eBook - ePub
Origins of Form
The Shape of Natural and Man-made Things—Why They Came to Be the Way They Are and How They Change
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Origins of Form
The Shape of Natural and Man-made Things—Why They Came to Be the Way They Are and How They Change
About this book
Origins of Form is about the shape of things. What limits the height of a tree? Why is a large ship or office building more efficient than a small one? What is the similarity between a human rib cage and an airplane or a bison and a cantilevered bridge? How might we plan for things to improve as they are used instead of wearing out? The author has chosen eight criteria that constitute the major influences on three-dimensional form. These criteria comprise the eight chapters of the book: each looks at form from entirely different viewpoints. The products of both nature and man are examined and compared.
This book will make readers—especially those who design and build—aware of their physical environment and how to break away from previously held assumptions and indifference about the ways forms in our human environment have evolved. It shows better ways to do things. The author’s practical, no-nonsense approach and his exquisite drawings, done especially for this volume, provide a clear understanding of what can and cannot be; how big or small an object should be, of what material it will be made, how its function will relate to its design, how its use will change it, and what laws will influence its development.
The facts and information were gathered from many sources: the areas of mechanics, structure, and materials; geology, biology, anthropology, paleobiology, morphology and others. These are standard facts in these areas of specialization, but they are also essential to the designer’s overall knowledge and understanding of form. The result is an invaluable work for students, designers, architects, and planners, and an informed introduction to a fascinating subject for laymen.
This book will make readers—especially those who design and build—aware of their physical environment and how to break away from previously held assumptions and indifference about the ways forms in our human environment have evolved. It shows better ways to do things. The author’s practical, no-nonsense approach and his exquisite drawings, done especially for this volume, provide a clear understanding of what can and cannot be; how big or small an object should be, of what material it will be made, how its function will relate to its design, how its use will change it, and what laws will influence its development.
The facts and information were gathered from many sources: the areas of mechanics, structure, and materials; geology, biology, anthropology, paleobiology, morphology and others. These are standard facts in these areas of specialization, but they are also essential to the designer’s overall knowledge and understanding of form. The result is an invaluable work for students, designers, architects, and planners, and an informed introduction to a fascinating subject for laymen.
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Yes, you can access Origins of Form by Christopher Williams in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Architecture & Architecture General. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Topic
ArchitectureSubtopic
Architecture GeneralTable of contents
- PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION
- INTRODUCTION
- 1 FORM AND MATTER
- 2 STRUTS AND TIES — The Elements of Structure
- 3 SIZE
- 4 THE FORMS OF FUNCTION
- 5 THE GENERATIONS — Influences from the Past
- 6 THE ECOPHENOTYPIC EFFECT — The Form in its Environment
- 7 TELEOLOGY — A World Unity
- 8 CHANCE AND THE IRRATIONAL
- NOTES
- BIBLIOGRAPHY