Detail Practice: Digital Processes

These days, a computer is as much a part of every household s standard equipment as a refrigerator, and yet the explosion of computer technology in the last several decades has transformed the daily life of every member of society far more than even utopians would ever have allowed themselves to dream. No wonder, then, that from design to production, architecture too is becoming more and more subject to digital influences. The range of those influences stretches from the classical computer programs used in design and presentation to media-supported design processes all the way to computerized production techniques, to say nothing of industrialized bricklayer robots. From measurement to planning and production, archi-tecture is the product of a closely coordinated digital pro-cess chain. What influence do digital design and production methods have on contemporary architecture? How are these new methods changing architecture and the way it is created? Where does the potential of digital media for architecture lie? What are the areas in which every individual firm can begin to use them? What are the advantages of working electronically? How and at what cost can these methods be integrated into the day-to-day work of the professional architect? This publication offers answers to these and many other questions on all aspects of the digital design and construction process.