A Discussion of the Term Digital Tectonics

For almost twenty years, digital architecture of different themes and characters has been produced. Through this time it has become possible to develop new and geometrically free forms, as well as calculate and simulate different technical matters of future constructions using digital tools. The wildest and most complex building concepts can through three-dimensional modelling and drawing programmes be realized and built, and this has naturally fascinated architects. Many digitally conceived projects are thus characterized by this fascination of the free-form geometry. In the contemporary discussions of digital architecture, digital tectonics is a commonly occurring term, and in this article the focus will be on this particular term. The term of tectonics has been used by architectural theorists for several centuries, but through time there have been many different opinions on what the term contains. In this article the term tectonics will first be defined through analysing of different architectural theories, and thereafter the term will be discussed in relation to digital architecture. Through this discussion a comprehension of the terms of tectonics and digital architecture is reached, and subsequently it is suggested how they together can form a new kind of tectonics – digital tectonics.