Solutions for visibility, accessibility and signage problems via layered graphs

Abstract

One of the rare representational problems encountered during the construction of axial representations of architectural configurations in space syntax is the so called 'visibility accessibility problem'. This is the condition when it is possible to perceive a space but not be able to directly traverse to that space. This condition arises in a number of cases for example in an office with half height partitions, or glass walls, in an urban street where safety barriers prevent free pedestrian movement or in a multi-storey building with an atrium which permits the direct perception of spaces on the second or story but not provide direct access to them. This paper introduces a new spatial representation called the multi-layered network that is asserted to be a more general representation of topological spaces than previous representations. Proofs are argued for certain aspects of the representation that is based as an extension of current topological representations and computations. A software implementation of this representation is demonstrated with a number of examples from the problematic cases. Finally it is argued that this new multilayered representation could also be used as the basis for a spatial representation which included signage and so by extension could mak