Curvilinear
Curvilinear describes a form made from curved lines and flowing surfaces rather than straight edges and right angles.
A curvilinear building uses arcs, sweeps and radii in plan, section or elevation. It might appear as a bowed facade, a curved balcony edge, a rounded corner that turns a street junction, a vaulted roof, or a spiral stair as a sculptural centrepiece.
Curved geometry is often chosen for how it moves people through a space. A curve has no hard stopping point, so it draws the eye and the body along it, which makes it useful for entries, circulation and any space intended to feel calm and continuous. Curves also handle wind and water well, which is why they recur in exposed coastal work.
The trade-off is cost and buildability. Curved forms usually mean set-out complexity, custom joinery, and materials that can be bent or moulded, such as off-form concrete, rendered blockwork, steel or laminated timber. Curvilinear elements are often used selectively against an otherwise rectilinear plan so the impact lands without the whole budget following it.