Architectural structures create the environment in which they are
situated, while at the same time describing that environment. Complex
forms, such as the twist, offer the architect a tool to shape an
environment with a visible smoothness that disguises the space's
complexity and precision. But twisted structures present a
double-challenge for architects and builders. To create such structures,
it is necessary not only to design them, but to design the method of
constructing them. For some geometries, it is enough to take a
conventional building method, or an already extant tool and modify it
slightly. But more often than not, completely new tools and methods need
to be figured out. This process of re-engineering, rethinking, and
re-imagining leads to an increasing and progressively more intimate
awareness of material, texture, and detail. This book charts the journey
of SYSTEMarchitects from the folded geometries of the seminal BURST
house exhibited at MOMA's renowned 2008 show to the curves, tucks and
twisted spaces that followed. It records ve years of experimentation
with pre fabricated and iterative techniques, low cost materials, and
algorithmic design all in service of projects made for everyday use. It
examines the role of parametric design in the domestic sphere, and It
explores twisted volumes, from large scale structures to the very
surface of the twist itself, offering a whole new animated direction for
architecture.
