Using Three Dimensional Isovist to Detect the Property of Surprise in Architectural Artifacts: Islamic Architecture as A Context

Abstract

Isovist is the amount of optical field viewed from a given point of view thus it represents the environmental visual properties of space from that point. As a contribution to link the concept of 3D Isovist with the behavioral studies and the affective evaluations of the spatial experiences, as highlighted through the previous literature, the current research aims to test the suitability of 3D Isovist in the detection and prediction of the property of Surprise in architectural spaces. It intends to support the possibility of investing the 3D Isovist as a tool to detect the experience of Surprise in the previous Historical Architecture on the one hand and to evaluate it in the new designs on the other. To achieve this goal, the research adopted a method of generating a parametric environment that includes the measurement of 3D Isovist and exporting the resulting data to statistical programs which are specially prepared to summarize them automatically, then measure the sense of Surprise, and finally, discuss and analyze the results of the application and draw conclusions about the suitability of the 3D Isovist in the detection and prediction of the property of Surprise locations. The research concluded that 3D Isovist is a suitable tool for detecting and predicting locations that have a surprise in existing environments on the one hand and in evaluating new designs on the other hand for surprise, thus enabling the necessary developmental measures to enhance the surprise and modify designs accordingly.

Keywords

• 3d isovist
• surprise
• heat map
• principal components analysis
• islamic architecture