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Follow on Google News | The computer as architect: Mathematics liberates building design from traditional formsBy: Austrian Science Fund FWF Latest the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, demonstrated how impressively building structures can free themselves from the confines of a traditional form vocabulary. And specialised computer programs that translate architects' creative ideas into enthralling renderings, are the key to this development. The discipline of freeform architecture which emerged from such programs is still in its infancy - and the team working on the Austrian Science Fund FWF project is making an important contribution to developing the opportunities offered by this exciting branch of architecture. Form follows research The trend for freeform structures in contemporary architecture is actually creating several challenging research problems. Some of them can be solved using differential geometry - a mathematical discipline - as Helmut Pottmann, who heads the FWF project, explains: "For cost and planning reasons, even the most creative freeform structure must be composed of the simplest and most standardised components. Planning this is clearly a job for discrete differential geometry. In this field of geometry, curves and surfaces are discretised, in other words mathematically broken down into simple, flat elements. This radically reduces the variables that need to be calculated." Network of research The mathematical representation of such meshes is the focus of the research conducted by Pottmann and his team. Over the course of the project, the group has succeeded in making significant progress. For example, it was able to extend the calculation of discrete surfaces to include hyperboloid surface parts, as they are known. These can be used to produce smooth freeform surfaces, such as facades, from simple panels. The group developed an interactive design tool that can calculate the forces of equilibrium at the edges of discrete surfaces. The team also developed another tool that can account precisely for the forces of equilibrium in shells. This was previously only possible in an approximate, limited or very time-consuming way. The interactive possibilities offered by this tool have already been integrated into wider architectural applications. This is clear evidence of the high level of practicality of the developed calculation model. Research as a foundation Pottmann's main focus is always on the application of the initially purely mathematical developments. He refers to very specific problems in freeform architecture: Not all the mathematical answers to these architectural challenges have yet been found. But the work being done by Pottmann and his team is laying a solid foundation for the future creativity of architects. https://scilog.fwf.ac.at/ End
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