Additive Architecture

Additive Architecture

While undertaking research on exemplars and the philosophy of "Additive Architecture" I came to realise that my future proposal design approach is one which was largely used by Danish architect Jørn Utzon who uses this approach on the basis of growth patterns in nature during the development of his own projects. My tutor Ruwan helped me to refine my thought process to think of the building as if it were a seed of a plant which has potential to develop and grow. I find Jørn Utzon's approach interesting where he takes this idea further by catering to the fact that depending on various physical factors such as the environment, the seeds may develop differently and subsequently, their forms are dependent on their "upbringing". His vision was an additive world where both natural and cultural forms "contributed to additive systems and hierarchies". It can be said that the best example of his additive world proposal was for the Jeddah sports centre in Saudi Arabia, where the design was based on the use of a limited number of repeating elements.

Examples of Jorns design process:
http://www.mas.caad.arch.ethz.ch/mas1011/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Jesper_T_Christensen_M4_T01.pdf