Modeling a Building Before It Has Been Designed: Cloud-Based Pre-Simulation to Build a Multi-Parameter Design Space

In the field of numerical optimization, there a concept called design space, a collection of parameter values that meet externally imposed criteria of acceptability. Designers are increasingly interested in understanding the extents of a design space prior to initiating any design studies. How can we run optimization studies on a building before it has been designed? This situation has led to the development of decision guiding mechanisms in our design studios that employs pre-simulated datasets to construct a multi-parameter design space to inform the conceptualization of the guiding concepts of an architectural design.