Architecture Golf: Building Better

Architecture Golf is a competitive process aiming to improve the quality and affordability of buildings.

Introduction

Architecture is often considered more of an art than the solution to an optimization problem. This mindset frequently results in buildings that are not optimized for minimum construction costs, efficient material use, or ideal room layouts. Architecture Golf uses gamification to fuel a social process for the iterative generation and improvement of design solutions.

The Game

In software engineering, Code Golf describes a competitive process aimed at finding the shortest possible source code to solve a specific problem. Sometimes, minimizing source code length is not the sole objective; memory consumption or processor time may also be constrained. Multiple players compete to find the best solution, a process that frequently leads to the development of tools designed to help achieve these goals. Ultimately, Code Golf is a specialized form of competitive programming.

Architecture Golf applies the principles of Code Golf to building design and construction, aiming to improve both the quality and affordability of buildings. It functions as a competitive social process—such as a focused sprint where participants race to optimize floor plans—while exploring technologies that can help uncover optimized solutions. The principles of Architecture Golf apply to the design and construction of entire towns, individual buildings, room layouts, specific architectural details, and construction techniques.

Architecture Golf differs from standard tendering or obtaining multiple project offers, as traditional approaches lack a crucial iterative, competitive process and clearly defined goals. However, certain architectural patterns have historically proven successful—meaning they were optimized for specific goals in a given area and time—such as Victorian terraced houses. Solutions generated through Architecture Golf competitions can be generalized into patterns (Alexander et al., 1977) that can be adapted and reused in future projects.

Defining the Competition

First, the project is divided into problems suitable for an Architecture Golf competition. To achieve this, organizers should identify independent entities, such as the type of garden fencing or window construction. During the process, participants may identify additional subproblems. Each problem begins with an initial list of optimization goals and constraints.

Architecture Golf is an ongoing competitive process rather than a static competition where submitted results are merely compared to determine a single winner. Depending on the solutions developed during the process, participants and organizers may update or alter the list of problems and goals. This flexibility prevents the project from getting stuck at local optima that ignore other critical factors.

Architecture Golf can be played either as a publicly visible process or covertly, with each variant presenting distinct advantages and disadvantages. Playing openly allows for cross-inspiration based on another player’s strong ideas, though it is more prone to narrowing the overall range of solutions.

Participants may use or even develop specialized tools during the competition. For example, they might generate or optimize floor plans using heuristics based on constraints like room sizes, natural lighting, the placement of supply lines, maximum distances, and material prices. This process can potentially lead to the development of parameterized building generators, and even “artificial intelligence” can be leveraged to improve the quality of solutions.

Sample Optimization Goals

Architecture Golf does not mandate a specific set of goals, as objectives vary based on time, location, available materials, intended usage, and social contexts. To generate sustainable buildings, the following goals should be considered:

Possible constraints include sufficient noise protection, fire safety, maximum construction costs, and maximum building height.

Further Information