Prof. Helmut Pottmann
(KAUST, Saudi-Arabia & TU Wien, Austria)
Architectural Geometry
February 19, 2019 | 19:30
Audimax, University of Vienna
Many of today’s most striking buildings are nontraditional freeform shapes. The geometric design of such shapes is well understood, but their realization on the architectural scale is a big challenge. It does not fit well into the traditional sequential workflow of the construction industry. Early stage design focusses on the geometry without sufficiently considering core aspects of engineering and fabrication. This may lead to multiple design changes and a possibly dramatic increase of building costs. We will discuss freeform geometry which is buildable on the architectural scale and address “smart” design tools that assist the user in modeling geometric shapes, while automatically taking into account manufacturing, statics, material economy, and other aspects which have implications on buildability and cost. We will also elaborate on the close relations to contemporary research in geometry and computer graphics, and illustrate the successful usage of architectural geometry research in several prestigious projects.
Some representative images from our research (the first two from the Eiffel Tower Pavilions; the remaining from research)
Drinks and snacks will be served afterwards at Hof 8.