CAD - The Creative Side - An Educational Experiment Aiming at Changing Students’ Attitude in the Use of Computer-Aided Design

Sep 8, 2026

The paper presents an innovative CAD-focused design education system tested in two Brazilian architecture schools with contrasting approaches to computer-aided design. The experimental courses pursue two goals: using logical design operations such as symmetry, recursion, and parameterization, and applying them via CAD as an explorative, customizable, and programmable design aid. Outcomes include multiple compositions, design projects, and programs, while assessment questionnaires indicate a measurable shift in students’ attitude toward CAD in architecture.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

CAD’s lost creative purpose

Educational system and theoretical foundations

Core computational topics and exercises

Context

Participating schools and curriculum differences

Software and student backgrounds

Course format

CAD – THE CREATIVE SIDE AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIMENT THAT AIMS AT CHANGING STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE IN THE USE OF COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN Maria Gabriela Caffarena Celani School of Architecture & Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA UNIVAP – Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, SP, Brazil Funded by CNPq, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technologic Development [celani@mit.edu](celani@mit.edu) Abstract The present paper describes an innovative design education system tried out at two different architecture schools in Brazil, with opposite approaches to the use of CAD. The experimental courses had two main goals: (1) to explore the use of logical operations in design, such as symmetry, recursion, parameterization, and combinatorial analysis, and (2) to apply these techniques with the use of the computers, using CAD not only as a representational tool, but rather as an explorative, customizable and programmable design aide for the creative process. The experiments resulted in a number of interesting compositions, design projects and programs, and assessment questionnaires revealed a real change in students’ attitude towards the use of CAD in architecture. Resumen El presente trabajo describe un sistema innovador de enseñanza de diseño que se experimentó en dos distintas escuelas de arquitectura en Brasil, cada una de ellas con enfoques opuestos en lo que se refiere al uso del CAD. Los cursos experimentales tuvieron dos objetivos principales: (1) explorar el uso de operaciones lógicas en diseño, como la simetría, la recursión, la parametrización y el análisis combinatorio, y (2) la aplicación de estas técnicas a través del uso del ordenador, utilizando el CAD no apenas como una herramienta de representación, sino como un auxiliar adaptable y programable para el diseño creativo. Los dos experimentos resultaron en un gran número de interesantes composiciones, diseños y programas, y los cuestionarios aplicados revelaron que hubo un verdadero cambio en la actitud de los estudiantes con respecto al uso del CAD en arquitectura. Introduction In the last forty years of CAD development, the original purposes of Computer Aided Design have almost been lost. Nowadays its use in architecture is practically restricted to drafting and representation, with little emphasis on the design process. Mitchell (1990) identifies an inflection point in CAD history with its popularization in the 80’s, targeting the emergent PC market, and suggests that at after that point “the wider possibilities were largely ignored”(p. 483) . In fact, with the standardization of CAD packages, they wereturned into drafting versions of word-processing software. As a consequence we end up using an extremely powerful machine below its capacities, and keep doing repetitive tasks while we could make better use of our time. Most of all, we waste the possibilities of finding new shapes with the help of complex computations, which are impossible to envision when working by hand. The present paper describes two experimental instances of an innovative CAD education system developed as a Ph. D. thesis for the Design & Computation program at MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning. The system’s approach is similar to Mitchell, Ligget and Kvan’s in The art of computer graphics programming (1987) and is inspired by Stiny’s theory of shape grammars (1975) . It is based on six topics from computational design, put into practice through a series of exercises that include using a CAD’s stan- dard commands and programming to create new design environments. The six topics-symmetry, recursion, parametric shapes, shape generation, algorithmization of design processes and emergent shapes-consist of overlapping, inter-related concepts that reinforce the understanding of the computational aspects of design. For example, symmetry can be generated through the recursive application of a design rule, while the generation of design alternatives can be obt

FAQs

What were the two main goals of the experimental CAD education courses?

The courses aimed to explore logical operations in design (such as symmetry, recursion, and parameterization) and to apply these techniques through computers using CAD as an explorative, customizable, and programmable design aide.

How did the paper characterize the problem with CAD use in architecture before the experiment?

It argues that CAD development’s original purposes were largely lost, with current practice often restricted to drafting and representation rather than supporting the design process.

What evidence did the experiments provide about students’ attitudes toward CAD?

Assessment questionnaires, along with the produced compositions, design projects, and programs, showed a real change in students’ attitude toward using CAD in architecture.

Sep 8, 2026

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