A spatial query & analysis tool for architects

Abstract

There exists a lack of 'off the shelf' and user-friendly computational tools that allow architects and other design consultants to quickly analyse and simulate circulation patterns of buildings. Other developments of such tools have so far failed to penetrate the mainstream market for architectural design software. The research presented in this paper focuses on the development of a graph-based building navigation and distance measurement tool; the Spatial Analysis and Query Tool (SQ&AT), that plugs into the most common design documentation software (Autodesk Revit) with the ability for extension into other tools. The resulting software allows users to test point-to-point shortest distances, produces several grid based metrics and allows scenarios to be built. These results may expose areas where the designer's intuition and bias has led them to make inaccurate assumptions about quantitative design aspects.