The Use of Shape to Drive Innovation

The construction industry often thinks of structures as limited by the materials available to build them. Those materials – concrete, steel, wood, and so on – have different characteristics and strengths. Building components and, importantly, their shapes tend to develop based on the natural strengths and weaknesses of each of these materials. However, to be genuinely innovative and expand the bounds of design abilities, we need to think more explicitly about the ways that shape itself has utility and function. …