摘要：Fractals (natural or man-made) are objects possessing detail at all scales. One of their attractions is the ability to reproduce natural objects, from mountains to cellular structures, but fractals have also been founded in several human artefacts, such as, in decorative geometric patterns, in architectural strucutres and in the layout of cities. Therefore, it is not surprising that the study of fractals has become mainstream in science and engineering, but that their applications have also been extended to the social sciences, music and architecture. In architecture, fractals and related tools can be used in two ways. On the one hand, fractals can be a feature of the architectural design, on the other hand, fractal methods can be used to the characterization of existing structures. The main purpose of this article is to provide a brief introduction to fractals, with an emphasis on the distinction between different categories (self-affine versus self-similar and deterministic versus statistical) while, simultaneously, providing an overview of the application of fractals in different fields. One of the implications of fractal studies, partially because of their ability to unify disparage disciplines, is that we have now the tools to start understanding the characteristics of the environments that best adapt to our needs. I end with a brief note on fractals and modern architecture, and how fractals alone are not enough to guarantee the desirable qualities of good architectural design.
