GEOMETRIE

The Contribution of Discrete Differential

Geometry to Contemporary Architecture
Helmut Pottmann

Vienna University of Technology, Austria

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Project in Seoul, Hadid Architects
GEOMETRIE

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Lilium Tower Warsaw, Hadid Architects
GEOMETRIE

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Project in Baku, Hadid Architects
GEOMETRIE

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 Discrete Surfaces in Architecture
GEOMETRIE

triangle
meshes

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 Zlote Tarasy, Warsaw
GEOMETRIE

Waagner-Biro Stahlbau AG
Chapter 19 - Discrete Freeform Structures 6
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Visible mesh quality
GEOMETRIE

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 Geometry in architecture
GEOMETRIE

 The underlying geometry representation

may greatly contribute to the aesthetics
and has to meet manufacturing constraints
 Different from typical graphics applications

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GEOMETRIE

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nodes in the support structure
GEOMETRIE

 triangle mesh: generically

nodes of valence 6;
`torsion´: central planes of
beams not co-axial

torsion-free node
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 quad meshes in architecture
GEOMETRIE

 Schlaich Bergermann

hippo house, Berlin Zoo

 quad meshes with planar faces (PQ meshes) are

preferable over triangle meshes (cost, weight,
node complexity,…)

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 GEOMETRIE

Discrete Surfaces in Architecture

Helmut Pottmann1, Johannes Wallner2, Alexander Bobenko3

Yang Liu4, Wenping Wang4

1 TU Wien
2 TU Graz

3 TU Berlin

4 University of Hong Kong

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Previous work

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 Previous work
GEOMETRIE

 Difference geometry (Sauer, 1970)

 Quad meshes with planar faces (PQ meshes)
discretize conjugate curve networks.

Example 2: principal
Example 1: translational net
curvature lines

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 PQ meshes
GEOMETRIE

 A PQ strip in a PQ mesh is a discrete model of a

tangent developable surface.
 Differential geometry tells us: PQ meshes are
discrete versions of conjugate curve networks

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 Previous work
GEOMETRIE

 Discrete Differential Geometry:

 Bobenko & Suris, 2005: integrable systems
 circular meshes: discretization of the network of
principal curvature lines (R. Martin et al. 1986)

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Computing PQ meshes

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 Computational Approach
GEOMETRIE

 Computation of a PQ mesh is based on

a nonlinear optimization algorithm:
 Optimization criteria
 planarity of faces
 aesthetics (fairness of mesh polygons)
 proximity to a given reference surface
 Requires initial mesh: ideal if taken
from a conjugate curve network.

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 subdivision & optimization
GEOMETRIE

 Refine a coarse PQ mesh by repeated

application of subdivision and PQ optimization

PQ meshes via Catmull-Clark subdivision and PQ optimization

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Opus (Hadid Architects)
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Opus (Hadid Architects)
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OPUS (Hadid Architects)
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Conical Meshes

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 Conical meshes
GEOMETRIE

 Liu et al. 06
 Another discrete
counterpart of network of
principal curvature lines
 PQ mesh is conical if all
vertices of valence 4 are
conical: incident oriented
face planes are tangent to
a right circular cone

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 Conical meshes
GEOMETRIE

 Cone axis: discrete

surface normal
 Offsetting all face planes
by constant distance
yields conical mesh with
the same set of discrete
normals

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Offset meshes
GEOMETRIE

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Offset meshes
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Offset meshes
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Offset meshes
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 normals of a conical mesh
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 neighboring discrete
normals are coplanar
 conical mesh has a
discretely orthogonal
support structure

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Multilayer constructions
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 Computing conical meshes
GEOMETRIE

 angle criterion

 add angle criterion to PQ

optimization
 alternation with
subdivision as design
tool

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 subdivision-based design
GEOMETRIE

combination of Catmull-Clark subdivision and

conical optimization; design: Benjamin Schneider

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design by Benjamin Schneider
GEOMETRIE

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Mesh Parallelism and Nodes

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 supporting beam layout
GEOMETRIE

 beams: prismatic,
symmetric with
respect to a plane
 optimal node (i.e.
without torsion):
central planes of
beams pass through
node axis
 Existence of a parallel
mesh whose vertices
lie on the node axes
geometric support structure
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 Parallel meshes
GEOMETRIE

M M*

 meshes M, M* with planar faces are parallel if

they are combinatorially equivalent and
corresponding edges are parallel

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 Geometric support structure
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 Connects two parallel meshes M, M*

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 Computing a supporting beam layout
GEOMETRIE

 given M,
construct a
beam layout
 find parallel
mesh S which
approximates
a sphere
 solution of a
linear system
 initialization
not required

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 Triangle meshes
GEOMETRIE

 Parallel triangle
meshes are scaled
versions of each
other
 Triangle meshes
possess a support
structure with torsion
free nodes only if
they represent a
nearly spherical
shape

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Triangle Meshes – beam layout with optimized nodes
• We can minimize torsion in the supporting beam layout for
triangle meshes

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Mesh optimization

• Project YAS island (Asymptote, Gehry Technologies, Schlaich

Bergermann, Waagner Biro, …)

