Mathematics in, of and for architecture: A framework of types

Abstract

The frontispiece of the thirteenth century Bible Moralisee conserved in Vienna portrays a Christ-like figure leaning over a primordial world and using a pair of compasses to measure and inscribe its limits (Fig. 3.1). Titled ‘God as architect of the world’, it depicts the use of a mathematical instrument to determine the functional, symbolic and aesthetic properties of the universe. The pair of compasses is a symbol of all of the possible ways in which mathematics is used to support design. Such symbols are useful for reinforcing the simple message that the creative impulse relies on mathematics to translate a concept into reality. At the same time, however, this symbolism masks the fact that the relationships between architecture and mathematics are both richer and more diverse than the sign implies. The purpose of the present chapter is to look behind the symbol of the pair of compasses and to begin to identify the different ways in which mathematics is used in architecture.