Deep Surfaces: Geometrical Challenges in Digital Design

Central to the delivery of architecture is the digital representation and analysis of surfaces. Digital designers seek to imbue otherwise pure geometry with real world significance to develop a model that "survives" the transition from design intent to constructed object. During this transition, fundamental properties of differential geometry and topology interact with more real world considerations such as materiality, constructability, and cost. This lecture explores how recent developments in computation design enable the analysis and design of highly articulated, discrete surfaces, and how these new forms are realized using novel digital fabrication methods. Through a series of examples, we conclude that the surfaces that underlie much of the current design process are becoming increasingly enriched with information to facilitate their transition to built objects.

Guest speakers: Benjamin Dillenburger (Architecture) and Daniel Hambleton (Math)