Geometric

With numbers, there are geometric points; with points, there are lines and planes and three dimensions. The things around us develop and evolve in space with mathematical logic.

Maths has been an invaluable tool for design and composition for thousands of years. It is both an intellectual resource for design and a means of reducing experimentation and eliminating technical errors.

Design allows algorithms and laws to be represented in space in a more tangible way. If rigorous digital logic is a kind of rationalism, then design that can be visualised and felt may be considered a kind of romance.

From magnificent architectures, wild art, commercial spaces full of experience, to the smallest part of our daily life - when we look at them carefully, they all contain mathematical ingenuity behind them.

Byzantine architects elegantly combined geometric concepts such as squares, circles, cubes and arched hemispheres, as they did in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia...

The layout and position of the ancient theatre of Epizavros, with geometrical precision likewise specially calculated to effectively enhance sound effects and maximise the field of view of the audience.

Line

Line is a mark of continuity and a common design language. Whether it's parallel or criss-crossing straight lines, or soft, flowing curves, it creates an overall aesthetic to the outside world.

For the Sydney Opera House, regarded as one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century, Jørn Utzon's use of curves to create the soft, undulating lines of the Opera House's musical score was a thematic design that made the scheme stand out from the many other designs on the drawing board at the time.

The Hui-style buildings of Chinese architecture are another kind of beauty. They are square in shape, with orderly straight lines to portray the grandeur of the building in a concise and powerful way, with air and strength, also a classic case in design.

Symmetry

Symmetry enables a design to be harmonious, stable and echoing. Symmetrical relationships between displays, patterns or tones in a space can bring a balance to a design.

Since the Renaissance, many buildings and spaces have been designed to form an exquisite symmetry. St Peter's Basilica, as a classic symmetrical building, allows one to experience the sense of order it holds in addition to its splendour.

The Forbidden City, the jewel of Chinese culture, adopts the symmetrical layout of the central axis: the buildings on the central axis are tall and magnificent, and the buildings on both sides of the axis are relatively low and simple, which gives people a sense of solemnity.