Hybrid Concept Formation Through Interaction with a Situated Reasoner
Author(s)
Bermek, Mehmet Sinan
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Abstract
Contemporary building design tools face limitations in offering designers a comprehensive
understanding of the models they create. The inherent structure of these tools do not align with the
ontological principles of the designer, and the user's experience reflects only a simulated snapshot
of the model at any given time. This results in designers grappling with ill-fitting protocols and
the challenge of maintaining semantic integrity in the digital encoding process.
Initially, this research aimed to address these limitations by developing a novel design companion.
This companion, powered by a semantic reasoner—an inference engine capable of deducing rule based, case-based, or hybrid conclusions from formalized information—was envisioned to provide
designers with contextualized insights into their models. Positioned as an integration into existing
building design tools, it would interact with designers in real-time.
However, the research findings indicate that the prevailing technical rational paradigm has not
enhanced design but, instead, has fostered tools for design manufacturing. These tools prioritize
efficiency and productivity over creativity and discovery, falling short in providing designers with
the necessary insights for inventive and contextualized designs. Consequently, the initially
established milieu for the reasoner proved to be overly rigid, reductionist, and tangential to the
essence of design.
As a response, this dissertation critically examines computerized design tools and computer assisted design (CAD) education. A historical overview traces the evolution of design approaches
and perspectives since the inception of CAD systems, aiming to redefine our understanding of
design, professional deontology, and the quest for a design companion. It identifies a profound
ix
clash between the declarative and protocol-based nature of current computerized tools and the tacit
and situated qualities inherent in design.
Despite hesitancy in acknowledging the vulnerabilities of the designerly approach to human
activities, the practice of design has succumbed to an efficiency-driven paradigm. This paradigm
dismisses any social and humane contributions as extraneous, conforming to dominant forms of
symbolic exchanges. It reinforces the spectacular and speculative aspects of design, increasingly
practice has become reliant on commercial tools developed with linear logic to simulate solutions.
Instead of supporting an informed co-evolution of problem and solution dualities by designers with
their tools.
The dissertation advocates for an embrace of more fluid and adaptive paradigms in design tools,
that incorporate fuzziness in both algebras and geometry while embracing ambiguity over
certainty. It acknowledges that design, as practiced, is inherently subjective and context dependent.
The assertion is that this can be well achieved through the use of the pencil and collaboration,
rather than relying on computerized solutions and isolation.
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Date
2023-12-12
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Text
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Dissertation