ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a square sheet folded along its diagonal axis which was at once flexible, structurally rigid, and easy to manufacture at a larger scale. Folding and fixing the sheet puts some parts in compression and others in tension, reinforcing its structural stability. Through an orthogonal assembly logic which expands to engage a larger ruled surface, complex curvature begins to emerge. While the hyper-packing-efficiency of the "cross unit" and its scalar variation makes the membrane incredibly responsive to endless proliferation in pursuit of complex form, the minimalist clarity of the prime unit creates an unexpected set of opportunities—variation, complexity and differencere—vealed through fortuitous accidents along the way. A ferryboat traffic scheduling analysis indicating organizational patterns of commuter delay quantifies these accidents and allows them to be inscribed onto the trajectory of the surface. Architecture of turbulence therefore emerges from modifications of a computational prime.
