Supercomputing
Publications
Affordable Computation for Architecture
Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ) - Beirut Arab University
ASCAAD Conference: Hybrid Spaces of the metaverse
Beirut, Lebanon, 2022
António Leitão & Renata Castelo-Branco & Inês Caetano
Abstract: Current architectural requirements prioritize
the need to minimize the ecological footprint. By taking advantage of
computational design approaches like Algorithmic Design (AD), architects
can enhance their design processes with analysis, optimization, and
visualization mechanisms, which are critical to explore design solutions
that meet this need. However, these mechanisms are also highly time- and
resource-consuming, often implying a quality tradeoff or the acquisition
of High-Performance Computing (HPC) machines. The latter are not yet
affordable for most design studios but, fortunately, they can be
contracted as a service. This paper evaluates the impact of computation
as a service in architecture and, more specifically, the remote use of
HPC for AD, with the aim of reducing the time and costs associated with
computationally expensive processes. A set of experiments were made
involving analysis, optimization, and rendering of a selected case
study. Results indicate that HPC services are advantageous, particularly
when performing embarrassingly parallelizable tasks such as rendering.
However, some challenges remain, namely the required expertise.