Some Paradoxical Aspects of the Use of Computers for Architectural and Structural Design
The architectural form determines visual perception of the building and its social acceptance. From it depends also fulfillment of functional and utilitarian assumptions, adopted at the project beginning. The aim of architectural modeling is primarily to create a geometric model of the future facility. It has also influence on the ability of modeling of the structural system which is a carrier of architectural form. All limitations of the structural system translate into limitations of architectural form. As long as only straight lines and planes were readily available, and any curves and non-planar surfaces were extremely difficult to model – architectural form was characterized by preference of orthogonality. If one looks at the restrictions in both architectural and structural modeling, resulted from the shortcomings of the underlying theory, and the impact that introduction of modeling with use of numerical tools had on change of that situation – it can lead to surprising conclusions.