Conceptual Building Design—Evolutionary Approach

Issues relating to the application of the genetic algorithm (GA) to conceptual building design are addressed and designer support techniques are introduced. Particular attention is given to methods for representing domain knowledge, necessary for creating a general building design model, and techniques that permit the manipulation of both structural and architectural design aspects so that the power of the GA is effectively exploited to support the role of the designer as a decision maker. An example of a decision support system is presented, and its robustness and power of knowledge discovery are demonstrated by means of a parametric study. The role of human-computer interaction in knowledge discovery is also considered, both in the context of better understanding of the design domain and as a tool to increase user confidence in the outcome. This paper is addressed toward readers involved in conceptual building design who have basic knowledge of genetic algorithms.