Lap Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrücken, 2011
For centuries,
2D drawing techniques such as plans, sections, and elevations have been the main
communication media for the profession of architecture. In addition to these
techniques, for two decades, computer-based representation techniques and 3D
virtual environments (VE) have also entered the profession of architecture. The effects of these computer-based techniques on the perception of space have always
been interrogated by several researchers. Although these researchers generally
regarded these computerized techniques as better and more proper than conventional
techniques, in some cases conventional techniques can be more effective to
depict architectural space. The main aim of this thesis is to compare and evaluate
the positive effects and shortcomings of 3D virtual environments and 2D
conventional representation techniques in the context of the perception of
architectural space. Parallel to this objective, the thesis also aims to show
the differentiation in the perception of space with the change of representation media.
To show these differences, a comparative method is used. As the main step of
the application of this method, an experimental case study and survey have been
constituted for comparing 2D conventional techniques and 3D computer-based
techniques. In this survey, 38 first-year students from Izmir Institute of Technology
have taken place as test subjects. According to the results of this comparative case
study, contributions and shortcomings of 2D conventional representation
techniques and 3D computer-based techniques on improving the capability of
architects to the perception of the space have been determined.