Chiu-Shui Chan

Cognitive processes in architectural design problem solving

Abstract The purpose of this research is to explore the cognitive mechanisms involved in architectural design problem solving. Special attention is given to how design constraints operate throughout the whole process. A proposed cognitive model describes the general cognitive procedure. Schema theory applied from cognitive psychology stimulates the representation of domain-specific knowledhe. The application of production system detects the control strategy, and a laboratory experiment of a residential design is conducted for protocol analysis. Evidence collected from the analysis yields two results. First, that design solutions are generated by means of activating the design constraints and associated rules in memory. Second, that the design ability is determined by the ability to select rules in schema as well as the ability to develop new schema to test newly generated design units.

Can style be measured

Abstract Historically, style is studied by features which reflect certain types of characteristics used to illustrate cultural circumstances and social aspects. Thus, style can be identified. If there are some attributes that have magnitude which can serve as common denominators to theoretically represent a style, then a style can be detected as an entity that possesses some basic properties. Furthermore, these attributes can be used as the stages in a scale for measuring how strong a style is, and the degree of similarity between two styles. The fundamental unit of style measurement is a set of common features appearing in objects, which is used for categorising a style. There are two properties of style derived from perceiving the common-feature sets: similarity and degree of style. Therefore, the set of common features is the fundamental unit of measurement and the signature of a style.

An examination of the forces that generate a style

Abstract The concept of style has long been central to both historical analysis and pedagogical discourse in architecture. Most often these discussions focus on the nature of ‘signature’ physical features, but notions expressed in this article would contend that several aspects of the design process are just as significant in defining a style as the replication of features. Aspects emerging in the personal design process include operations of cognitive mechanisms, utilization of repeated procedures, personal preference for certain images, and manipulation of certain seasoned design knowledge. Employment of these factors and procedures in a design process is actually the driving force that generates recognizable features to be manifest in a style.

Design Representation and Perception in Virtual Environments

Two important cognitive activities involved in designing in virtual environments are explored in this chapter. The first activity is design representation that is mentally created during the design processes. In virtual environments, particularly the full-scale immersive virtual reality settings, the nature of representation applied to design generation is different from the one applied in the conventional design environments such as pencil-and-paper or physical model-making mode. The second activity relates to human perception, which has not been changed by high-tech developments. Perception in virtual environments provides information to allow designers to understand the environmental impact generated from design. Additional knowledge of media applications and their corresponding representations has created new definitions of identity and privacy, which also has created interesting design impacts, subtle cultural effects, and social interactions. These phenomena are described through examples in this chapter.

A 3D Model of the Inner City of Beijing

This study has two major concentrations: 1) exploring methods of creating a digital city model, and 2) applying the model to study urban spatial structure, an issue of particular interest and importance to urban planners. Based on existing studies that primarily address two-dimensional (2D) urban structure, this paper focuses on the three-dimensional (3D) structure relating to the 3D urban form. Given their greater clarity and possibilities for quantitative analysis, both 3D digital urban models and GIS spatial overlay analysis methods hold tremendous potential for analysing and predicting future urban form. In this project, the Xidan Business District in Beijing’s Inner City was the area selected to implement the digital-city application. Under the hypothesis that the existing urban spatial structure is determined by the city’s urban planning scheme and current urban marketing forces, it is found that actual urban development does not follow the planning restrictions on zoning and building height regulations. Some contradictions and conflicts, such as building location and height, appeared in the studied district. The specific reasons for the discrepancies need to be further studied.