217: Campfire Series - ‘The Computational Design Story’, with Neil Katz
A conversation with Neil Katz about the origins of computational design in architecture, the evolution of BIM, and the significance of behavior-driven design in reshaping architectural practice through early CAD and automation.
In this special Campfire Series episode, Neil Katz joins the podcast to tell us about the evolution of architectural technology from first principles. Long before CAD, BIM, parametrics, or AI became industry buzzwords, Neil was there. From technics and morphology, to early programming in BASIC and geometry-driven thinking, to custom software at SOM, to landmark projects that pushed behavior-based design into real buildings, his career offers a rare, continuous view of how design computation entered architectural practice.
If you’re interested in where computational design really came from and what still matters as the industry looks ahead, this episode provides essential context.
Original episode page: https://trxl.co/217
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Connect with the Guest
- Neil Katz
- SOM profile (computational design & research)
- AIA NY Feature
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
People and Philosophies
- Antoni Gaudí
- Wikipedia
- A touchstone for computational thinking without computers: rules, geometry, gravity, and material intelligence driving form.
- Gaudí. The Complete Works. 45th Ed. (Amazon)
- How Nature and Mathematics Shaped Antoni Gaudí’s Architecture
- An Exploratory Study of the Geometrical Elements in Gaudi’s Architecture by Po-Hung Liu (ResearchGate)
- Gaudí: Where Architecture Meets Science
- Anne Tyng
- Wikipedia
- Tyng’s geometric rigor profoundly shaped Kahn’s work and influenced generations of computational designers.
- Louis Kahn & Anne Tyng: The Rome Letters, 1953-1954 (Amazon)
- Anne Tyng: Inhabiting Geometry (Amazon)
- The Grammar of Anne Tyng’s Simpler Space Structures (Springer Nature)
- Louis Kahn
- Morphology in Architecture
- Wikipedia
- Explores form, structure, and spatial logic as systems (core to Katz’s lifelong research and teaching).
Computational Design & Geometry
- Pratt’s Center for Experimental Structures (CES)
- Website
- Pratt Architecture, BArch, Morphology Concentration
- Research-driven exploration of geometry, minimal surfaces, and physical + computational modeling.
- Minimal Surfaces
- Wikipedia
- A recurring theme in Katz’s teaching and research: geometry driven by behavior, not aesthetics alone.
- Smart Geometry Conference
- Wikipedia
- 2008 AEC Magazine Article
- A foundational gathering for early computational designers exploring generative and parametric workflows.
Software, Tools, and Platforms
- Autodesk Revit
- Website
- Central to SOM’s early BIM adoption, including the World Trade Center project.
- McNeel Rhino 3D
- Website
- A design-first modeling tool that became foundational at SOM for complex geometry.
- Grasshopper for Rhino
- Website
- Visual programming for geometry, automation, and rule-based design: a direct lineage from Katz’s early scripting work.
- Bentley Systems GenerativeComponents
- ParaCloud GEM (5) Elements
- ParaCloud GEM was an early generative design software application designed to populate mesh components over design models, facilitating the creation of intricate 3D structures.
Landmark Projects Mentioned
- One World Trade Center
- SOM Project Description and Photos
- Wikipedia
- Among the earliest large-scale BIM projects, pushing Revit beyond its original limits.
- Cathedral of Christ the Light (Oakland, CA)
- SOM Project Description and Photos
- Wikipedia
- Computationally designed perforated panels forming a luminous, image-based sacred interior.
- Deerfield Academy (MA)
- SOM Project Description and Photos
- Site of the skylight project illustrating behavior-driven design using solar geometry.
🏕️ Campfire Episodes
- TRXL 144: ‘The SketchUp Story’, with Brad Schell
- TRXL 162: ‘BLDGBLOG Turns 20’, with Geoff Manaugh
- TRXL 174: ‘The Bluebeam Story’, with Don Jacob
- TRXL 176: ‘The Rhinoceros Story’, with Scott Davidson
- TRXL 180: ‘The Dynamo Story’, with Ian Keough
Themes Worth Exploring Further
- Designing behavior, not form
- Computational thinking as a mindset, not software
- Automation as liberation, not replacement
- Geometry as a bridge between art, science, and construction
- Why licensure and embodied knowledge matter more in an AI-driven future
This episode is a rare, first-hand account of how computational design actually entered architectural practice long before it had a name. Neil Katz didn’t chase tools. He followed ideas, logic, and curiosity. The tools simply caught up.
About Neil Katz:
Neil Katz is an architect who focuses on “computational design” (a design process which emphasizes geometry, a logical process, informed decisions through data analysis). Although, broadly considered, computers are not required in this definition, computational tools have become critical to this process. At Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, he applies this process on projects of many types, at various scales, and even at various phases of design. SOM is an interdisciplinary firm of architects, engineers, planners, and other designers; projects are designed in a highly-collaborative environment.
Leading a computational design team in SOM’s NY office, he and his group work with project teams to define and implement computational design strategies – including geometric modeling of complex forms; various types of analysis (geometric, environmental, zoning and other codes); creating tools, usually through scripting or coding; and various research activities (project-specific, or general).
In addition to applying these strategies and tools on projects, Neil encourages others in the firm to apply these techniques on their own, and often teaches computational tools in the office. He has also lectured, published articles and book chapters about this, and teaches classes in Computational Design at City College of New York and Morphology at Pratt Institute.
