Formative Impulse: A theoretical outline for the study of Goethean morphology using computation

Abstract

In this paper a theoretical and computational framework for a contemporary study of morphogenesis will be presented using a pulsation model. This study will revisit some of the valuable historical ideas on form developed by Goethe in the late eighteenth century. This investigation will be developed in three main parts. In the first part a brief outline of Goethe's scientific methodology will be described positioning his achievements against the epistemology of Kant. In the second part Goethe's main works on morphology will be presented with a focus on his botanical writings. Using a fragment titled "Formative Impulse" some of Goethe's ideas on polar tendencies and metamorphosis will be used for a computational framework in the final part. By bridging among history, theory and technology the paper aims to present a novel approach to the study of computational form and growth in architecture. © 2014, The Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA), Hong Kong.