On the shores of architecture: Computational Fluid Dynamics

This paper explores the implications of complex geometry enabled by computational technology to architectural theory and practice. It reviews the different design paradigms engaged breaking the horizontality of the floor and ceiling or fusing them together. It argues that current advances in fluid dynamics simulations open a new frontier in the conception of the usable architectural surface, in which the architectural product is no longer a fixed object, but the interaction between a fluid, changing environment and built form. The paper presents a case study in which computational fluid dynamics are utilized to reconvert a disused breakwater into a 'blue garden'. The morphology of the breakwater and its texture are calculated to produce the conditions amiable for supporting a varied marine ecosystem, and to shape the waves to generate aesthetically meaningful sensations. The essay discusses the technical and conceptual challenges of controlling the non-linear behaviour of fluids. It then speculates on the theoretical ramifications of having the surface interact with exterior forces and the subject's imagination to produce an event enfolding in time.