ABSTRACT
This chapter delineates two kinds of topological patterns: divisible and accretive. In computational models, both divisible and accretive patterns are shaped as much by data as by the direct manipulation of geometries. That is, many of the patterns described in this chapter are indirectly structured and numerically informed as much as they are directly drawn. The study and creation of patterns involves the transfer of organized information from one medium to another. Divisible patterns are typically composed of a network of polygons that define topological surfaces, such as those found in the land. These networks are created by the continuous joining of one or more geometric shapes, such as rectangles, triangles, and hexagons, resulting in such tessellated structures as meshes, triangulated irregular networks (TINs), or Voronoi diagrams. Plasma Studio/Ground Lab's use of divisible patterning for both site and building organization deftly blends architecture and landscape within a seamless geometric continuum.
