Group Theory and Architecture

Abstract

An introduction to a comprehensive theory of design based on group theory in an intuitive form, and building up any needed group theory through tutorial passages. The article will begin by assuming that the reader has no knowledge of group theory, and progressively add more and more group theory in an easy form, until we finally are able to get to quite difficult topics in tensor algebras, and give a group-theoretic analysis of complex buildings such as those of Peter Eisenman, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Coop Himmelblau, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Greg Lynn, and Bernard Tschumi. The first part is on a subject of considerable psychological relevance: nested symmetries. In the second Leyton looks at the functional role of symmetry and asymmetry in architecture.