Abstract
In 1928, Alexander Klein published work on graphic models for housing. These drawings evaluated prototypical floor plans through seven criteria: pathways, traffic areas, free area, shadows, eye-level section, sequential spaces, and interior elevations. (Lueder 2017) Klein sought to rationalize design solutions: cross-referencing movement with other qualitative factors such as spatial perception. (Pai 2006) The circulation diagram endures as an undifferentiated line, forcing assumptions about use, destination, and physical ability—among others.. Isolating circulation as a system unto itself, rather than digging deeper into possible subsystems, adjacencies, and intrinsic data limits its potential as a process drawing. This paper surveys a series of circulation diagrams alongside three library buildings. The graphics are assessed through view, line, color, and layering and compared to experiential views of the building along the diagram’s path. A narrow, windowless hall may provide the shortest path but has little benefit to well-being. Or, as in the case of the newly opened Hunters Point Public Library, a feature stair may be a dynamic feature, but is only accessible to some. (Spivack 2019) Reconsidering the circulation diagram as a composite of path, space, and data leaves room for indeterminacy, resulting in a “synthetic mapping” of space. (Vidler 2000) A circulation path may represent function and efficiency, but it also defines a singular experience. While the multiplicity of scenarios cannot exist within a single diagram, the diagram can evolve to become a tool for making the “complexities of diverse human occupation of built space” visible. (Boys 2017)
Presenters
Jacklynn NiemiecAssistant Professor, Architecture, Design & Urbanism, Drexel University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design
KEYWORDS
Wayfinding, Circulation, Diagrams, Representation, Movement, Architecture, Graphic Analysis, Simulation
