Formex Formulation of Freeform Structural Surfaces

Structures for covering large public spaces are more and more designed with innovativeshapes involving combinations and/or modified forms of classical simple shapes such asplane, cylinder, sphere,. .. etc. These innovative shapes are termed "freeform" and are created through the interaction between practical considerations for the structures and the artistic sense of the designers. Formex algebra and its programming language Formian can be of help in generating the geometry of freeform structures. In particular, there are two formex concepts that are of value in this context. These are the concepts of "pellevation" and "novation". The purpose of the present paper is to discuss the manner in which pellevation and novation can be used for freeform generation. In the paper, to begin with, the concepts of pellevation and novation are explained in terms of some simple examples. The process of freeform generation is then illustrated using a number of examples.