eCAADe 27 113 - Session 03: New Design Concepts and Strategies 1 On Computational Design and Critical Thinking in Architecture Thorsten Michael Loemker 1 , Katharina Richter 2 1 Technical University of Dresden, Germany, 2 Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany http://www.arch.tu-dresden.de/cala/ 1 thorsten.loemker@tu-dresden.de, 2 katharina.richter@uni-weimar.de Abstract: The paper examines the potential of existing traditional approaches in knowledge engineering against the background of current trends in the use of information technology in architectural design. The focus of this debate will be put on the commonalities of these approaches. The key concept they share is learning from the past, be it humans or be it machines. The vision they arise from is thereby as old as mankind. It is the wish to augment human thinking by artifcial devices. The aim of the paper is to remove the scales from the eyes of those who neglect the past, be it in the architectural design process or in the use of Information Technology in architecture. The paper understands itself as a position paper and was moreover inspired by the announcement of the conference theme. Keywords: Architecture; computational design; parametric modeling; experience-based design, rule-based design. a fairly good understanding of this question as well as of related topics, such as the nature of the design process. They delivered fndings, which are widely agreed on. What seems to be not much challenged nowadays is not so much the question on how but rather on what an architectural design problem is! This statement also becomes apparent when we spot the terms computational design or digital ar- chitecture - which seems to be talk of the town these days - used in conjunction with their ostensible ca- pability to understand and to solve design problems. This fact urges the question on what compu- tational means are currently used for and what (maybe) in contrast are the real world problems of architectural design. The approach to gain answers Introduction: On architectural design problems Not only since prime of the Design Methodology Movement back in the 1950s and 60s but way be- fore architectural professionals as well as research- ers of various disciplines tried to give answers to the eternal question on what constitutes the nature of architectural design problems. Scientists and prac- titioners from areas as diferent as architecture, phi- losophy, psychology, cybernetics, cognitive sciences, artifcial intelligence and information technology in general involved themselves in the problem to for- mulate tools aiming at supporting the design proc- ess. Up to now their engagement brought us close to