The study of cities has been focused most strongly on their morphology and less on the relational qualities of how systems interact to produce functioning spatial configurations. The use of biological models in designing complex models at the urban scale addresses this issue by proposing new generative models that integrate systems during the design phase.

Ali Farzaneh is a designer and architect based in the USA. He attained his PhD in Architectural Design at the Architectural Association (AA) in London with a focus on complex systems in design and their application in generating novel spatial and morphological formations. He has worked at Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in Washington DC. He co-directed the AA Aarhus Visiting School in Denmark researching the implications of digital fabrication tools and robotic manufacturing in design and their use in rationalising complex geometries.