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Architectural Science Review

Architectural Science Review 52 (2009) 135–141

Testing the Relevance of Parameterization to Architectural Epistemology

Mike Christenson

Advances in building information modeling (BIM) deeply impact the production of new architecture; its benefits are obvious and its acceptance widespread. But how does BIM impact the study of existing architecture? Can BIM be assumed to operate as a neutral framework, equally applicable to the study of architecture anywhere? Using as a point of departure a recent outline of the conceptual structure of parametric modeling prepared by Sacks, Eastman, and Lee (2004), this paper compares parametric models of two existing works of architecture: Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall and Peter Zumthor’s St. Benedict Chapel. The processes of parametrically modeling each building are specifically compared in two ways: first, parameters are established for each model; second, each model is “flexed” as a means of disclosing possible semantic relationships within each work of architecture. Because each building demands a different parameter-establishment strategy, and because the models permit different degrees of flexibility, the comparison illustrates the shortcomings of a “neutral framework” assumption to an architectural epistemology.

Keywords: Existing architecture; Parametric modeling; Representation

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