Experiential design knowledge accumulated by architects—pattern selection logic, detailing rationale, and trade-offs among regulatory and environmental forces—largely remains tacit and inaccessible to information systems. Departing from the ""generative route"" in which AI produces geometry or layout directly, this study investigates a ""formalization route"": the architect serves as the bridge, formalizing design judgment while AI provides specialized support at both the design-knowledge end and the BIM-model end. Grounded in Alexander’s Pattern Language as knowledge framework and Simon’s satisficing theory as decision framework, a prototype system is developed that translates forces in pattern language into IFC parameter constraints, with Taiwanese social housing façade design as the empirical domain.
Underpinned by a Tension-Navigated Satisficing (TNS) framework of 6 definitions and 3 axioms, the system uses Bridge Cards through which architects formalize judgment: the AI knowledge-consultant retrieves patterns from design literature, while the AI modeling-agent extracts parameters from IFC models and performs RASE compliance validation. It comprises 14 Bridge Cards (3 non-residential), covering 57 forces, 36 parameter bindings, 35 RASE rules, and 17 antagonistic pairs.
Empirically, the system completes the end-to-end pipeline from design query to geometric parameter extraction on real IFC models. A 25-scenario × 8-condition ablation confirms the complementarity of AI’s dual ends (vector retrieval ΔMRR = +0.169; Bridge ΔBHR = +0.787, both significant). Fine-tuned embeddings exhibit behavioral alignment, raising Recall@5 from 0.200 to 1.000, though whether this reflects genuine absorption or memorization awaits held-out validation. Cross-building verification shows two-stage performance: stable on geometrically complete buildings (S1E 100%, R5W 67%) but collapsing to 0% on C1, which lacks key IFC components—a cliff-edge gap arising from prerequisite collapse rather than reasoning failure, quantifying the model’s dependence on modeling quality. Bridge’s conditioned deduction cannot be approximated in vector space, confirming the architect’s judgment as an irreplaceable link between design knowledge and digital models.