Living Architecture Polygonal Lattice Design Tool

By Timothy Boll and Kevan Cress, edited by Philip Beesley

With contributions from Matt Gorbet and Michael Lancaster

This publication describes the development and use of a software tool titled Living Architecture Polygonal Lattice Design Tool. This design tool can be used to support digital modeling and physical fabrication workflows that are used for designing living architecture environments. These experimental architectural environments  can move, respond, and learn. They are designed to be inclusive and empathic toward their inhabitants.The environments are being developed by the Living Architecture Systems Group, an international partnership of researchers, artists, and industrial collaborators studying how we can build living architectural systems in order to develop sustainable, adaptive environments.  The  Living Architecture Systems Description (LASD) is designed to support computational modeling and time-based media development and control for these environments. The framework arose from the need to create integrated workflows for the evolving components and functions of LASG testbeds.

The LAPL is a sandbox model tool created for designers, as a way to approach the forms included in the Living Architecture Systems Group (LASG) testbeds. The LAPL aims to make the process of exploring and simulating emergent polygonal lattices intuitive and accessible for use by designers in the LASG or as part of workshops and STEAM education initiatives. The publication forms part of a series of work-in-progress reports and publications by LASG researchers and contributors.