Research from the 2007 Rensselaer Architecture Rome Studio
The Italian Cultural Institute in New York, October 1-October 9, 2008
Opening: Wednesday, October 1, 6:00pm

The Rensselaer School of Architecture Rome Program studio ‘Re-Interpreting the Baroque’ explores how geometry operates in Italian Baroque architecture. Geometry and mathematics were fundamental in the 17th century to the understanding of science, philosophy, art, architecture and religion. It is what links baroque architects such as Francesco Borromini and Guarino Guarini to other great thinkers of the period such as Descartes, Galileo, Kepler, Desargues and Newton. In order to truly understand Baroque architecture one must first understand its governing geometry and how it was utilized in order to achieve the dynamic effects that are the signature of the Baroque.

Logical and mathematical operations are the language for structuring geometric relationships within computation, and are no doubt the key reason for architects’ peaked interest in mathematics today. Defining parameters with mathematical operations allows designers unprecedented access to and comprehension of the generative possibilities of equation based geometry. The geometry of Baroque architecture gains a renewed relevance when understood parametrically. By merging the capabilities of programming within the digital modeling environment, parametric analysis, unlike traditional two dimensional or static projected analyses, reveals the flexible and generative aspects of equation based geometry of the Baroque.

The first phase of the studio employed parametric modeling to reveal a unique insight into how integral geometry was to the conception of these Baroque works. In addition, it served to divulge how geometry integrated structure and composition as well as spatial and visual effects. The second phase of the studio utilizes the generative qualities of these parametric analysis models to speculate on how these principles may inform and become relevant to contemporary design. The models were re-contextualized, under an entirely new set of criteria and parameters in order to generate new effects and performance. Each project positioned these parametric principles in very different ways. Because the models are capable of generating any number of variations of the original Baroque principles, the results varied from more literal destabilizations of scalar and compositional shifts to more abstracted interpretations of underlying trigonometric logic.

Please join us for the opening and reception on October 1, 2008 at 6:00pm at the Italian Cultural Institute
Italian Cultural Institute in New York
686 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
r.s.v.p: 212 879 4242 ext 362

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