Design of Dataflow

Abstract

Design scripting is initially based on secondary syntactic mechanisms that control sequential executions of code. This model of computation, called control flow programming, was introduced to designers as the only way of creating algorithms. Dataflow represents a widespread alternative to control flow by utilizing concurrent streams of data. Dataflow programming languages are also considered to be pedagogical tools in fields where the coders are not expert computer programmers. In the last decade, new parametric modeling tools introduced this conception to design scripting, shifting its practical and educational foundations. Dataflow programming represents a promising platform for studying contemporary parametric modeling techniques in design, while architects and designers increasingly use it as their algorithmic sketchbooks. This paper describes a purpose to reflect this shift in design education, pursuing four pedagogical patterns derived from in-class experiments: “explication”, “kit of components”, “objectification”, and “re-generation”.