This work presents an evolutionary approach to design using a hierarchical growth model. The evolutionary approach is used as the computational method for the synthesis and evaluation stage of the design process. A bottom-up hierarchical model is used to avoid the combinatorial problems involved in linear models. The genotype consists of chromosomes which consist of genes representing design grammar rules.
Evaluation is carried out both through the use of a fitness function and through human interaction.
The concepts are exemplified in the context of the design of house plans. Figure 1 shows the hierarchical model used. A house can be considered to be composed of a number of zones, such as living zone, entertainment zone, bed zone, utility zone, etc. Different houses are composed of different zones where each zone may be composed of different rooms. Each room is composed of a number of space units.