ABSTRACT
Parametric design has created the possibility for designing shapes and forms using variable data as a method for defining form. There are as many types of data as there are forms to be created; however, a few particular categories have developed as genres for parametric design: structure, materiality, environmental systems, and genetic systems. Mark West’s work is one of the first to link complex forms to parametric expressions of structure. For West, structural expression also results in the minimization of wasted volume of concrete and formwork. The shape of the beam places concrete only in locations where it is structurally necessary.
