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Patterns, Fabrics, Prototypes, Tessellations
Author(s) -
ZaeraPolo Alejandro
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
architectural design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.128
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1554-2769
pISSN - 0003-8504
DOI - 10.1002/ad.975
Subject(s) - articulation (sociology) , contextualism , tessellation (computer graphics) , globalization , architectural engineering , politics , context (archaeology) , sociology , engineering , computer science , economic geography , political science , geography , law , computer graphics (images) , archaeology , interpretation (philosophy) , programming language
New technologies have enabled architects to develop sophisticated patterning techniques. This is epitomised by the expressive possibilities now available to the building envelope: smooth geometries, tessellation, material textures and layers, such as solar shading. For Alejandro Zaera‐Polo of Foreign Office Architects, though, patterns have cultural and political possibilities far beyond mere decoration, enabling new practices to address in the urban context some of the crucial problems posed by globalisation: bridging the dichotomy between tabula rasa and contextualism, and the articulation between the local and global. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.