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Overview
- Generative design compares options within the variables and constraints you define.
- It does not automatically include every code, operating condition or buildability requirement.
- Use it to inform engineering choices, then check the selected option through the normal design process.
Generative design uses algorithms to compare design options against defined goals and constraints. Engineers set the variables, review the trade-offs and choose which options to develop. It is most useful while the layout or design approach can still change.
What generative design actually is
You define the goals (minimise cost, maximise usable area, hit a structural or energy target), the constraints (site, code, clearances), and the variables (grid, orientation, member sizes, routing). The system then generates and evaluates many candidate designs, presenting the trade-offs so an engineer can choose intelligently. It’s optimisation with the human setting the terms and making the call.
Where it applies in engineering
- Facility layouts: compare defined equipment arrangements, travel distances and access zones.
- Structural options: compare schemes using an agreed analysis method and design basis.
- MEP routing: test routes against the geometry and clearances represented in the study.
- Massing: compare area or daylight objectives while recording constraints that need separate review.
Better decisions, earlier
Generative workflows can help a team compare alternatives earlier when objectives and constraints are computable. Any cost, performance, or programme effect must be calculated for the selected project scenario.
Technical references
Sources for the definitions and design context discussed here. Check the applicable edition and project requirements before using them in design.
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