Digital revolution in current architecture: towards a new architectural expressivity

The triumphal entry of computing in architectural design has produced a real revolution in architectural scenario, but, until now it is unclear how we can identify digital influences in each project and how they have contributed to the birth of new expressive trends. We have developed a framework for identifying and classifying architectural design elements that should be attributed to the methods and techniques of design computing. This framework is then applied to sixty prominent recent buildings which are acknowledged products of digital means. The goals of this are, firstly, to verify the applicability of the descriptive framework and, secondly, to identify combinations of elements that characterize different approaches or types in current architecture. The results suggest that the use of digital tools in architecture is ubiquitous, where the conceptual starting point of designers and the improvement of the original idea are expressed in the digital domain, taking advantage of the augmented representation skills to control and manipulate form. Furthermore, it seems evident that the current digital architecture is dominated by new figurative trends, which we will identify and examine in depth, showing also common aspects and eventual criticisms