250 words blog for week 5

Morphogenesis and Emergent

Morphogenesis is a group of methods that employ digital media for form-making and adaptation and presentation, often in an aspiration to express or respond to contextual processes. Morphogenesis in architecture links to a number of concepts including emergent, self-organization and form-finding. The article talks about the difference between emergent properties in life and in computation, and a gap between nature and mechanic production. In the article Menges talks about ‘performative’, an apparent combination of form and performance, and how natural materials such as timber can be calculated to a certain extent structure made of these material can be design and fabricated by digitally controlled machines.

Process of morphogenesis and emergent are based strongly on mathematical complex forms, these mathematical forms can then be used for generating designs, evolving forms and structures in computational environment. Modern form-finding methods needs to be capable to change of adaptation that emergence demands. In an environmental perspective, Emergent provides models for life cycles, and the way in which different life cycles interact with each other in an ecosystem. In natural system, decision making and reaction are entirely local, and global forms are the products of local action with functionality in material itself. The article also focus a lot on geometry, patterns and behaviours, and the computational and material evolution of populations and species of architectural forms.