Practical geometry: How we use parametric design every day
Stephen Kwok, BIM Expert at Permasteelisa Gartner Retail, unpacks the concept of parametric design and explains how it adds value for our clients as a façade contractor.
Parametric design is a method of defining geometry using rules and parameters rather than manual drafting.
Architecturally speaking, parametric design is often celebrated for enabling difficult geometries and fluid, non-linear architecture. For Permasteelisa Gartner Retail, parametric design can be viewed through a more grounded lens: as a practical, data-driven tool to bridge an architect’s vision with the everyday realities of manufacturing and construction.
For us, it is not only about working with complex forms, but also about making our clients’ designs buildable, predictable, and efficient.
Infinite opportunities for problem solving
While architects mostly focus on macro-elements such as form, climate, patterns and modulations, our job as a façade specialist is to respect the architect’s design intent whilst introducing our expertise in material science and building physics. We often “parametricise” the design intent from the initial wireframe to the final fabrication model, factoring execution variables into the digital workflow.
Variables include those related to design requirements, structural calculation, efficient fabrication and construction feasibility.
By embedding these practical constraints into our process, we improve efficiencies in the iterative design process, prevent human error, and proactively solve challenges throughout the project lifecycle.
Real-world examples
In a recent complex geometry project for a luxury retail client in Beijing, we optimised the design for construction by collecting input variables from architects and in-house experts and giving it form using automated scripts.
Parametric design allowed us to quantify elements such as the welding length of curving steel elements as well as enabling us to categorise the arrangement of screws. The end product was a well-organised model that can be updated conveniently, and which possesses rich data information. It is difficult to imagine completing an ambitious project like this without parametric design.
For an airport luxury brand store, parametric design allowed us to meet an expedited schedule while still allowing flexibility for design changes. We developed a way to standardise the design, automatically panelising the project’s undulating, twisting aluminium brick façade into specific shippable units, placing fasteners connecting the bricks in the least visible locations. This drastically reduced the time required from concept design to production.
Our approach: shared knowledge, better models
When a tool like parametric design is locked away in an isolated department of specialists, this can harm the design process. At Permasteelisa Garner Retail, we promote the shared understanding of computational tools across our entire multidisciplinary team.
When system designers, engineers, logistics coordinators, and fabricators know the parametric logic setup in projects, they share nuanced and valuable insights with our computational designers, informing them of critical parameters at stake. This exchange allows us to make more informed design decisions, test details against worst-case conditions across all aspects, and to streamline the entire project workflow.
Practical automation and AI
Because parametric design relies on structured data, incorporating automation and AI is a natural next step. We actively use AI to work with data analysis, while also developing custom add-ons scripts that improve our daily modelling workflows.
AI is not a replacement for human expertise and judgement, but can be a helpful tool to handle tasks that they do better than us, giving our teams more time to focus on quality and problem-solving.
Complexity to clarity
At Permasteelisa Gartner Retail, parametric design is about bringing clarity to complex projects.
By integrating these computational workflows into our daily routine, we aim to make the intricate manageable, helping our partners deliver ambitious architecture safely, efficiently, reliably, and cost effectively.