Architect Alexandra Castro's Doctoral Public Examinations will be held on October 25, Wednesday, at 3 p.m., in the Sala Plana.

The thesis is entitled The Hidden Geometry of the Architecture of Herzog & de Meuron, Digital Tools and Design Practice.

Jury

Doutor Carlos Manuel de Castro Cabral Machado (President)
Professor Associado da Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto

Doutor Bruno Acácio Ferreira Figueiredo
Professor Associado da Universidade do Minho

Doutor Paulo Alexandre Tormenta Pinto
Professor Catedrático do Instituto Universitário de Lisboa

Doutor José Pedro Ovelheiro Marques de Sousa
Professor Associado da Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto

Doutor José Miguel Neto Viana Brás Rodrigues
Professor Catedrático da Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the work of Herzog & de Meuron (HdM) from a perspective that, as the title suggests, focuses on the relationship between geometry, architecture and design tools. The aim was to determine how the Basel architects have worked with geometry over the years and considered it in their design theory and practice, in order to better understand what has changed in their architecture since they introduced digital technologies into the working process.The critical approach to HdM's practice is taken from two complementary perspectives. The first takes the form of a macro-history of the office, weaving a narrative that, over the period from 1978 to 2020, highlights the interaction of geometry and digital tools in its architecture.The second part focuses on the detailed study of a single work. The extension to the Tate Modern in London (2005-2016) - a project in which computational methods played a crucial role in the design of one of its most distinctive elements, the brick façade - was chosen as a case study that contributes to the hypothesis developed in the thesis.

— Alexandra Castro

Advisor
João Pedro Xavier

Co-supervisors
José Miguel Rodrigues
Kai Heinrich Strehlke [Berner Fachhochschule]

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