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Parametric Design
DESIGN STYLES & MOVEMENTSadvanced
Definition
A design approach in which the geometry of a building is defined by parameters and rules rather than fixed shapes. Changing a parameter — say, the angle of a sunshade — automatically updates all related elements. This allows complex, highly differentiated forms that would be impossible to design or build using traditional methods.
Example
The Beijing National Aquatics Centre (Water Cube) by PTW Architects (2008) used parametric geometry to derive its irregular foam-cell structure from Weaire–Phelan space-filling geometry.
Key Figures
- — Zaha Hadid — Heydar Aliyev Centre
- — Patrik Schumacher — parametricism theory
- — Greg Lynn — Embryological House