About Nexus 2006

There are many connections between architecture and mathematics: mathematic principles may be used as a basis for an architectural design, or an a tool for analyzing an existing monument; architecture may be a concrete expression of mathematical ideas, becoming, in a sense, "visual mathematics."

Nexus 2006, the sixth in a biennial series of meetings, represents 10 years of Nexus, and will once again bring together professionals working with ideas related to both architecture and mathematics.

The Nexus conferences began in 1996, with Nexus '96 held in Fucecchio (Florence) Italy. The second conference, Nexus '98, took place in Mantua, Italy. 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. 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. Co-directed by Kim Williams and José Francisco Rodrigues, it was the first Nexus conference held outside Italy. Nexus 2004, directed by Kim Williams and Francisco Delgado Cepeda, took place in Mexico City.

The purpose of Nexus 2006 is two-fold: to allow participants to exchange ideas first-hand; and to publish an anthology of papers, Nexus VI: Architecture and Mathematics, edited by Sylvie Duvernoy and Orietta Pedemonte, providing a collective voice for researchers of more than one discipline.

The Nexus Network Journal

Founded in 1999, the Nexus Network Journal is an outgrowth of the international conference series entitled "Nexus: Relationships Between Architecture and Mathematics". 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 NNJ is designed as a research resource and includes the following features. Featured 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 and Exhibit Reports permit participation in a larger community of researchers. Book and Article Reviews provide in-depth analyses of publications relevant to architecture and mathematics.