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SUMMARY:New methods of structural design for large\, expressive architectu
 ral forms - Allan McRobie (University of Cambridge)\, Marina Konstantatou 
 (Foster + Partners)
DTSTART:20240405T094000Z
DTEND:20240405T103000Z
UID:TALK213829@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:"New methods of structural design for large\, expressive archi
 tectural forms"\nby Allan McRobie (University of Cambridge)&nbsp\;and Mari
 na Konstantatou (Foster+ Partners and University of Cambridge)\nThis talk 
 describes the mathematical approaches taken by engineers to the conception
  and design of large\, expressive architectural forms. Differential geomet
 ry provides the basis for the shell theories used to calculate the stresse
 s within membrane structures. Although this is traditionally framed in the
  language of classical tensor analysis\, more modern approaches using exte
 rior and other algebras are beginning to gain interest.\nIn parallel\, rec
 ent research into James Clerk Maxwell&rsquo\;s papers on structural mechan
 ics &ndash\; which emphasise the dualities inherent in projective geometry
  in 3 and 4 dimensions - has led to deeper understandings of the geometric
  foundations of structural equilibrium. Together\, these approaches provid
 e powerful tools for guide the structural design of large architectural pi
 eces\, ranging from the architectural forms of Frei Otto of the 1970&rsquo
 \;s to the more recent cable net sculptures of Janet Echelman.\nExamples w
 ill also be given where structural designers\, by virtue of their apprecia
 tion of the beauty of the underlying mathematics\, have been able to trans
 cend the traditional role of being providers only of strength and stabilit
 y\, allowing then to move towards richer forms of creative collaboration. 
 &nbsp\;
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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