On the Description of Shape and Spatial Configuration inside Buildings: Convex Partitions and Their Local Properties

Abstract

As we move through buildings, we experience not only continuous changes of perspective but also discrete transitions from one space to another. To describe movement as a pattern of such transitions we need methods for partitioning space into relevant elementary units. Here we explore several convex partitions including one based on the thresholds at which edges, corners, and surfaces appear into the field of vision of a moving subject, or disappear outside it. Our purpose is to contribute to the development of quantitative descriptions of building shape and spatial configuration.