AD Magazine

This paper aims to contribute to a history of computational design and to a historiography of the field by proposing a study of the development of sociotechnical networks of computation in architecture between 1965 and 2020 as shown in AD magazine. The research focuses on two aspects: (1) a methodological approach for the constitution of a comprehensive history of the field and the application of that methodology to a corpus of items published in AD, and (2) questions the relevance of the outlook into computational design as given by the magazine in comparison to a more comprehensive history taking into account other sources. First, the paper presents the history and the editorial line of AD, as well as its pertinence as a primary source. Second, a brief account of the history emerging from this research is given, with a focus on four different periods: pioneering research of the 1960s–1970s, emergence of 3D modeling tools and the procedural winter in the 1980s–1990s, constitution of a large-scale academic and professional network in the 2000s, and democratization of algorithmic design tools in the 2010s. Third, observations are made on editorial choices of the magazine and the biases of its account of computational research, with a special focus on the period 2000–2020, during which many issues have been dedicated to computational design themes, therefore making potential biases more visible. Despite the preponderance of specific topics, editors, and contributors, AD magazine provides an outlook into key concerns of the community at given times. The main biases identified, including a strong focus on the themes of biodesign and rationalization of practices, mirror the biases of the computational field itself, demonstrating the value of AD as an archive for the history of the field.