Article

Metabolism and Morphology

  1. Michael Weinstock

Article first published online: 6 MAR 2008

DOI: 10.1002/ad.638

Issue

Architectural Design

Architectural Design

Special Issue: Versatility and Vicissitude

Volume 78, Issue 2, pages 26–33, March/April 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Weinstock, M. (2008), Metabolism and Morphology. Archit Design, 78: 26–33. doi: 10.1002/ad.638

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 6 MAR 2008
  2. Article first published online: 6 MAR 2008

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

Get PDF (712K)

Keywords:

  • D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson;
  • On Growth and Form;
  • ‘metabolic morphologies’;
  • relationship between energy, lifespan and body mass;
  • photosynthesis;
  • ‘pioneer’ trees;
  • (Maxscript 3D Studio Scripting Language);
  • West Brown Enquist theoretical model;
  • Fibonacci numbers;
  • Branching patterns;
  • ‘mother to daughter’ branches;
  • ‘zylem’;
  • ‘phloem’;
  • allometry;
  • Endotherms;
  • enhanced insulation;
  • Ectotherms;
  • climate ‘metasystem’;
  • connectivity and integration

Abstract

Architecture is on the cusp of systemic change, driven by the dynamics of climate and economy, of new technologies and new means of production. There is a growing interest in the dynamics of fluidity, in networks and in the new topologies of surfaces and soft boundaries. This is part of a general cultural response to the contemporary reconfiguration of the concept of ‘nature’ within the discourse of architecture; a change from metaphor to model, from ‘nature’ as a source of formal inspiration to ‘nature’ as a mine of interrelated dynamic processes that are available for analysis and digital simulation. Michael Weinstock presents an account of the dynamics of natural metabolisms, and suggests an agenda for the development of metabolic morphologies of buildings and cities. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Get PDF (712K)