Nexus Network Journal (2023) 25:823–827

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-023-00751-y

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Geometry to Fabrication in Architecture

Vesna Stojaković1 · Bojan Tepavčević1

Published online: 5 October 2023

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

Abstract
This letter from the guest editors introduces Vol. 25(4) of the Nexus Network
Journal: Architecture and Mathematics. In this special issue, 11 research
contributions examine the influence of geometry on the process of making in
architecture and vice versa. From fabrication experiments with industrial robots
and investigations of geometry and material constraints to the development of the
theoretical framework of shape rules and making grammars, the contributions in
this issue present the research potential that translates architectural geometry into
physical objects in architecture.

Keywords Architecture · Mathematics · Geometry · Fabrication

Introduction

The geometry of complex shapes has always played an important role in architectural
design and the process of building construction. From the first vaults to the later
stereotomic shells and now to digitally fabricated architecture, understanding the
logic of geometry in the process of construction and fabrication has been crucial.
Recent developments in computational design tools enable easier creation of
complex shapes that might be challenging for manufacturing and hence further
emphasizes the importance of the relationship between geometry and fabrication in
the design process.
Digital technology has influenced the development of a new way of design
thinking that seamlessly integrates construction, fabrication, and material constraints
into the language of shapes and architectural geometry. Novel design methods, such
as fabrication-aware design, structurally informed design, and material-based

* Vesna Stojaković
[email protected]
Bojan Tepavčević
[email protected]
1
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg
Dositeja Obradovica 6, 21102 Novi Sad, Serbia

Vol.:(0123456789)
824 V. Stojaković, B. Tepavčević

design, reflect an increased interest in creating new relationships between geometry

and fabrication in architecture. The main intention of these emerging design
approaches is to explore and develop innovative ways to align geometric principles
with the intricacies of the fabrication process, thereby pushing the boundaries of
architectural design. These approaches signify a heightened focus on establishing
new relationships between geometry and fabrication within the field. The objective
of this special issue is to examine different relationships between geometry and
fabrication in architecture.
Vol. 25(4) of the Nexus Network Journal: Architecture and Mathematics presents
various approaches to the influence of geometry on the process of making and vice
versa. From fabrication experiments with industrial robots and investigations of
geometry and material constraints to the development of the theoretical framework
of shape rules and making grammars, the contributions in this issue present the
research potential that translates architectural geometry into physical objects in
architecture.

Geometry to Fabrication

This issue starts with two papers that investigate the relationship between geometry,
the design process and robotic fabrication. The issue opens with ‘Form‑Findi​ng to
Fabri​cation:​ A Param​etric​ Shell​ Struc​ture Fabri​cated​ Using​ an Indus​trial​ Robot​ic
Arm with a Hot‑Wire End‑Effec​tor’. In this paper Jin‑Ho Park and Sejung Jung
experiment with form-finding and robotic fabrication to explore innovative design
possibilities for shell structures while evaluating and maintaining fabrication
constraints and the constructability of the designed form. The fabricated structure
demonstrates that Park’s and Sejung’s approach complements the potential impacts
of the design process, practice, and aesthetics. In the next paper investigating
robotics in architecture, entitled ‘Fabri​catin​g Porou​s Struc​tures​ Using​ Robot​ic
Hotwi​re Cutti​ng’ Marko Vučić, Marko Jovanović and Mirko Raković examine the
concept of porosity and fabrication challenges arising from the complex topology
of porous structures. They propose a novel design and manufacturing approach for
porous structure fabrication that uses a hot knife tool with an industrial robot to cut
expanded polystyrene materials.
As with the previous, the following two papers investigate the relationship
between geometrical patterns and fabrication methods. In ‘Appli​catio​n of Fabri​c
Formw​ork based​on a Truch​et Tilin​g Patte​rn for Plana​r Surfa​ces’, Felicia Wagiri,
Shen‑Guan Shih, Kevin Harsono and Jia‑Yang Lin investigate how flexible
membranes, such as polyester, can create natural tension shapes that rigid molds
cannot achieve. The authors propose a hybrid design technique for precast panels
that incorporates soft-material formwork, computational form-finding, and the
Truchet tiling concept. As a result, they develop a computational framework and
fabrication method for fabric formwork that will allow new architectural forms
in precast panels. In the next paper ‘Surfa​ce Patte​rns in Archi​tectu​re Drive​n by
Image​ Sampl​ing and Robot​ic Fabri​catio​n’ Bojan Tepavčević, Vesna Stojaković,
Marko Jovanović and Mirko Raković investigate different strategies for creating
Geometry to Fabrication in Architecture 825

