ABSTRACT
This paper presents the critical role of detecting and simulating rainwater flow paths as a methodology for nature-responsive architectural planning and design. Induced by anthropogenic climate change, water is becoming an increasingly important design factor fostering a relationship between form and place in the sense of a geometria situs, i.e. topology. The following research involves in-situ case studies of rainwater flow path analyses at different scales from the landscape to the building, performed in Caporciano, Abruzzo (Italy) and Berlin (Germany). The research depicts correlations between natural rainwater flow paths and the development pattern of buildings. In addition, the implications of these flow paths for architectural geometries are examined on a design for a roof structure. The application of rainwater flow path analyses in architecture represents an advancement in establishing stronger relationships between buildings, their surroundings and their mutual influences for sustainable building design and analysis.
