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Handbook of the Mathematics of the Arts and Sciences pp 1–13Cite as

Isovists: Spatio-Visual Mathematics in Architecture

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Abstract

This chapter introduces an important concept in architectural analysis, the isovist. Along with two associated concepts – the isovist field and the visibility graph – the isovist provides a mathematical basis for analyzing and shaping architectural space and form. Significantly, isovists can also be used for investigating, and even predicting, human behavioral and cognitive responses to buildings.

This chapter commences with an overview of both the isovist and isovist field, before describing their origins and applications. The chapter also presents a summary of past research that uses isovists to analyze architectural and urban space or seeks to correlate isovist measures with human perceptions. While the chapter does not provide detailed explanations of all the mathematical and computational processes involved, it does include a list of key isovist measures and their behavioral interpretations. The references cited in this chapter include detailed worked examples of isovist analysis along with discussion of limitations and recent developments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia

    Michael J. Ostwald & Michael J. Dawes

Authors
  1. Michael J. Ostwald
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  2. Michael J. Dawes
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Correspondence to Michael J. Ostwald .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Montana Dept of Mathematical Sciences, Missoula, Montana, USA

    Bharath Sriraman

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Ostwald, M.J., Dawes, M.J. (2018). Isovists: Spatio-Visual Mathematics in Architecture. In: Sriraman, B. (eds) Handbook of the Mathematics of the Arts and Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70658-0_5-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70658-0_5-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70658-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70658-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MathematicsReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Isovists: Spatio-Visual Mathematics in Architecture
    Published:
    26 September 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70658-0_5-3

  2. Isovists: Spatio-Visual Mathematics in Architecture
    Published:
    27 April 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70658-0_5-2

  3. Original

    Isovists: Spatio-Visual Mathematics in Architecture
    Published:
    03 July 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70658-0_5-1

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