TY - JOUR
T1 - Linking building-circulation typology and wayfinding: design, spatial analysis, and anticipated wayfinding difficulty of circulation types
AU - Natapov, Asya
AU - Kuliga, Saskia
AU - Conroy Dalton, Ruth
AU - Holscher, Christoph
PY - 2020/1/2
Y1 - 2020/1/2
N2 - Understanding how people interpret building circulation is a critical topic for architectural design. However, few studies have examined relationships between architectural circulation and human wayfinding processes. To assess this, we propose a cognitive–architectural description of circulation typology. Based on a prominent architectural case, we explore a graph-based method to create systematically modified building layouts. We develop three distinct circulation types, linear, curved, and grid-based, which differ in their geometrical structure but are comparable in their functional and topological organizations. We conduct an objective spatial analysis of layout visibility and examine subjective judgments of wayfinding difficulty. Based on the subjective judgments, the linear circulation is the easiest of the three and the grid-based the most difficult, while the curved circulation is intermediate. This is only partially in line with the results of the objective analyses. Hence, we conclude that further behavioural validation is needed to clarify our findings.
AB - Understanding how people interpret building circulation is a critical topic for architectural design. However, few studies have examined relationships between architectural circulation and human wayfinding processes. To assess this, we propose a cognitive–architectural description of circulation typology. Based on a prominent architectural case, we explore a graph-based method to create systematically modified building layouts. We develop three distinct circulation types, linear, curved, and grid-based, which differ in their geometrical structure but are comparable in their functional and topological organizations. We conduct an objective spatial analysis of layout visibility and examine subjective judgments of wayfinding difficulty. Based on the subjective judgments, the linear circulation is the easiest of the three and the grid-based the most difficult, while the curved circulation is intermediate. This is only partially in line with the results of the objective analyses. Hence, we conclude that further behavioural validation is needed to clarify our findings.
KW - Circulation typology
KW - anticipated wayfinding
KW - spatial cognition
KW - space syntax
KW - architectural design research
KW - visibility
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074628874&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00038628.2019.1675041
DO - 10.1080/00038628.2019.1675041
M3 - Article
VL - 63
SP - 34
EP - 46
JO - Architectural Science Review
JF - Architectural Science Review
SN - 0003-8628
IS - 1
ER -