From Model Thinking to Process Design
The introduction of computational design processes and particularly of computer-aided fabrication methods recast roles across the design team. As Jan Knippers, founding partner of Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering and Head of the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart explains, it offers structural engineers a unique opportunity: the potential to break through the barriers of conventional model thinking (thinking in discrete typologies) and to embrace process design and new forms of interaction.