Computational Tools

摘要

A number of contributors point out that the architect's privileged professional and cultural role is threatened with obsolescence by technological disruptions now underway. We spoke with software developers already programming the next generation of CAD tools, which can query and incorporate external data sets, such as those managed by municipal planning departments. However, even early pioneers in the field were wary of abdicating critical thinking to computers. Software with increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence will doubtlessly continue to automate areas of architects' expertise. There's a growing urgency for architects to embrace these new technological developments, so as to redefine and recapture the value they can create within both built and, increasingly, virtual environments.