Over the last few decades Complexity Scientists have shown that many natural systems possess similar geometric patterns that are repeated over multiple scales of observation. Using Euclidean geometry it is impossible to measure these forms as the closer the observer approaches the natural feature with a measuring device, the longer the result becomes. In response to this situation fractal geometry was developed as a means for determining, over progressive scales, the characteristic visual complexity of natural systems and forms. More recently it has been demonstrated that fractal geometry can also be useful for measuring the visual complexity of the constructed environment. As a result of this, it became possible, in the late 1990s to compare the fractal dimensions of both natural and constructed forms and thereby investigate the extent to which buildings are a reflection of their natural setting. The most famous examples of this provided evidence that a formal connection could be traced between the city of Amasya in Turkey and the landforms of its natural setting and a similar augment has been made about Sea Ranch in California. With only minimal evidence, a range of conclusions were drawn from this early work about the connection and influence of a local ecology on local architecture. The present paper re-tests these previous results using a more refined, computational version of the fractal analysis method and in doing so begins to explore the further application of this method for comparing natural and architectural forms.
Innovation is key for productivity improvement and advancements in different sectors of the economy, including the construction sector. The criticism of the slow pace of innovation in construction industry may be unwarranted, considering the structure of the industry and nature of the construction business. The loosely coupled nature of firms, mostly Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s), delivering ‘projects’ through partial engagement, together with the distinction between the project innovation and firm innovation makes it difficult to extract innovations in a meaningful way. The problem also lies in conceptualising, defining, articulating and assessing innovation in construction. The literature is replete with research into construction innovation, however, there is limited research into understanding how innovation is perceived and narrated in practice. The paper aims to explore how innovation is assessed and narrated in construction, specifically analysing theory and practice perspectives. A theoretical model was constructed from a structured literature review illustrating existing discourse and narratives of construction innovation assessment. A qualitative analysis of ‘Professional Excellence in Building’ submission documents to the Australian Institute of Building was performed to identify the practice perspective of innovation. The findings suggest that internal organizational and process innovation account for the majority of improvements identified. Importantly a taxonomy of narrative is developed that articulates how the construction industry in Australia views industry innovation.
In the late 1980's and early 1990's a range of approaches to using fractal geometry for the design and analysis of the built environment were developed. Mandelbrot's "box counting" approach was later refined and developed by Carl Bovill (1996) who demonstrated a method for determining an approximate fractal dimension of architectural elevations and plans. This paper is the first investigation of the fractal dimensions of five house designs by Kazuyo Sejima, a famous, late 20th century minimalist designer (Aoki 2003; Hasegawa 2006). The fractal dimensions are calculated using a combination of Archimage and Benoit software, the former of which uses an extrapolation of Bovill's box-counting method for the fractal analysis of house designs. Significantly, past research using the box-counting approach has only been applied to the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and a limited selection of ancient buildings. This paper will not only expand the set of cases tested by adding a selection of late Twentieth Century examples, but these will also be the first examples of minimalist architecture tested by this method. This paper will conclude by first providing a discussion of the five houses of Kazuyo Sejima, with a comparison between their design features and their boxcounting results. Second, a brief description will be presented of how the fractal geometry of Sejima's architecture differs from that of other architects' works recorded in past research.
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