Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses
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ItemMultiple representations in architecture and urban design : investigating different modes of manipulation( 2005)'Architecture/ urban design is an exploration of trade-offs between multiple agenda, multiple criteria and at its core, a negotiation mechanism among its multi-participants' (Gross et al., 1997). In this exploration, various graphic representations are typically used and manipulated in order to identify the design solution from various agenda and criteria. Despite the growing number of software developed for architecture and urban design task, there is a lack of software systems that support multiple representations appropriate to multiple design stages and agenda. Specifically, such systems should allow users to manipulate any representation of choice with automated updates to all the other representations. This research explored the use of multiple representations and their effects on design process by developing an integrated multiple-representation system with an automated translation program, called REX (Representation Exchange). Using a typical urban design and economic feasibility assessment, REX was tested in the laboratory environment to reveal the effects of data manipulation using various selected representations. This includes Table interaction, 3D interaction, automated design-generation initiated by Graph-based assessment, and their combinations. The research findings suggested that varying modes of data manipulation using specific representations and their combinations affected the design strategy that followed. In the three different modes of using REX, it was revealed that availability of multiple representations could positively contribute to a productive design strategy, better design outcome, and coherent understanding about the design trade-offs. The research revealed that manipulating representations with inappropriate level of accuracy could Impede users from achieving better design trade-offs. When computational support in the form of automated procedure became too 'black-box', it could have negative implications for users' understanding of the design trade-offs and consequently on the design outcome. The experimental data indicated that the appropriateness of computational tools with multiple representations, users' expertise, and design tasks are intricately connected in shaping users performance in a given context.