1. Morphogenesis:
from the Greek morphê(shape) and genesis(creation), literally, "beginning of the shape", is the biological process that causes an organism to develop its shape. It is one of three fundamental aspects of developmental biology along with the control of cell growth and cellular differentiation. by wikipedia
it is initially used in the realm of biological sciences, it refers to the logic of form generation and pattern-making in organisms through growth and differentiation.
2. Computation:
derived from the Latin word "computare", meaning "to think together", refers to any system where individual components are working together.
Firslty attached here is an article introduces the "digital morphogenesis", although some comments are not so precise but it could still be an appropriate introduction to morphogenesis in architectural discourse.
basic requirements of morphogenesis:
1. cellular accumulation
2. the logics of accumulation of components( relate with material tectonics)
3. the resulting form achieves optimization through structural performance or the interaction
between hierarchical components
The performance of material computation primarily relies on the internal property of material and the external environmental factors (i.e. the gravity). Material computation embraces form and structure as interrelated components. It is material tectonics. The corresponding form achieves optimization through the invisible performance of material components. It is definitely material computation, which means "material components working together".
The excellent example will be the tensegrity structure. What a great prototype of combination of full-stressed compression and full-stressed tension objects.
here is the two links about tensegrity:
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However, the digital computation employs the advanced form-generating techniques such as L-System, Cellular Automata(CA), Genetic Algorithm(GA), and Agent-based systems to breed new generations of forms. This seemingly paradoxical use of the immaterial domain of the computer to understand the material properties of architecture has spawned a new term ‘digital tectonics’.
Digital tectonics is more related with the geometrical properties of the sophisticated forms generated by computers. It will be very different once the digital tectonics being interpreted on different materials, which generate distinct material performance based according material tectonics.
Up to now there is seldom a link between material tectonics and digital tectonics. The majority of progressive architects treat the generative tools (CA, GA, L-System) as ways to test out new generation of form assisted by computers. Of course, these forms has its own geometric, structural properties and spatial qualities, but there is no further research on the material tectonics, no relation between form and structural performance. Instead, concrete is used as the major material to shape these forms. And I dont think it is appropriate to name these as performative forms.
However, undeniably the processes of generating these forms associate with 'formation over form, performance over representation'. And It provides us huge potentials of exploring unknown geometeries. In Tom Wiscombe described digital generative tools as power machine of form-generator in his article 'out of lab and into the jungle'
However, honestly, it is difficult to translate between material tectonics with digital tectonics. and I will explain the reason in the next post related with my project in AADRL.
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