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Ethics and Geometry: Computational Transformations and the Curved Surface in Architecture

In: Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future

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  • Michael J. Ostwald

    (University of Newcastle, School of Architecture and Built Environment)

Abstract

The development of computational algorithms for the transformation of geometry made the process of producing curvilinear forms deceptively simple. However, historically the production of intricate architectural forms was undertaken by designers who were aware of the cultural or symbolic connotations of such forms. For example, the construction of the archetypal Baroque compound curve was a clear response to the social, symbolic and phenomenological needs of the era. Thus, the construction of these curves could be said to have an ethical function in terms of their support for a dominant set of social values. The present paper analyses a series of examples wherein computer generated curvilinear geometric forms have been produced, to interrogate the extent to which such techniques could be seen as being ethically sound. Through this analysis the paper argues that geometry in architecture is more than simply a formal tool, but rather it is a device which has wider significance and more important properties and potentialities.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael J. Ostwald, 2015. "Ethics and Geometry: Computational Transformations and the Curved Surface in Architecture," Springer Books, in: Kim Williams & Michael J. Ostwald (ed.), Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 633-647, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-319-00143-2_43
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-00143-2_43
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