Abstract
This paper focuses on a teaching unit in drawing for design that uses and applies Giorgio Scarpa’s principles and methods in rotational geometry, as put forth in his book Modelli di Geometria Rotatoria, (Models of rotational geometry, 1978), and tests their validity through the construction of physical models built by the students. These models are derived from the sectioning of regular polyhedra such as the cube. The resulting modules can be re-configured into closed or open “chains” capable of folding back into their original minimal volume. This process has parallels in geometric folding, such as in linkages, origami, and polyhedra theory in general. This paper will introduce Scarpa’s work to English-speaking specialists, and will illustrate how the subject can be made useful to design students.
Keywords
rotational geometry, drawing, design, geometric folding, linkages, origami, polyhedra, chain
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.148
Citation
Trogu, P.(2013) Rotational geometry as a teaching tool: applying the work of Giorgio Scarpa, in Reitan, J.B., Lloyd, P., Bohemia, E., Nielsen, L.M., Digranes, I., & Lutnæs, E. (eds.), DRS // Cumulus: Design Learning for Tomorrow, 14-17 May, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.148
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Rotational geometry as a teaching tool: applying the work of Giorgio Scarpa
This paper focuses on a teaching unit in drawing for design that uses and applies Giorgio Scarpa’s principles and methods in rotational geometry, as put forth in his book Modelli di Geometria Rotatoria, (Models of rotational geometry, 1978), and tests their validity through the construction of physical models built by the students. These models are derived from the sectioning of regular polyhedra such as the cube. The resulting modules can be re-configured into closed or open “chains” capable of folding back into their original minimal volume. This process has parallels in geometric folding, such as in linkages, origami, and polyhedra theory in general. This paper will introduce Scarpa’s work to English-speaking specialists, and will illustrate how the subject can be made useful to design students.