Swarm intelligence 2010 spring columbia

This seminar will examine the role of agency within generative design processes. The course will engage algorithmic techniques in the development of a computational methodology grounded in swarm intelligence. While discussing the political and social role of agency, the workshop will focus on an abstract design methodology, recasting simple decision making ability into agents capable of self-organizing into an emergent intelligence. Scripting will form the basis for algorithmic models which enable localized interaction of agents to generate emergent topologies in the design of proto-architectural forms, structures and articulation. Unlike the typical application of swarm systems in design, this workshop will not engage simply in the mapping of these complex systems, but instead, we will mine the self-organizing potential of the systems to negotiate between a complex set of desires and parameters in the generation of architecture.

The semester will focus around two areas of research, initially developing simulations of vector based swarm systems and then using these as the basis for developing an architectural design methodology which operates within a topological substrate. This second stage of the research will shift away from any analogous relationship to an existing swarm systems and develop a design process capable of negotiating architectural inputs.

The seminar will intensively engage scripting, using and expanding on a library of agent code which will ensure that students are not slowed by the necessity of writing all the code they require. Instead the focus will be on the application and manipulation of code within the design process. This expansive library has been developed through research at Kokkugia and previous studios and seminars. The library consists of relatively simple functions (such as steering behaviors) which can be recombined in the development of more complex algorithms.

Computational design is shifting away from the reliance on heavy platforms such as Maya’s MEL scripting language into lightweight object oriented programming environments, enabling the massive iteration required for emergent processes. In anticipating this shift, the workshops will focus on the newer lightweight languages such as Processing and Python. As the research shifts into a topological substrate these languages will be transferred into Maya (Python) and RhinoScript to enable agent intelligence to be embedded into geometry.

schedule

week 1
Seminar: Introductory lecture
Instruction: introduction to processing

week 2
Instruction: processing - object oriented + vector libraries + intro to steering behavior, steering behaviors Introduction of project

weekend workshop:Agent libraries and advanced steering behaviors + processing in 3D

week 3
Seminar: The algorithmic emergence of character
Critique: presentation of project progress

week 4
Seminar: The substrate of agent code

week 5
Seminar: Materializing the Swarm
Instruction: Processing Output + RhinoScript
Critique: Desk crits for project 1C

week 6
Final project review

final review order

Luc Deckinga
Biayna Bogosian, Marina Cisneros, Olivera Grk
Miranda Römer
Come Menage, Kurt Franz
Alina Gorokhova
Brian Irene Hayes
Mankei Sam
Jacob Benyi,Ravi Raj,Peter Strauss

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Swarm intelligence 2010 spring columbia

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Contents

workshops

kAgent code

working code

student projects

resources

syllabus

schedule

final review order

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