A language-based framework for a form processor

Based on the analogy of architectural composition as a formal language, a form processor is developed and tested. The proposed processor addresses a universal language of architectural form. It aims to facilitate the manipulation of forms in a manner similar to that in which a word processor manipulates words in natural languages. Based on the ontological assumption of structuralism, epistemological assumption of rationality, and the methodological assumption of representation, the research described in this paper identifies the rudimentary elements underlying all architectural forms, and the steps needed to aggregate them into more complex compositions. The theoretical foundation of the form processor employs concepts of formal languages, the theory of reduction, and Aristotle's theory of animal shape variation. More specifically, this paper discusses a form language that is based on the concepts of context-free and attributed grammars. It presents the development of a computational framework, the goal of which is to test the plausibility of the theoretical one. In turn, the computational framework is tested and illustrated by a case study.