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Software created for architecture often presumes a certain repertoire of design intents; software appropriated from other fields does not make such presumptions but introduces translation difficulties into material logics. Aaron Sprecher, Chandler Ahrens and Eran Neuman describe how their collaborative design group, Open Source Architecture (O-S-A), has worked with structural engineers and software developers to create a computational protocol based on a stochastic evolutionary topological optimisation algorithm. This procedure allows architectural designers to work with complex geometries previously limited to the expertise of engineering. In addition to taking the form of a distributed network spanning New York, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv, O-S-A opens the possibility for various disciplines (computer science, structural engineering, architectural design) to work with a fluidity and commonality not previously possible. Like the work of RSG (also featured in this issue), here design begins with the construction of a software environment in which a project can occur, and which merges previously distinct areas of expertise.
