Digital morphogenesis

Digital morphogenesis is a process of shape development (or morphogenesis^[1]) enabled by computation. While this concept is applicable in many areas, the term "digital morphogenesis" is used primarily in architecture.

In architecture, digital morphogenesis is a group of methods that employ digital media for form-making and adaptation rather than for representation, often in an aspiration to express or respond to contextual processes.^[2][3][4][5] "In this inclusive understanding, digital morphogenesis in architecture bears a largely analogous or metaphoric relationship to the processes of morphogenesis in nature, sharing with it the reliance on gradual development but not necessarily adopting or referring to the actual mechanisms of growth or adaptation. Recent discourse on digital morphogenesis in architecture links it to a number of concepts including emergence, self-organization and form-finding."^[6]

Notable persons

• Neri Oxman
• Rivka Oxman
• Birger Ragnvald Sevaldson
• Alan Turing

See also

• Bionics
• Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
• Biomimicry
• Blobitecture
• Digital architecture
• Digital art
• Evolutionary art
• Evolutionary computation
• Generative art
• Organic architecture

References

1. The original usage was in the field of biology. The usage in geology is also well established, cf. geomorphology.
2. Kolarevic, Branko (2000). 'Digital Morphogenesis and Computational Architectures', in Proceedings of the 4th Conference of Congreso Iberoamericano de Grafica Digital, SIGRADI 2000 - Construindo (n)o Espaço Digital (Constructing the Digital Space), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 25–28 September 2000, ed. by José Ripper Kós, Andréa Pessoa Borde and Diana Rodriguez Barros, pp. 98-103
3. Kolarevic, Branko and Ali Malkawi, eds (2005). Performative Architecture: Beyond Instrumentality (New York; London: Spon Press), p. 195
4. Leach, Neil (2009). 'Digital Morphogenesis', Architectural Design, 79, 1, pp. 32-37
5. Roudavski, Stanislav (2009). 'Towards Morphogenesis in Architecture', International Journal of Architectural Computing, 7, 3, pp. 345-374, p. 348
6. Roudavski, Stanislav (2009), pp. 348, 349

Reading

• Burry, Jane, et al. (2005). 'Dynamical Structural Modeling: A Collaborative Design Exploration', International Journal of Architectural Computing, 3, 1, pp. 27–42
• De Landa, Manuel (1997). A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History (New York: Zone Books)
• Feuerstein, Günther (2002). Biomorphic Architecture: Human and Animal Forms in Architecture (Stuttgart; London: Axel Menges)
• Frazer, John H. (1995). An Evolutionary Architecture, Themes VII (London: Architectural Association)
• Hensel, Michael and Achim Menges (2008). 'Designing Morpho-Ecologies: Versatility and Vicissitude of Heterogeneous Space', Architectural Design, 78, 2, pp. 102–111
• Hensel, Michael, Achim Menges, and Michael Weinstock, eds (2004). Emergence: Morphogenetic Design Strategies, Architectural Design (London: Wiley)
• Hensel, Michael and Achim Menges (2006). 'Material and Digital Design Synthesis', Architectural Design, 76, 2, pp. 88–95
• Hensel, Michael and Achim Menges (2006). 'Differentiation and Performance: Multi-Performance Architectures and Modulated Environments', Architectural Design, 76, 2, pp. 60–69
• Hingston, Philip F., Luigi C. Barone, and Zbigniew Michalewicz, eds (2008). Design by Evolution: Advances in Evolutionary Design (Berlin; London: Springer)
• Kolarevic, Branko (2000). 'Digital Morphogenesis and Computational Architectures', in Proceedings of the 4th Conference of Congreso Iberoamericano de Grafica Digital, SIGRADI 2000 - Construindo (n)o Espaço Digital (Constructing the Digital Space), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 25–28 September 2000, ed. by José Ripper Kós, Andréa Pessoa Borde and Diana Rodriguez Barros, pp. 98–103
• Leach, Neil (2009). 'Digital Morphogenesis', Architectural Design, 79, 1, pp. 32–37
• Lynn, Greg (1999). Animate Form (New York: Princeton Architectural Press)
• Lynn, Greg (1998). Folds, Bodies & Blobs: Collected Essays (Bruxelles: La Lettre volée)
• Menges, Achim (2007). 'Computational Morphogenesis: Integral Form Generation and Materialization Processes', in Proceedings of Em‘body’ing Virtual Architecture: The Third International Conference of the Arab Society for Computer Aided Architectural Design (ASCAAD 2007), 28–30 November 2007, Alexandria, Egypt, ed. by Ahmad Okeil, Aghlab Al-Attili and Zaki Mallasi, pp. 725–744
• Menges, Achim (2006). 'Polymorphism', Architectural Design, 76, 2, pp. 78–87
• Ottchen, Cynthia (2009). 'The Future of Information Modelling and the End of Theory: Less is Limited, More is Different', Architectural Design, 79, 2, pp. 22–27
• Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw, and Aristid Lindenmayer (2004). The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants (New York: Springer-Verlag)
• Roudavski, Stanislav (2009). 'Towards Morphogenesis in Architecture', International Journal of Architectural Computing, 7, 3, pp. 345–374
• Sabin, Jenny E. and Peter Lloyd Jones (2008). 'Nonlinear Systems Biology and Design: Surface Design', in Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), Silicon + Skin: Biological Processes and Computation, Minneapolis 16–19 October 2008, ed. by Andrew Kudless, Neri Oxman and Marc Swackhamer, pp. 54–65
• Sevaldson, Birger (2005). Developing Digital Design Techniques: Investigations on Creative Design Computing (PhD, Oslo School of Architecture)
• Sevaldson, Birger (2000). 'Dynamic Generative Diagrams', in Promise and Reality: State of the Art versus State of Practice in Computing for the Design and Planning Process. 18th eCAADe Conference Proceedings, ed. by Dirk Donath (Weimar: Bauhaus Universität), pp. 273–276
• Steadman, Philip (2008). The Evolution of Designs: Biological Analogy in Architecture and the Applied Arts (New York: Routledge)
• Tierney, Therese (2007). Abstract Space: Beneath the Media Surface (Oxon: Taylor & Francis), p. 116
• Weinstock, Michael (2006). 'Self-Organisation and the Structural Dynamics of Plants', Architectural Design, 76, 2, pp. 26–33
• Weinstock, Michael (2006). 'Self-Organisation and Material Constructions', Architectural Design, 76, 2, pp. 34–41

External links

• The 28th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), Silicon + Skin: Biological Processes and Computation