Morphology II: Valles Caldera

Work completed for Professor Alex Webb and Professor Steve Dent's ARCH 601 studio, fall 2015 at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning.

The design of this center is rooted in the growth patterns of two plant species: sunflowers and ferns. Based on the work of phytologists Aristid Lindenmayer and Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz, this building developed from a generative algorithm that seeks to approximate these organic morphologies.

This generative algorithm informed the “growth” of our structural system, which we developed into an architecture based on the topography of our selected site. By placing the structure within the earth, building has a reduced visual impact on natural landscape. The orientation of the center allows for maximum views of the spectacular Valle Grande basin. The end result is a building that is both of and situated within its environmental context.

Node/spatial arrangement diagrams generated in Processing, Rabbit and Houdini. Spiral patterning based on the Fibonacci sequence; code adapted from Jim Bumgardner.