From Model Thinking to Process Design

The introduction of computational design processes and particularly of computer-aided fabrication methods recast roles across the design team. As Jan Knippers , founding partner of Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering and Head of the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart explains, it offers structural engineers a unique opportunity: the potential to break through the barriers of conventional model thinking (thinking in discrete typologies) and to embrace process design and new forms of interaction.