Architecture Life

2 Responses on What are examples of architecture problems that require math?

• 
  By Awms A at August 21st, 2008

  Look into the St. Louis Arch, for one. It’s actual shape is a hyperbolic cosine, also called a “catenary curve”.

  Or maybe the Sydney Opera House? If I remember correctly, it’s mathematically interesting (though maybe not as much as the Arch).

  Or if you want a little reading, I just searched google and found this (looks like it’s about several interesting buildings in Britain):

• 
  By MathMan TG at August 24th, 2008

  Much of it concerns calculating dimensions,
  areas, volumes, and so forth, which is geometry.

  When it comes to the actual construction, then
  amounts of materials, lengths of beams (for slanted
  roofs and such) and so on come into play.

  There would also be cost estimates based on materials.

  Window sizes for example will affect temperatures and
  change insulation requirements.

  Closely related to the architecture will be the structural
  engineering, especially for tall buildings. You want them
  to stay standing, so wind force, required strengths of
  materials, elevator capacities, and more need to be
  figured.

  For staircases, the steepness comes into play.
  Spiral staircases are another story, too.

  In climates where there is a lot of snow, the roofs
  are steep so it doesn’t accumulate.

  The more complex the building, the more math will be
  required. For a standard house, not so much (but still
  quite a bit). For a 100-story skycraper, LOTS !

  Non-rectangular shapes bring in their own needs and
  calculations, too.

  .