Contemporary stereotomic trait, an opportunity for the development of the volumetric digital architecture

Abstract

The contemporary notion of stereotomy in architecture is restricted to designate the stone carving technique for the purpose of constructing masonry assemblies. The word’s etymology defines a broader meaning of three-dimensional solid cutting into shapes to be assembled. Historic studies that encompass form taxonomies, their practical and theoretical evolutions, and cultural assimilations illustrate a wider polymorphic diversity (Sakarovitch, 2003). Stereotomy, re-examined in a contemporary context due to its intrinsic qualities offers an opportunity to respond a volumetric lacuna within digital architecture. More specifically, as this paper argues, the stereotomic trait understood as the Deleuzeian objectile lands itself as the crux for resolving multiple structure and construction constraints into volumetric complexities.