It has always mystified me why architectural schools have never,
to my knowledge, assigned an important priority, emphasis and
funding to the subject of research on topological space and its
potentialities as regards its implications to designers. Because
of their neglect on this matter, outstandings contributions of
researchers such as August Ferdinand Mobius, Werner Boy, Erno
Rubick, to name a few, have been grossly neglected as potential
sources regarding the search for breakthroughs on new use of physical
space by architectural designers. Agreed that topology as a tool
has been actively used during decades on the subject of CAD and
related matters, but mainly as ways of backboning functional
integrity during shape transformations.
To my way of thinking, research on space for architectural
purpose should be broken into different approaches rather than
attempting to tackle holistically the subject of architectural space
which, as a research area, conveys a too vast, complex, confusing
and intuitive meaning. It would provide an easier task to identify
fields like "internal space" and concentrate upon those changes
which would alter the structure of internal space and ways of
articulating it as such.
Just an example: for many years now and wholy on a personal
initiative, I have been researching Moebius strip's potentialities
as regards internal space structure (Science Digest, 1984 Feb.
pp 92-94).
As a result I came upon a new three dimensional family of prismatic
Moebius-like shapes which, when divided internally by a four quadrant
cross-section, resulted into a single tunnel folded upon itself !
Similarly, Boy bodies and the transformation going on inside the
original Rubik cube could provide exciting areas of research for new
uses of space in architecture.
Lastly, the new potentialities provided by Virtual Reality (that
wonderful oxymoron!) will in a not too distant future provide
invaluable tools for exploring the surprising world of topology and
open up doors of access to t he coming age of impossible-possible
shapes within the realm of architectural design !
..........................................
. Associate Professor Gonzalo Velez Jahn .
. E-mail address: gvelez@xxxxxxxxxx .
. Snail-mail address: .
. Apartado Postal 47170 Los Chaguaramos .
. Caracas, Venezuela 1041-A .
..........................................
to my knowledge, assigned an important priority, emphasis and
funding to the subject of research on topological space and its
potentialities as regards its implications to designers. Because
of their neglect on this matter, outstandings contributions of
researchers such as August Ferdinand Mobius, Werner Boy, Erno
Rubick, to name a few, have been grossly neglected as potential
sources regarding the search for breakthroughs on new use of physical
space by architectural designers. Agreed that topology as a tool
has been actively used during decades on the subject of CAD and
related matters, but mainly as ways of backboning functional
integrity during shape transformations.
To my way of thinking, research on space for architectural
purpose should be broken into different approaches rather than
attempting to tackle holistically the subject of architectural space
which, as a research area, conveys a too vast, complex, confusing
and intuitive meaning. It would provide an easier task to identify
fields like "internal space" and concentrate upon those changes
which would alter the structure of internal space and ways of
articulating it as such.
Just an example: for many years now and wholy on a personal
initiative, I have been researching Moebius strip's potentialities
as regards internal space structure (Science Digest, 1984 Feb.
pp 92-94).
As a result I came upon a new three dimensional family of prismatic
Moebius-like shapes which, when divided internally by a four quadrant
cross-section, resulted into a single tunnel folded upon itself !
Similarly, Boy bodies and the transformation going on inside the
original Rubik cube could provide exciting areas of research for new
uses of space in architecture.
Lastly, the new potentialities provided by Virtual Reality (that
wonderful oxymoron!) will in a not too distant future provide
invaluable tools for exploring the surprising world of topology and
open up doors of access to t he coming age of impossible-possible
shapes within the realm of architectural design !
..........................................
. Associate Professor Gonzalo Velez Jahn .
. E-mail address: gvelez@xxxxxxxxxx .
. Snail-mail address: .
. Apartado Postal 47170 Los Chaguaramos .
. Caracas, Venezuela 1041-A .
..........................................