"Operation of parametric modelling" and/or "operation of architectural conception"? Expressing relationships in parametric modelling

This research paper presents a specific understanding of the relations between parametric modelling activities and architectural conception activities. Our main question is: Can we make a distinction between cognitive operations of parametric modelling and cognitive operations of architectural conception? To shed light on this question, this paper is leaning on analyses of some uses of the parametric modeler Digital Project. The cases studies are students’ projects from two Architecture Studios: the Cross Over Studio of the Universität die Angewandte in Vienna; and the Studio P9 Digital Knowledge of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris Malaquais in Paris. Our main result is the observation of a distinction between cognitive operations of parametric modelling and cognitive operations of architectural conception. The distinction of these two kinds of operations leads at questioning the relation between them. We have questioned these relations in terms of induction from one to another. But some interesting merging of these two kinds of operations appeared also.