Characteristic Visual Complexity: Fractal Dimensions in the Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier

Ostwald, Michael J.; Vaughan, Josephine; Tucker, Chris

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-00143-2_22

Cited by 28 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Thus, it could be regarded as a measure of the consistency of the hierarchy of detail present in a facade. A facade may have multiple features at different scales, from grand ceremonial doors, to pilasters and carved mouldings, but the method measures the average distribution of all of these features across all scales (Bovill 1996;Lorenz 2003;Ostwald et al 2008). …”

Section: Research Method: Computational Fractal Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The technique for measuring the fractal dimension of an object was developed separately by the mathematicians Benoit Mandelbrot (1977) and Richard Voss (1986) and it has since become the standard approach in many fields (Huang et al 1994;Camastra 2003;Neal and Russ 2012). The architectural and urban application of fractal analysis was first demonstrated in the 1990s (Batty and Longley 1994;Bovill 1996) before being applied to a growing body of architectural cases in more recent years (Bechhoefer and Appleby 1997;Lorenz 2003;BurkleElizondo et al 2014;Gözübüyük et al 2006;Ostwald et al 2008;Vaughan and Ostwald 2011). The optimal computational version of this method and its variables-its subject material, mathematical basis and algorithmic process-has been identified in recent architectural applications (Ostwald 2013;Ostwald and Vaughan 2013a, b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring Form, Ornament and Materiality in Sinan’s Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque: an Analysis Using Fractal Dimensions

Ostwald

Ediz

2014

Nexus Netw J

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The Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque in Istanbul was completed in the late sixteenth century and it is today regarded as one of architect Sinan's most important works. Like many of Sinan's designs it has been the subject of detailed analysis in the past, with historians offering theories to explain its visual properties and how they differ from those of his previous works. However, such theories have remained largely untested because of the difficulty of quantitatively analysing the building's intricate formal, ornamental and material properties. The present paper uses computational fractal analysis to overcome this problem. This method, as it is applied in the paper, derives a non-integer measure of the characteristic complexity of three hierarchical layers in visual information in the facades of the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque. Through this process the paper not only provides important quantitative results which can be used to test past theories about the building, but these new measures are then compared with those that have previously been developed, using the same method, for Sinan's Süleymaniye Mosque.

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Section: Research Method: Computational Fractal Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Form, Ornament and Materiality in Sinan’s Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque: an Analysis Using Fractal Dimensions

Ostwald

Ediz

2014

Nexus Netw J

Self Cite

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“…After counting the number of filled boxes for each grid size, the comparison can be plotted on a log-log diagram to estimate the fractal dimension. The box-counting method was applied in numerous studies to measure the fractal dimension of architecture (Sala, 2002, Cooper and Oskorochi, 2008, Tucker, 2004, Vaughan and Ostwald, 2010 were are analysed using fractal dimension (Ostwald et al 2008, Ostwald and Vaughan, 2008. Ostwald and Vaughan (2010) also compared the nature and architecture using the fractal dimension to analyse relationships between architecture and its setting.…”

Section: Visual Complexity and Fractal Geometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fractal dimension describes the complexity of natural systems and is used by researchers to analyse visual properties of natural and built environments (Batty and Longley, 1994, Tucker, 2004, Ostwald, 2008, Cooper and Oskorochi, 2008, Perry, 2012. Fractal geometry is a geometry created by natural forms, and Fractal Dimension is a measure of the degree of self-similarity in an…”

Section: Complexity: Fractal Dimension Of Imagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring visual attributes for assessing visual conflicts in urban environments

Tara¹

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The visual relationships between a proposed development and the existing urban setting have become increasingly controversial in the past two decades. Protecting and enhancing visual attributes of the current urban environment is regulated by a range of performance-based policies and regulations. However, every year many development conflicts occur between developers, local councils and residents resulting in costly delays in the development process. Visual amenity and character are two of the most contentious issues in these conflicts.Currently, conflict resolution based on these policies relies on experts' interpretation of what appears to be visually significant. Although visual amenity experts aim to provide an impartial and objective assessment of visual effects of proposed developments, their evaluations are sometimes mixed with personal judgments and lack enough centrality and reliability. The problem is compounded by the fact that there are no consistent approaches within and between localities and experts as to what is considered visually significant. The uncertainties and inefficiencies created by performance-based planning policies, to regulate the protection of urban visual quality, highlights the importance of developing reliable, measurable and repeatable approaches to analyse visual environments and to describe the urban character.Based on a postpositivist approach, a range of research methods using exploratory and descriptive approaches was used to answer the stated research questions. Therefore, the research design is split into three stages. The first stage involved reviewing the planning court cases in Brisbane from 2000 to 2012 to identify the overall different types of conflicts within the city. These conflicts were analysed spatially to determine their distribution and to look for any significant spatial patterns. Based on this review, four case studies were selected, and three measurable methods were developed to provide a higher level of quantitative assessment of visual properties of the urban character. In the last stage, the technical methods were evaluated by a panel of three visual amenity expert witnesses to investigate the effectiveness, usefulness and potential of these methods to be applied in expert assessments and court case resolutions.This research focuses on urban visual amenity conflicts in the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and identifies the gaps and recurring issues inherent in expert assessments and judgments. Based on this knowledge, quantitative methods to assess visual amenity and character, with greater objectivity and reliability than existing methods, have been developed. The outcome of this research contributes to the field of visual assessment and character studies in landscape planning and assists decision makers and Environmental and Planning Courts to determine development conflicts with more objectivity and reliability.

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Michael Ostwald The Architecture of the New Baroque: A Comparative Study of the Historic and the New Baroque Movements in Architecture

Williams

2009

Nexus Network Journal

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Characteristic Visual Complexity: Fractal Dimensions in the Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier

Cited by 28 publications

References 8 publications

Measuring Form, Ornament and Materiality in Sinan’s Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque: an Analysis Using Fractal Dimensions

Measuring Form, Ornament and Materiality in Sinan’s Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque: an Analysis Using Fractal Dimensions

Measuring visual attributes for assessing visual conflicts in urban environments

Michael Ostwald The Architecture of the New Baroque: A Comparative Study of the Historic and the New Baroque Movements in Architecture

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