Frontiers of Architectural Research >

2014 , Vol. 3 >Issue 3: 298 - 323

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2014.03.006

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Tree-inspired dendriforms and fractal-like branching structures in architecture: A brief historical overview

  • Iasef Md Rian ,
  • Mario Sassone
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  • Department of Architecture and Design (DAD), Politecnico di Torino, Viale Pier Andrea Mattioli – 39, Turin 10125, Italy

Received date: 17 Nov 2013

Accepted date: 10 Mar 2014

Published date: 19 Nov 2014

Copyright

2014 This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Abstract

The shapes of trees are complex and fractal-like, and they have a set of physical, mechanical and biological functions. The relation between them always draws attention of human beings throughout history and, focusing on the relation between shape and structural strength, architects have designed a number of treelike structures, referred as dendriforms. The replication and adoption of the treelike patterns for constructing architectural structures have been varied in different time periods based on the existing and advanced knowledge and available technologies. This paper, by briefly discussing the biological functions and the mechanical properties of trees with regard to their shapes, overviews and investigates the chronological evolution and advancements of dendriform and arboreal structures in architecture referring to some important historical as well as contemporary examples.

Key words： Architecture; Tree; Dendriforms; Fractal geometry; Branching structures; Technology

Cite this article

Iasef Md Rian , Mario Sassone . Tree-inspired dendriforms and fractal-like branching structures in architecture: A brief historical overview[J]. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2014 , 3(3) : 298 -323 . DOI: 10.1016/j.foar.2014.03.006

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