The New Mathematics of Architecture

From chaos and complexity theory to topology, from optimization to datascapes: the design and construction of complex, sublime buildings that will change the way we perceive major structures.

Ever since building began, architecture has relied on mathematics to achieve visual harmony, structural integrity, and logical construction. For most of the history of building, architects have applied the principles of Euclidean geometry, the description of points, lines, and volumes according to the three axes of space.

Recently, however, digital design tools and massive computer processing power, along with an increasing interest in physics and pure mathematics, have given architects the means to describe and build spatial constructs that would have been inconceivable even ten years ago.

This carefully researched survey of some forty international projects—largely built—offers an overview of how different strategies are being employed through accessible illustrations and clear text. Each section presents case studies of projects by globally recognized architects through diagrams, photographs, and texts. 300 color and 200 black-and-white photographs and illustrations