Finding a Form

Finding a Form

Author: William H. Gass

Publisher: Knopf

Published: 2013-10-23

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 0804150931

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From the author of The Tunnel comes a new collection of essays, his first in eight years, on art, writing, nature and culture. This book is by one of the most important and briliant thinkers at work today.


Shell Structures for Architecture

Shell Structures for Architecture

Author: Sigrid Adriaenssens

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-03-21

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1317909380

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*** Featuring a foreword by Pritzker Prize Winner Shigeru Ban *** Bringing together experts from research and practice, Shell Structures for Architecture: Form Finding and Optimization presents contemporary design methods for shell and gridshell structures, covering form-finding and structural optimization techniques. It introduces architecture and engineering practitioners and students to structural shells and provides computational techniques to develop complex curved structural surfaces, in the form of mathematics, computer algorithms, and design case studies. • Part I introduces the topic of shells, tracing the ancient relationship between structural form and forces, the basics of shell behaviour, and the evolution of form-finding and structural optimization techniques. • Part II familiarizes the reader with form-finding techniques to explore expressive structural geometries, covering the force density method, thrust network analysis, dynamic relaxation and particle-spring systems. • Part III focuses on shell shape and topology optimization, and provides a deeper understanding of gradient-based methods and meta-heuristic techniques. • Part IV contains precedent studies of realised shells and gridshells describing their innovative design and construction methods.


Parametric Geometry of Curves and Surfaces

Parametric Geometry of Curves and Surfaces

Author: Alberto Lastra

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-09-06

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 3030813177

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This textbook provides a thorough introduction to the differential geometry of parametrized curves and surfaces, along with a wealth of applications to specific architectural elements. Geometric elements in architecture respond to practical, physical and aesthetic needs. Proper understanding of the mathematics underlying the geometry provides control over the construction. This book relates the classical mathematical theory of parametrized curves and surfaces to multiple applications in architecture. The presentation is mathematically complete with numerous figures and animations illustrating the theory, and special attention is given to some of the recent trends in the field. Solved exercises are provided to see the theory in practice. Intended as a textbook for lecture courses, Parametric Geometry of Curves and Surfaces is suitable for mathematically-inclined students in engineering, architecture and related fields, and can also serve as a textbook for traditional differential geometry courses to mathematics students. Researchers interested in the mathematics of architecture or computer-aided design will also value its combination of precise mathematics and architectural examples.


Generative Design

Generative Design

Author: Asterios Agkathidis

Publisher: Laurence King Publishing

Published: 2016-02-01

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1780679882

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Generating form is one of the most fundamental aspects of architectural education and practice. While new computational tools are enabling ever more unpredictable forms, critics argue that this leads to a disconnection between architectural output and its context. This attractive, pocket-sized book uses 11 different architectural projects to explore how generative design processes can integrate digital as well as physical design tools and techniques to produce innovative forms that cohere with structural and material principles, performance and context. Illustrated with drawings, computer images and models, this stimulating, accessible handbook of ideas provides a guide for students as well as an inspiration for practising architects.


Option B

Option B

Author: Sheryl Sandberg

Publisher: Knopf

Published: 2017-04-24

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1524732699

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build. Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy. Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B. We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.


Form, Fit, Fashion

Form, Fit, Fashion

Author: Jay Calderin

Publisher: Rockport Publishers

Published: 2009-12-01

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1616736755

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An indispensable primer for students and first-stop reference for professionals, Form, Fit, and Fashion guides the fashion designer through the entire design process, from conceiving a garment to marketing it. This handbook collects the information and ideas essential to planning and executing fashion projects of every scale and distills them in an easy-to-use format that is compact enough to slip into a tote. Linking six central phases in the cycle of fashion—research, editing, design, construction, connection, and evolution—Form, Fit, and Fashion will help designers to develop effective strategies for building a cohesive collection and communicating their vision.


Why I Write

Why I Write

Author: George Orwell

Publisher: Renard Press Ltd

Published: 2021-01-01

Total Pages: 15

ISBN-13: 1913724263

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George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times


World Within The Word

World Within The Word

Author: William H. Gass

Publisher: Knopf

Published: 2012-09-05

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 0307824292

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In this sequel to Fiction & the Figures of Life, one of America's most brilliant and eclectic minds examines literature, culture, writers (their lives and works), and the nature and uses of language and the written word. Included are discussions of Valéry, Henry Miller, Sartre, Freud, Faulkner, suicide, "art and order," and the transformation of language into poetry and fiction. The vividness and clarity of Gass's writing, the unabashed love and inimitable use of language-his startling metaphors, the sinuousness of his philosophy, the originality of his vision-make each essay a searching revelation of its subject, as well as an example of Gass's own singular artistry.


We Go On

We Go On

Author: John Onwuchekwa

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2022-01-11

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 031046014X

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Do you often ask the question "What is my purpose in life?" Rich with black-and-white photography, powerful stories, and life-changing reflections from the book of Ecclesiastes, We Go On, by pastor and entrepreneur John Onwuchekwa calls you to find the true answer to the question: Why am I here? In a world that encourages us to find meaning in temporary things, we long to know that who we are makes a difference after we're gone. This hope-filled exploration of this biblical book of wisdom turns our attention to what our true purpose is and how to let that purpose shape our relationships, career, and life choices. Along with biblical insights, John Onwuchekwa weaves together meaningful challenges that even from difficult beginnings, we can continue to trust God's path. In this book, you'll discover a more meaningful, fulfilling life as you explore themes such as: work, wealth, and power sexuality, social relationships, and justice religion and family Inspiring black-and-white photography paired with a modern cover make this a perfect gift to give to men and women for holidays, graduations, birthdays, new jobs, or to anyone seeking a deeper relationship with God. We Go On will help men and women: experience deeper peace in a changing world see biblical imagery in a fresh way persevere through difficult circumstances find new motivation for living with intention This unique book reminds you that deeper purpose is available as you look beyond your circumstances and find meaning in the God who never changes.