Form as diagram of forces: The equiangular spiral in the work of Pier Luigi Nervi

The relationships between form, performance, and construction are uniquely demonstrated in the long-span works of Pier Luigi Nervi. The balance of these forces led in Nervi's case to a series of works that take the form of the equiangular spiral, a bizarre geometrical phenomenon that appears regularly in the natural world. The affinities between Nervi's work and the spiral's natural occurrences can be explained via D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form, suggesting that this familiar book on biological morphology be seen by architects in a new and more thorough light.