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Mesh smoothing

• Project YAS island (quad mesh with nonplanar faces)

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Mesh smoothing

• Project YAS island (quad mesh with nonplanar faces)

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Optimized nodes
• Torsion minimization also works for quadrilateral meshes
with nonplanar faces

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Optimized nodes
• Torsion minimization also works for quadrilateral meshes
with nonplanar faces

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YAS project, mockup

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Offset meshes

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node geometry
GEOMETRIE

Employing beams
of constant height:
misalignment on
one side

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 Cleanest nodes
GEOMETRIE

 Perfect alignment on both sides if a mesh with

edge offsets is used

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Cleanest nodes
GEOMETRIE

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 Offset meshes
GEOMETRIE

 at constant distance d from M is

called an offset of M.
 different types, depending on the definition of

 vertex offsets:
 edge offsets: distance of corresponding (parallel)
edges is constant =d
 face offsets: distance of corresponding faces (parallel
planes) is constant =d

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 Exact offsets
GEOMETRIE

 For offset pair define

Gauss image
 Then:
 vertex offsets vertices of S lie in S2 (if
M quad mesh, then circular mesh)
 edge offsets edges of S are tangent to
S2
 face offsets face planes of S are
tangent to S2 (M is a conical mesh)

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Meshes with edge offsets

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 Edge offset meshes
GEOMETRIE

 M has edge offsets iff it is parallel to a

mesh S whose edges are tangent to S2

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 Koebe polyhedra
GEOMETRIE

 Meshes with planar faces and

edges tangent to S2 have a
beautiful geometry; known as
Koebe polyhedra. Closed
Koebe polyhedra defined by
their combinatorics up to a
Möbius transform
 computable as minimum of a
convex function (Bobenko
and Springborn)

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 vertex cones
GEOMETRIE

 Edges emanating from a vertex in an EO

mesh are contained in a cone of revolution
whose axis serves as node axis.
 Simplifies the construction of the support
structure

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 Laguerre geometry
GEOMETRIE

 Laguerre geometry is the geometry of oriented

planes and oriented spheres in Euclidean 3-
space.
 L-trafo preserves or. planes, or. spheres and
contact; simple example: offsetting operation
 or. cones of revolution are objects of Laguerre
geometry (envelope of planes tangent to two
spheres)
 If we view an EO mesh as collection of vertex
cones, an L-trafo maps an EO mesh M to an
EO mesh .

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Example: discrete CMC surface M (hexagonal
EO mesh) and Laguerre transform M´
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Hexagonal EO mesh
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 Planar hexagonal panels
GEOMETRIE

Planar hexagons
 non-convex in
negatively curved
areas
 Phex mesh layout
largely unsolved
 initial results by
Y. Liu and W. Wang

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Single curved panels, ruled panels and
semi-discrete representations

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 developable surfaces in architecture
GEOMETRIE

 (nearly) developable surfaces

F. Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

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surfaces in architecture
GEOMETRIE

single curved panels 64

 D-strip models
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One-directional limit of a PQ mesh:

developable strip model (D-strip model)

semi-discrete surface representation

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 Principal strip models I
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Circular strip model as limit of a circular mesh

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 Principal strip models II
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Conical strip model as limit of a conical mesh

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 Principal strip models III
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Conversion: conical model to circular model

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Conical strip model
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Conical strip model
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Multi-layer structure
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D-strip model on
top of a PQ mesh

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Project in Cagliari, Hadid Architects
Approximation by ruled surface strips

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Semi-discrete model: smooth union of ruled strips

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Circle packings on surfaces

M. Höbinger

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Project in Budapest, Hadid
Architects GEOMETRIE

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Selfridges, Birmingham
GEOMETRIE

Architects: Future Systems

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Optimization based on
triangulation GEOMETRIE

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Circle packings on surfaces
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GEOMETRIE

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GEOMETRIE

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GEOMETRIE

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 Conclusion
GEOMETRIE

 architecture poses new challenges to geometric

design and computing: paneling, supporting beam
layout, offsets, …
 Main problem: rationalization of freeform shapes,
i.e., the segmentation into panels which can be
manufactured at reasonable cost; depends on
material and manufacturing technology
 many relations to discrete differential geometry
 semi-discrete representations interesting as well
 architectural geometry: a new research direction
in geometric computing

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 Acknowledgements
GEOMETRIE

 S. Brell-Cokcan, S. Flöry, Y. Liu,

A. Schiftner, H. Schmiedhofer,
B. Schneider, J. Wallner, W. Wang
 Funding Agencies: FWF, FFG
 Waagner Biro Stahlbau AG, Vienna
 Evolute GmbH, Vienna
 RFR, Paris
 Zaha Hadid Architects, London

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 Literature
GEOMETRIE

Architectural Geometry
H. Pottmann, A. Asperl,
M. Hofer, A. Kilian

Publisher:
BI Press, 2007
ISBN:
978-1-934493-04-5

725 pages, 800 color figures

www.architecturalgeometry.at
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D-strip models via subdivision
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