Exploring the Landscape of Generative Design Tools in Early-stage Design
Exploring the Landscape of Generative Design Tools in Early-stage Design
Speaker:
Thao Pham
Summary:
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has been relatively slow to adopt new technologies, which has been associated with lower levels of efficiency compared with manufacturing and the broader economy.
At the same time, alongside broader technological advancements, early design-supporting tools (Generative Design tools) are rapidly proliferating across the AEC sector, with at least 20 such tools now available, each promising to enhance designers’ workflows.
In response, this CPD aims to provide designers with a glimpse into the current landscape of these tools (E.g., scopes, formats, functions, typologies, level of automation). It also introduces a set of decision-support criteria to help designers evaluate the tools’ usefulness for practical applications.
This talk was delivered online on 23 April 2026. Talk duration is 41 minutes.
Speaker Bio:
Thao is an Architectural Graduate from University of Melbourne. She is currently undertaking a PhD at Swinburne University of Technology in collaboration with Arch-Manu, focusing on Generative Design tools and their application within the industry.
CPD Details:
This talk is offered as a formal CPD activity for architects, mapped to performance criteria PC26 and PC30 in the Australian 2021 National Standard of Competencies for Architects.
A copy of the CPD questions can be accessed here. If you take notes in digital format during the video, you will be able to copy/paste your answers into the questionnaire at the end.
Upon completion of the video, a link to the CPD questionnaire will be unlocked. Submit your answers via that link to earn 1 formal CPD point and receive your certificate for record-keeping purposes. Note: The questionnaire link will only load if the video is viewed from this webpage. If you navigate to YouTube to view the video, you will not be able to access it.