ABSTRACT
Born from the complex negotiation between liquid mass and tensile constraint, exible formwork castings resonate with material energy. Hard as stone yet visually supple and uid, the pre-cast architectural assemblies produced using exible formwork techniques suggest integrative design strategies that acknowledge the intricate associations between form, fabrication, and material behavior. is tripartite synthesis between geometry, making, and performance has emerged as one of the central themes of contemporary architecture and engineering. Borrowing ideas of morphology from biology and physics, twentieth-century architectural innovators such as Antonio Gaudí and Frei Otto built a legacy of material practice that incorporated methods of making with material and geometric logics. e emergent eects (and aects) produced through these highly integrative practices serve as the basis of much of the research and design at MATSYS. Building on the exible formwork research of Miguel Fisac in the 1970s, the P_Wall series by MATSYS explores the use of digital tools in the generation and fabrication of these bodies in formation.
