Producing design objects from regular polyhedra: A Practical approach

In the last few years, digital modeling techniques have played a major role in Architecture and design, influencing, at the same time, the creative process and the way the objects are fabricated. This revolution has produced a new fertile generation of architects and designers focused on the expanding possibilities of material and formal production reinforcing the idea of architecture as an interaction between art and artisanship. This innovative perspective inspires this paper, which both describes the contemporary scenario and provides some practical guidance about tools and technologies designers most often use for creating geometrical sculptures by 3D printing. To do so, the creative possibilities of topological mesh modeling are used to create complex geometries. To delimitate the investigation, Regular Polyhedra are used as basic shapes. The aim of this procedure is to explore how combining different geometrical operations can activate architectural inquiry and generate interesting shapes with a creative flexibility.