Computational Design by Neil Leach and Philip F Yuan

Neil Leach is an architect, professor, curator, and writer. He teaches at Tongji University, European Graduate School, and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Leach has also taught at many prestigious institutions, such as the Architectural Association, Cornell University, IaaC, and SCI-Arc. In addition to his teaching career, he is also a widely known author with more than 30 books published in the fields of critical theory and digital design. His books include Rethinking Architecture (Routledge 1997), Designing for a Digital World (Wiley,2002), and Computational Design (Tongji University Press, 2018), for which he collaborated with Philip F Yuan.

Philip F Yuan is an architect with well-known international awards and exhibitions.  He is also the co-founder of Archi-Union Architects and Fab-Union Technology. Since 2011, Yuan has co-organized DigitalFUTURES (an annual academic event on computational design and robotic fabrication). In addition, Yuan also teaches at Tongji University, where he is the director of the Digital Design Research Center (DDRC). He published seven books in both English and Chinese, focusing on the history and delivery of computational design and fabrication theory. His books include Fabricating the Future (Tongji University Press, 2012), Scripting the Future (Tongji University Press, 2012), and Computational Design (Tongji University Press, 2018) for which he collaborated with Neil Leach.

Tongji University Press publishes Computational Design, starting with a very enriching introduction to the history of computational design. The book contains two sections that focus on manifestos, methodologies, and projects on parametric and algorithmic design. The way computation affects today’s architecture is profoundly discussed in this book. It offers visuals and critical evaluations and opinions of prominent architectural figures on the latest architectural developments.