The Present as History however, use CATIA, a software program originally developed in France for use in the aerospace industry, to translate the eccentric forms of his designs into polynomial equations, that is, they turned shapes into numbers. A special digital wand is used to trace the surfaces of three-dimensional design models. The digital record of this form is then used to generate wire-frame images of the design on the computer which, in turn, are used to prepare the technical drawings needed to build the museum. Jim Glymph, one of Gehry’s associates responsible for adapting Catia for architectural use, sums up the impact of this new design tool in the following words: Many of the forms he [Gehry] is developing now are only possible through the computer. Bilbao is a perfect example. Prior to the development of the computer applications in the office . . . we would never be able to build it. Bilbao could have been drawn with a pencil and straight-edge, but it would take us decades. (Van Bruggen, p. 138)
Materials as well as software contribute to the Guggenheim’s novel appearance. The curved exterior walls of the Bilbao Guggenheim are sheathed with titanium panels so thin they flutter in strong wind. The shiny, rippling surfaces of the museum react to changing light conditions and transform the building into a giant light sculpture.
Thomas Beeby: Harold Washington Library, Chicago In contrast to the emphasis on innovative forms and unconventional applications of materials, the design for the Chicago public library fits the postmodernist paradigm of a return to history. In 1987 Thomas Beeby (b. 1941) won a competition for
319