Generating Circulation Diagrams for Architecture and Urban Design Using Multi-Agent Systems

For decades, cybernetics, systems theorists and researchers in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Life have been looking for methods of building intelligent computer applications that can solve complex problems. By nature, many design problems are complex and solving these requires a certain degree of intelligence. Therefore, it comes as no surprise, that sophisticated computational
applications have become increasingly popular amongst academics and practitioners in various design disciplines. Despite the recent success of generative design methods,
there are many new modelling paradigms from Al and AL research that remain largely unexplored in the context of architectural and urban design. One of such paradigms is
multi-agent modelling. Although thoroughly explored and implemented in a diverse range of subject areas from social sciences to economics, design disciplines have largely refrained from deploying multi-agent systems.
This thesis explores multi-agent systems for conceptual design development - for generating circulation diagrams. Besides studying several known models in the architectural and urban design context, a few novel ones are proposed. Instead of looking at existing urban and architectural theory, the source of inspiration for building circulation models comes from processes found in nature where the movement based on local navigational decisions lead to the emergence of highly complex and adaptable networks. Following the synthetic modelling approach, it is argued that studying and building simple agent based models creates in-depth knowledge about underlying principles of network development processes and allows one to gradually move towards building more sophisticated models. Once the principles of generating circulation systems are well understood, one can use these for creative purposes in
designing circulation in buildings and settlements.
The main aim of this thesis is to develop and expose generative methods for the early stages of the design process. By investigating the ways of building, validating
and controlling generative models, it is demonstrated how these models can be integrated into the design work flow.

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