“As Complex as Possible”

While living in France, I fell in love with stereotomy — the set of geometrical knowledge and graphical drawing techniques used to lay out voluminous pieces into their complex structure — specifically, the subset “Art du Trait.” Developed by French carpenters before the 13th century, Art du Trait is a kind of applied geometry which allows the carpenter to use three-dimensional drawing to design complex wooden structures.

One can literally build anything imaginable without the use of a calculator, computer, modern-day technology or having to have a PhD in Mathematics. No wonder this knowledge has been recognized by UNESCO, which in 2009 classified it onto the Representative List