Hello Fellow Magicians! 🧙‍♂️✨

Last week, I wrote about encoding architectural information for machine learning and statistical analysis. We explored imagery, tables, and graphs, diving into why graphs excel at capturing the interdependence and spatial relationships inherent in architecture.

This week, let’s dig deeper and look at how graphs naturally align with architectural theory, as laid out in one of the most read architecture books - which I read, like many architects - in undergrad: Architecture: Form, Space, and Order by Francis D.K. Ching. 📘

Rediscovering Form, Space, and Order

As part of my recent research, I’ve been re-reading this classic, and I’m struck by how Ching’s discussion of architectural concepts aligns with graphs.

Ching structures his book around three core principles of architecture:

1) Form: The appearance of elements.

2) Space: The area defined between forms.

3) Order: The organization of elements together.

Together, these create a hierarchy: Form is primary, Space emerges from forms, and Order defines the relationships between forms and spaces, creating a connected superstructure.

As I read this, my mind couldn’t help but connect these principles back to graph theory:

• Form → The elements of architecture (walls, floors, etc.) or even reduced to points, lines, and polygons.

• Space → Relationships created between these elements.

• Order → The network of connections that define hierarchy and structure.

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Connecting Back to Graphs 🕸️

If you flip through Form, Space, and Order with graphs in mind, it’s impossible not to see the parallels. Let’s look at some examples from the book … Subscribe to continue if you haven’t!