Shape Computation Lab

Emergent Symmetries and Visual Computations

 


Title:

Emergent Symmetries and Visual Computations: A Group Theoretical Analysis of The Smith House by Richard Meier

Authors:

Edouard Din and Athanassios Economou

Editors:

Temy Tidafi and Tomás Dorta

Conference:

Joining Languages, Cultures and Visions: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference of Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures (CAADFutures)

Series:

CAADFutures 2009

Pages:

173-187

Publisher:

Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada

Publication date:

2009

ID:

cf2009_173

Keywords:

Abstraction, Ambiguity, Partial order lattice, Combinatorics, Visual prototype, Smith House, Richard Meier

Abstract:

This work proposes the use of partial order lattices along with representational schemes to account for patterns of ambiguity and emergence in the description of designs. The complexity of such designs is viewed as an aggregation of spatial layers that can all be decomposed by the subgroup relations of the symmetry of the configuration. At the end, this methodology points to a combinatorial approach that generates visual prototypes for future use in design synthesis. Here, Meier's work is just a case study that validates the group theoretical approach.

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