New Babylon
New Babylon DSL Overview
Inspiration: Constant's New Babylon
This project takes its name and conceptual foundation from New Babylon, the visionary architectural project by Dutch artist Constant Nieuwenhuys (1920-2005). Working from the 1950s through the 1970s, Constant imagined a radical future: a planetary network of elevated, interconnected sectors suspended above the existing world on pylons—a "new skin that covers the earth."
In Constant's vision, automated production underground would free humanity from labor, leaving the surface for transportation while above stretched a vast superstructure for nomadic play and creative living. Rather than demolishing cities or sprawling across countryside, New Babylon built upward and outward, leaving the old world intact below while creating an entirely new layer of habitable space above. "New Babylon ends nowhere (the earth is round)," Constant wrote—a boundless, ever-changing landscape where spaces could be reconfigured at will, where property gave way to collective place-making, and where the intensity of play replaced the monotony of work.
This DSL channels that same radical imagination: the idea that we can build upon what exists, that architecture can be layered and evolutionary rather than demolishing and replacing, that structures can be interconnected and adaptive rather than isolated and static.
What is New Babylon DSL?
New Babylon DSL (Babylonian Architecture Mapping DSL) is a specialized programming language designed for architects, urban planners, and developers to model and simulate complex architectural projects that build upon existing urban infrastructure. Unlike traditional architectural tools that treat buildings as isolated objects, New Babylon enables you to design "Babylonian" structures—layered, interconnected architectural forms that intelligently integrate with and adapt to existing buildings over time.
Core Philosophy
The language embodies a paradigm shift in architectural thinking: adaptive evolution over demolition and rebuild. It treats architecture as a living, evolving system that can be extended vertically, connected horizontally, and transformed temporally—all while respecting and building upon existing structures.
Key Capabilities
4D Modeling
Model not just the three spatial dimensions, but also time. Plan how your structures will evolve, adapt, and transform over years or decades.
Multi-Dimensional Analysis
Simultaneously consider:
Physical properties: structural loads, material characteristics, environmental factors
Social dimensions: space utilization, human interaction patterns, accessibility
Temporal evolution: how spaces change function and form over time
Integration with Existing Architecture
Import real-world data from GIS and BIM systems, then design new structures that connect to, build upon, or transform existing buildings—complete with load transfer analysis and interface planning.
Language Structure
New Babylon DSL uses an intuitive, hierarchical syntax that defines architectural elements as named blocks with properties:
Core Elements:
Projects: Define scope, location, and timeline
Materials: Specify physical properties and behavior
Structures: Create load-bearing architectural elements
Spaces: Define functional areas with social characteristics
Connections: Link structures and enable circulation
Environments: Model climate, wind, solar, and other factors
Systems: Integrate utilities and infrastructure
Evolution: Plan temporal phases and transformations
Practical Applications
Vertical Expansion: Design rooftop additions and elevated platforms spanning multiple buildings
Adaptive Reuse: Transform industrial structures, convert obsolete infrastructure, repurpose historical buildings with modern extensions
Urban Infill: Integrate new structures within dense urban contexts, create bridges between buildings
Evolutionary Planning: Design buildings that adapt their function over decades, plan phased development
Technical Foundation
Built on Guile Scheme and the Goblins distributed object system, New Babylon DSL provides:
Transactional safety for architectural modifications
Distributed collaboration across teams and locations
Time-travel debugging to explore design alternatives
Comprehensive simulation engines for structural, social, and environmental analysis
Why New Babylon?
Traditional architectural software focuses on creating new buildings in isolation. New Babylon DSL recognizes that the future of urban development lies in working with what already exists—extending, connecting, transforming, and layering new architectural forms onto the existing urban fabric. It provides the computational tools to make these complex, interconnected architectural visions both designable and analyzable.
Whether you're planning a community garden on existing rooftops, designing elevated pedestrian networks between buildings, or modeling how a neighborhood might evolve over 50 years, New Babylon DSL gives you a unified language to express, simulate, and visualize your architectural vision.
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