What geometry in the early history of architecture?
 
 
Description:  It is commonly said that Euclidean geometry played a large part in the development of architecture, but is this really true? An examination of the two earliest and best known treatises of architecture, On architecture by Vitruvius and the Sketchbooks of Villard de Honnecourt reveal no trace of Euclid's Elements. What role did geometry actually play for architects of ancient Rome and the medieval? What role does it play for architects today?

Kim Williams is an American architect living and working in Tuscany. She received her degree in Architectural Studies form the University of Texas in Austin, and is licensed as an architect in New York State. She became interested in mathematics and architecture while writing "Italian Pavements: Patterns in Space" (Houston: Anchorage Press, 1997) about the role of decorated pavements in the history of Italian architecture. In 1996 she began the international conference series "Nexus: Architecture and Mathematics", the fifth edition of which, Nexus 2006, took place in June 2006 in Genoa (Italy). In 1999 she founded the "Nexus Network Journal" to provide a dedicated venue for scholarly research in architecture and mathematics. In 2000 she founded Kim Williams Books, an independent press for books about architecture and mathematics. Kim has published many articles in scholarly journals on the use of mathematical principles in architecture, including "Mathematical Intelligencer" and "Leonardo". Her drawings have been displayed in both group and solo exhibits. She has participated in numerous international conferences, and regularly lectures on architecture and mathematics. Her latest book is "The Villas of Palladio" (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2003).
Start Date:  2006-10-17
Start Time:   15:00
Speaker:  Kim Williams
Institution:  --
Place:  Sala 2.4 - Departamento de Matemática
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