The purpose of this study is to find an analysis method using visualization of the network of the collective form of architecture. This is based on a social background of declining population and urban generation because more flexible and creative methods for realizing the collective form are required in a shrinking society compared with the regulated design codes and other methods used in a growing society.
The collective form is architecture recognized as a group with a shared feature such as similar design or a road or square. The relationship connecting architecture is called linkage. Linkages have varied and hierarchical structures in which large collective forms comprise small collective forms, so a collective form may have a very complex structure. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the complex structure from a network science perspective.
This study is in the early stage of research, so we selected a survey area in which the group is easily recognizable. The target areas were two university campuses (Nagoya University and Nanzan University) and one historical townscape (Arimatsu). We conducted field surveys on the forms, materials, colors, and shapes of plazas and roads, and extracted the elements give linkage to the collective form.
We analyzed those data using Cytoscape, which is designed to analyze complex network such as computer networks. First, we performed an ESE analysis using an algorithm that minimizes the energy, assuming that nodes (buildings) repel each other and edges (linkages) are springs. Consequently, we clarified the network structure between architecture subset (small collective form) and whole set (large collective form). Next, we performed Mcode analysis using an algorithm that extracts clusters with strong relationships from the overall network. Consequently, we visualized the strength of the linkage in each cluster in the collective form.
In conclusion, in this research, we proposed an analysis method that considers buildings to be complex networks.
