Databases in Design

The growing embodiment of architectural design in digital media requires the proper choice of data structure, formats, and protocols (system architecture) to insure that the designer\’s creativity is freed up and not hampered.This seminar focuses on recent research and design practices in database systems to foster an understanding of state of the art modeling techniques, as well as recent advances in the abstract representation of architectural designs. The latter are closely related to the formulation of formal conceptualizations or ontologies for design. Topics include the nature of architecture and systems architecture; relational and object-oriented data models; current CAAD systems assumptions and limitations; design abstraction process; and design data models. Internet (web) technology is used extensively to provide a discussion forum for the class; an implementation medium for class projects; a repository for the class notes; and a means to access similar courses, research notes, and projects from worldwide sources. Students are required to develop and experiment with innovative design models.