Digital real

At last architects have discovered the free form shape – multiple curved surfaces, which do not exist in Cartesian geometry. What has long been usual in product design is now being adopted in architecture, these shapes are being generated by special software, and then they are subsequently built.

Some young and innovative architectural firms have seized the opportunity to expand the boundaries of architectural space, showing a willingness to experiment with the new technology, and these young architects, or "blobmeister" as Wes Jones rather negatively called them, are now moving on to built examples.

In this book, 11 examples from Europe, the USA and Japan are presented, showing that far from being out of touch with reality, cyber-architects do transform their dreams into actual buildings, thus concluding the endless alternatives and possibilities implicit in every design. For it is only built architecture which shows true mastery.

This volume extensively documents the complex design process, from the digital conception of the designs, the creation of models, to the final photographs of the building sites and the finished structures. Thematic essays give the reader an insight into the history of the digital scene, assessing its influence on architectural culture to date and evaluating its future potential. The accompanying CD-ROM shows dynamic animations.

Architects:

• Bernhard Franken & ABB Architekten, Frankfurt;
• Jakob + MacFarlane, Paris;
• objectile SARL, Paris;
• EEA Associated Architects, Rotterdam;
• Oosterhuisassocates, Rotterdam;
• Zaha M Hadid Studio, London;
• Frank O.Gehry & Associates, Inc., Santa Monica CA;
• Beucker Maschlanka + Partner Architekten, Düsseldorf;
• Michael McInturf Architects, Cincinnatti OH;
• LynnFORM, Venice CA;
• Garofalo Architects, Chicago IL;
• Asymptote Architecture,
• New York NY;
• Kolatan MacDonald, New York NY;
• Makoto Sei Watanabe, Tokyo.