Questioning the meaning of computational architectural design and examining the effect of computational design methods on the interior architectural design process

Computational architectural design is a constantly evolving and updating subject. In this regard, the concepts related to the topic are constantly being questioned. In order to prevent any confusion that may arise from this development and change, this study aims to approach the concepts with a current and comprehensive perspective. By examining our cognitive awareness based on the computational activities we put forward during computational design, the meaning of computational architectural design is questioned through this consciousness. The characteristics that make computational architectural design approaches and methods computational have been identified, and these approaches have been classified to analyze their relationships with other approaches. The effects of computational design approaches on interior architectural design practice have been evaluated with examples, and the differences between computational design processes and traditional design processes have been examined. In the study, it was found that computational architectural design is in a position where computational thinking and computational doing intersect. Computational architectural design has been classified as nature-inspired, data-driven, parametric, algorithmic, generative, optimization-based, and performance-based. It has been seen that computational models and methods intersect with each other in many ways and feed on each other. Although computational approaches influence each other, they are differentiated from each other in terms of the ideas they focus on and the methods used in design. In this sense, it has been concluded that it is more appropriate to define methods and models based on how they can achieve rather than what they provide. It has been observed that computational architectural design methods can be used in different interior design applications. However, research on computational design interpreted from the perspective of interior design discipline is relatively less and insufficient. In this sense, it can be thought that studies in this field can bring different perspectives to the subject.