Shape Computation: Fifty Years, 1972-2022

by Sotirios Kotsopoulos (Editor)

Overview

This open access volume gives a panorama of Shape Computation, exploring its diverse design practices and interdisciplinary applications. Originating in the seminal 1972 article by George Stiny and James Gips that introduced shape grammars as a new computational paradigm, Shape Computation challenges traditional notions of visual and symbolic calculation, particularly in art and design.

As we mark the 50th anniversary (1972-2022) of Stiny and Gips’s essay, this volume reflects on Shape Computation's past, present, and future. While this theory has flourished in recent years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), contributions and applications have come from institutions globally. This approach offers an alternative paradigm for design computing, emphasizing generative descriptions through shapes and rules over symbolic instructions.

With examples spanning shape grammars, art, architecture, design theory, and more, this volume provides insights into the evolution and significance of this computational approach. Experts and students will appreciate it as a comprehensive introduction to Shape Computation and a valuable historical reference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031816222
Publisher:	Springer Nature Switzerland
Publication date:	12/26/2025
Series:	Mathematics and the Built Environment , #9
Pages:	591
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Sotirios Kotsopoulos specializes in shape computation, exploring its impact on design theory and practice. With a Ph.D. from MIT, he focuses on algorithmic aesthetics, shape grammars, and computational design. He has developed innovative projects such as the Connected Sustainable Home and contributed to urban study experiments like the Cityscope. As an educator at the National Technical University of Athens and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he promotes interdisciplinary research in architecture and design.

Table of Contents

Scutum Fidei.- Shape Grammars and the Architect.- The Geometrical Art of Lionel March.- Grids: Schemas, Rules and Cases.- Reflections on Interpreting Shape Grammars.- How is that? Computing the Temporality of Drawing.- Computing with Material Shapes: The Case of Triaxial Basket Weaving.- [Un]making with.- Preserving Brand Identity in Engineering Design.- The Science of Shape Grammar-Based Product Design.- Mathematics of Shape Rules.- Seeing and Drawing Shapes.- Flows: Composite Shape Rules.- Arrangements Containing Shapes: Mathematical Features and Use.- Shape Computation Research at the University of Sydney.- Shape Machine: From Software to Practice.- Design Space Exploration in the Shape Machine Interface.- From Lines to Curves.- Rewriting Shape Rules: Developing Implemented Shape Grammars to See Anew.- Automating the Archaeological Reconstruction of Classical Greek and Roman Architecture.- A Generative Grammar for the Design of Adaptive Intelligent Virtual Worlds.- What does Shape Grammar Implementation tell us about Artificial Intelligence in Architectural Design?.- The Shape of Generative AI.- Computing Chinese Architecture.- Using Shape Grammar as an Analytical Tool for Shelters in Protracted Refugee Camps: The Zaatari Camp Grammar.- Designing with Visual Calculation is Child's Play.- EthnoComputation: An Inductive-Deductive Shape Grammar on Toraja Glyph.