Antoni Gaudi's computational legacy

Abstract

The Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi died in 1926 aged 74 when, at best, he had completed 10 percent of his magnum opus, the Sagrada Familia Church, on which he had worked for 43 years. He left for his successors a conundrum that is still being played out today. Given that the building is so manijestl-v a complex building task, it seems extraordinary that he succeeded in leaving behind a codex s@cient!v comprehensive that his successors have been able to bring the project signi$cantly forward towards conclusion with accuracy. The codex is based on second order surface geomety, and while the geomety may be interpreted without the use of the computer, the demands today are tempered by expectations racked-up to make the contribution of the computer non-negotiable. Professor Mark Burry has been working on the project since 1979 both pre and post digitalcv. His lecture will look at the implications of introducing the computer to assist solving the underlying geometry that regulates the entire unbuilt sections. In doing so he will discuss the gains and potential losses that have resultedfrom more than ten years use of high end aeronautical design sof iare to aid the task of completion of a building too demanding for software designed for the architecture sector.