An Analytical Visual Representation of Non-Rectangular Deep Space Structures

Abstract

Architecturally speaking, space structures refer to the “deep” totality of the built space not only to its envelope. Designed architectural space is, so far, predominantly structured according to rectangular geometry. The premise of this paper is that a major reason for the popularity of rectangular space structuring is the limited capacity designers have had, until recently, to visualize the high complexity of non-rectangular space structures. The paper describes an experiment designed to compare emerging Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD), procedures with traditional procedures applied in an architectural design study using a non-rectangular polyhedral geometry. The findings of the experiment point out that computer-aided visualization can generate a more efficient and more convenient procedure to address, in practical design terms, non-rectangular deep space structures. However, the efficiency of such procedures is conditioned by a close collaboration between architects and computer scientists.