A Growth Model for Form Generation Using a Hierarchical Evolutionary Approach

: This paper presents an evolutionary approach to design using a hierarchical decomposition/aggregation growth model. It argues that the evolutionary approach fits well to the well-known generate-and-test approach in design and is especially suited to design situations where the (inter)relationships between complex arrangements of elements and their behavior are not known. The evolutionary approach is used as the computational method for the synthesis and evaluation stage of the design process. A hierarchical model of design is used to avoid the combinatorial problems involved in linear models. The concepts are exemplified in the context of the design of house plans.