Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

In 2015, Transport for London released axonometric diagrams of its underground rail system. The public release of this data intends to provide users with a mental map of a given station. Underground spaces are notoriously difficult to navigate, rendering architectural wayfinding cues, urban imageability, and satellite-based navigation inadequate. It is widely accepted that humans navigate space using a cognitive map. Recent research suggests the cognitive map can expand three-dimensionally. An inhabitant indirectly perceives the vertical dimension through each known connection (stair, elevator, etc.) and levels rather than a metric of depth. Multi-level navigation typically assumes a space where level layouts closely align with one another. However, underground development often defies the logic of their aboveground counterparts as a kind of “urban mangrove”. Mobility, consistent temperatures, and land-use efficiency make underground space an attractive possibility for urban development. Proposals for major urban interventions such as the Smithsonian Master Plan (BIG) and Gangnam International Transit Center in Seoul (Dominique Perrault Architecture) rely on subterranean solutions. Design considerations such as natural light have justly garnered attention on this topic, though circulation, wayfinding and egress are of critical importance as well. This paper surveys representational techniques for visualizing multi-level circulation, specifically in underground conditions. Subterranean architecture is inherently subtractive, and in a sense, informal, making a spatial logic less visible. Visualizing this logic will provide a necessary tool for the architect and the inhabitants of future underground space.