2009 Portman Prize Winner
First Place [$6000 travel scholarship]
Matthew Erwin

Form Follows Energy
Energy Follows Form

Geometric information is now controlled on mass scales by generative and parametric design tools manipulated by the architect-programmer. This enablement frees solar ‘information’ from the confines of shading limits and thermal masses, allowing direct influence on building forms and efficiencies. The symbiotic relationship that exists between buildings and photovoltaic systems can be transformed from parasitic to mutualistic by reintroducing solar data into the design process, intertwining system and structure such that structure creates energy and energy creates dynamic beauty. City Hall East is the testing ground for this system, transforming an abandoned goliath into a dynamic focus of urban renewal.