thinking leaders seeking innovation in AEC who are short on time, offering the context of each conversation without the need to listen to the full episode. Itā€™s designed to keep you updated, spark your interest, and encourage you to tune in if the ideas resonate.

What if the most important AEC tech innovation of the past 40 years wasn't software at all, but how we adapted our thinking?

Summary

Neil Katz, one of computational design's original pioneers, joined me in my latest Campfire Series episode to trace the evolution from early geometry and mainframe programming to today's AI conversations. While there have been lots of tools along the way, this isn't a tools story. It's about mindset shifts that quietly reshaped practice decades before ā€œparametricā€ became an industry term.

Catch the full episode

Key Takeaways

Here are my top takeaways from the podcast episode. Then we'll get into the deeper analysis.

  • Computational thinking preceded computational tools: The mindset of rule-based, geometry-driven design existed long before CAD, rooted in morphology, minimal surfaces, and systematic exploration of form through behavior rather than aesthetics alone.
  • Behavior-driven design matters more than form-making: Early computational work at SOM focused on how buildings performā€”solar geometry, structural logic, material behaviorā€”not just how they look, a distinction that remains critical as AI enters practice.

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