surface patterns based on image sampling and using industrial robots as fabrication
tools. The authors present three different design-to-fabrication methods in order to
achieve three different wall surface treatments with intriguing geometric and optical
properties based on image sampling. The presented experimental tests demonstrate
that the interplay between parametric design, material properties, fabrication tools,
and assembly is conducive to the creation of an abstract image that possesses shape
constancy related to the visual perception of an image.
The next two papers present experiments that combine geometry, material, and
fabrication constraints. In ‘Param​etric​ Inter​locki​ng Elast​ic Woode​n Plate​ Joint​ for
Compl​ex Struc​tures​’ Isbah Estateyieh and Semra Arslan Selcuk develop an elastic
wood joint for the complex geometries of plate components using parametric
modelling. They investigate the fabrication of a physical prototype from wood to test
the applicability of the developed elastic joint. The result leads to the development
of digital and physical prototypes of a wooden shell pavilion with a parametric
interlocking elastic wooden plate joint. In ‘Learn​ing from Foldi​ng Paper​to Devel​op
Foldi​ng Mecha​nisms​’ Özlem Çavuş and Arzu Gönenç Sorguç propose a method
for designers to develop kinetic structures derived from folding patterns. They
investigate how these folding patterns can be used to generate mechanisms free of
common problems like self-locking. The study also examines geometric formations
of kinetic surfaces regarding seventeen symmetry groups of crystals to understand
global motion and its enablers. The research is validated through a case study
showing how an arbitrary sketch is transformed into an actual kinetic structure by
folding a paper model, digital simulation, and a prototype.
The next three papers incorporate the theory of shape grammar, the design process,
and the making process. In the first of these, ‘Rule‑based​ Milli​ng of Medie​val
Stone​ Patte​rns’, Begum Hamzaoglu and Mine Özkar develop a set of detailed
making rules and a parametric model with the consequent toolpaths for 3-Axis
milling for a specific style of relief ornaments. Such rule sets can be developed
for the reconstruction of historical stone ornaments commonly used in Seljuk
architecture. The authors’ unique method demonstrates the making of stone carving
patterns with a holistic approach based on the relationships of successive material
shape formations with milling tools and actions. In ‘Desig​ning the Ice‑Crack​ Patte​rn
of Tradi​tiona​l Chine​se Windo​ws’ Zhen Zhang examines a decorative scheme in
traditional Chinese window design (‘ice-crack pattern’) on the window cases by
conducting geometrical, proportional, and statistical analysis and considering
the structural integrity of the wood structure. This study reveals a design process
that starts with ‘key figure(s)’ and expands towards the periphery of the windows,
complementing the design theorist George Stiny’s work and revealing the form-
generating rules in ice-crack patterns. In ‘A Mathe​matic​al Forma​lizat​ion of Makin​g
Gramm​ars’ Ayodh Vasant Kamath makes a contribution to design theory by
establishing a mathematical framework that elucidates the relationship between
shape grammars and making grammars. By establishing this connection, Kamath
enables the extension of advancements made in shape grammar theory into the
material realm through the utilization of making grammars.
This special issue also features two papers that explore architectural fabrication
and geometry as a didactic method.
826 V. Stojaković, B. Tepavčević

In ‘Integ​ratin​g Robot​ic Fabri​catio​n into the Basic​ Desig​n Studi​o’, Tuğrul

Yazar, Hülya Oral‑Karakoç and Gamze Gündüz reveal the educational potential
and strategies of robotic arms as design and production tools. The authors
present an experiment that took place in a first-year design studio at a faculty
of architecture in order to explore ways to implement robotic fabrication as a
continuation of the hands-on making process. Due to the fact that first-year
architecture students have insufficient technical knowledge in the fabrication
process, the authors aim to investigate how students’ design intentions influence
the development of their technical expertise and, conversely, how the acquisition
of technical knowledge shapes and refines their design intent.
In another didactics paper ‘Exper​iment​al Struc​tural​ Model:​ From Manua​l
Paper​ Garme​nt to Fabri​catio​n as an Archi​tectu​ral Pract​ice‑Based​ Appro​ach for
Fashi​on Desig​n Educa​tion’ Deena El‑Mahdy presents a study of architectural
design approaches in the fashion design process, suggesting a new educational
method based on structural model fabrication. The paper addresses the output
of an experimental collaborative practice-based workshop that involves both
architects and fashion designers. The resulting garments demonstrate that folding
techniques can be used to achieve stability and highlight the interdisciplinary
integration of architects and fashion designers. The study concludes that
implementing a parametric design logic based on an architectural perspective in
fashion would generate innovative ways of testing self-supporting geometry.
We aspire for this special issue of the Nexus Network Journal to serve as a
catalyst for new research and in-depth reflections on the interplay between
architectural geometry and fabrication. We wish to thank all contributors to this
special issue, with a special thanks to Kim Williams and Michael J. Ostwald,
Editor-in-Chief, for inviting us to be the guest Editors. Their dedication and
unwavering commitment to excellence have transformed the NNJ into an
exceptional publication and a remarkable community of scholars.

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maps and institutional affiliations.

Vesna Stojaković is full professor at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Technical Sciences,
University of Novi Sad. She graduated from the same University in the field of Architecture, (M/.Sc.
2004; Ph.D. 2011). She works in the field of digital technologies and geometry applied to architecture,
urbanism, design and art. She is the director of the Department of Theories and Interpretations of
Architectural Space and co-founder and director of the Digital Design Center (FTN, Novi Sad). She is the
council member at the Serbian Society for Geometry and Graphics and was president of the society from
2016 to 2018, a member of the Nexus Network Journal editorial board (from 2020), and eCAADe council
(from 2022). She was the Chair of three international conferences. She published and presented over sixty
papers, and participated in ten projects in the field of education and science and in many architectural
designs, which include the application of digital technologies in architectural practice.

Bojan Tepavčević is a professor at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D.
degrees from the same university in the field of architecture. He leads master modules in the field of
computational design, digital fabrication, design simulation and visualization. He held several lectures,
courses and workshops internationally. He was a conference chair of the 39th eCAADe international
Geometry to Fabrication in Architecture 827

conference in 2021 as well as a member of many international scientific committees in the field of CAAD,
geometry and architecture. He also serves as a reviewer and guest editor in scientific journals (Nexus
Network Journal, IJAC). He has been awarded several times for his research including The international
Trimo Research Award for the best Doctoral theses (2011) and Best application award at the International
Conference on Robotics RAAD (2014).