Principles of a Geometry Program for Architecture -- Experiences, Examples, and Evaluations

C. Leopold

Journal for geometry and graphics, Tome 7 (2003) no. 1, pp. 101-11.

Résumé

Geometry is a basic science for architecture. During the past centuries there were various evaluations of the role of geometry for architecture. Especially in the last decades the importance of descriptive geometry was pushed back more or less in most countries. Some countries try to keep the traditional descriptive geometry discipline, others replace it by training CAD-systems. Both ways have some understandable reasons, but both let missing important points of an actual geometry education. On the one hand it is not enough to keep only the traditional discipline, on the other hand geometrical knowledge is still a necessary condition for architecture, and this geometrical basis is not reached only by training CAD-systems. As responsibles for the education of the students of architecture we have to react to the challenges of our times and we have to be aware of the new, but also the remaining requests of teaching geometry for architecture. In this paper the principles of such a geometry program will be presented and explained by examples from the past teaching experiences at University of Kaiserslautern in Germany. The concept is exposed in a textbook and exercise material for the students.

Détail

Classification : 51N05
Mots-clés : descriptive geometry, geometry, architecture, architectural design, teaching concept, new media