IMPROVING ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ANALYSIS USING 3D MODELING AND VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES

In Architectural Design and Education, it is common to refer to prior design cases. This is apparent in a teaching context, where students study existing projects, but also in a professional context, where reflection on existing design examples can inform the designer about possible solutions or as historic reference. With the increased usage of 3D techniques in visualization, simulation and Building Information Modelling, architects nowadays produce more and more designs as 3D models. While these models provide new means to visualize and interrogate the design, much of this potential is left unused, as the models are seldom shared to exchange design information. This article discusses results from the 3D reconstruction of exemplary building projects and sites from recent history. The reconstructions used widely differing techniques, from regular 3D modelling using CAD and visualization software, to extensive measuring and surveying techniques. These examples illustrate the added value 3D models enable, compared to traditional drawings or photographs. Even the structure and presentation of recent design projects can be improved using diagrams and overlays, capitalizing on the results of the 3D modelling efforts. In parallel, it is possible to improve and increase information about the design, by adding additional metadata to the 3D model. The “enrichment” of the 3D models make better structured information available, which can in turn, facilitate the retrieval and recovery of such models, when searching or browsing for design information through online repositories. The combination of these diverse techniques enables an increased accessibility of the inherent design information, which would not be established using each technique as such.