Nexus 2012:
Relationships Between Architecture and Mathematics
Milan, Italy, 11-14 June 2012
The 9th international, interdisciplinary Nexus conference for architecture and mathematics
presented by
Department of Industrial Design, Art, Comunication and Fashion (INDACO)
Department of Mathematics "Francesco Brioschi"
Politecnico di Milano
The aim of the Nexus Conferences
There are many connections between architecture and mathematics: mathematic principles may be used as a basis for an architectural design, or as a tool for analyzing an existing monument; architecture may be a concrete expression of mathematical ideas, becoming, in a sense, "visual mathematics". The purpose of the Nexus conference series is to bring together all those working with ideas related to both architecture and mathematics, and to allow researchers to exchange ideas first-hand. Papers presented at the conference are subsequently published, providing a permanent archive of studies in architecture and mathematics.
Who attends the Nexus conferences
Architects, mathematicians, historians, scientists, researchers, teachers, students and others interested in the "nexus" of architecture and mathematics. Past keynote speakers have included mathematicians Henry Crapo and Lionel March, architecture historians Robert Tavernor and Alberto Perez-Gomez, architect Eduardo Souto Moura, engineer Chris Williams, educator and artist Lino Cabezas Gelabert.
The history of Nexus conferences
The Nexus conferences were created by Kim Williams. The first edition, Nexus 96, was held in Fucecchio (Florence), Italy, sponsored by the Fondazione Montanelli-Bassi, under the direction of Kim Williams. The second conference, Nexus 98, took place in Mantua, Italy, under the auspices of the Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana and the Centro Studi Leon Battista Alberti di Mantua, directed by Kim Williams and Livio Volpi Ghirardini. It was at the second conference that the decision was made to begin the Nexus Network Journal. The founding of the NNJ made possible communication and diffusion of research between the biennial Nexus conferences. Nexus 2000 took place in Ferrara, Italy, directed by Kim Williams, with the support of the Dipartimento di Matematica and the Dipartimento di Architettura of the University of Ferrara. It was at this conference that the first Round Table Discussion was held, providing an important forum for interdisciplinary discussion. Nexus 2002 was held in Óbidos, Portugal, sponsored by the Centro de Matemáteca e Aplicações Fundamentais (CMAF) of the University of Lisbon. Co-directed by Kim Williams and José Francisco Rodrigues, it was the first Nexus conference held outside Italy. Nexus 2004, co-directed by Kim Williams and Francisco Delgado Cepeda, took place in Mexico City, with the support of the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Estado de México. Nexus returned to Italy with Nexus 2006 in Genoa, co-directed by Kim Williams, Orietta Pedemonte and Sylvie Duvernoy, sponsored by the Dipartimento per la Scienza dell?Architettura of the University of Genova. Nexus 2008 was hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California, and was co-directed by Kim Williams, Maria Zack, and Sylvie Duvernoy. The 2010 edition of Nexus took place in June 2010 in Porto, Portugal, sponsored by the Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Architecture, and the Centro de Matemáteca of the University of Porto and the FCT - Fondação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, and was co-directed by Kim Williams, João Pedro Xavier, and João Nunes Tavares. Nexus 2012 in Milan, 11-14 June 2012, is the ninth edition of the Nexus conferences.
Nexus publications
The Nexus Network Journal
From 1996 until 2008, papers presented at the Nexus conferences were published in dedicated volumes in the book series "Nexus: Architecture and Mathematics" published by Kim Williams Books. At Nexus 98 in Mantua, the decision was made to begin the Nexus Network Journal. The founding of the NNJ made possible communication and diffusion of research between the biennial Nexus conferences. Because of the international distribution and large number of readers that the NNJ has attained, it was decided that beginning in 2010 the papers presented at the biennial Nexus conferences would be published in the Nexus Network Journal.
The Nexus Network Journal is a peer-reviewed research resource for studies in architecture and mathematics published three times a year in print by Kim Williams Books and Birkhäuser Publishers and is available online at SpringerLink. Now entering its 14th year of publication, in 2010 the NNJ was accepted into the Thomson-Reuters Web of Knowledge (formerly ISI) database. The purpose of the NNJ is to publish research in architecture and mathematics that present the subject in the widest possible panorama. Thus, like the Nexus conferences, the NNJ is interdisciplinary and multicultural. Topics explored include proportion, geometry, algebra, topology, symbolism, fuzzy logic, complexity theory, fractals and chaos, tessellation, modularity, perspective, metrology, symmetry, music, astronomy, construction history and mechanics, and the application of these in architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning in all cultures and all epochs. The Editorial Board is composed of professionals working all over the world.
The NNJ is designed as a research resource and includes the following features. Research Articles present new research into a wide range of subjects in architecture and mathematics. The Geometer's Angle presents lessons in descriptive geometry. Didactics is concerned with teaching mathematics to architecture students. Conference Reports and Exhibit Reports permit participation in a larger community of researchers. Book Reviews and Article Reviews provide in-depth analyses of publications relevant to architecture and mathematics.