The Generative Function of the Occlusion Map: Square Spirals and the Structure of Visibility

Researcher: Mike Christenson, Project Lead

Program: School of Architecture

Can we define and implement a method for generating architectural floor plans consistent with the structure of visibility in Le Corbusier’s Museum of Unlimited Extension?

Through the use of digital tools, this project demonstrates the potential of generative design strategies in revealing latent architectural attributes of existing buildings. The project explores the possibility of “designerly analysis” that is capable of disclosing underlying compositional and spatial principles. This approach aligns with what Eilouti (2009) refers to as Precedent-Based Design (PBD) insofar as it allows for the borrowing, combination, and interpolation of different architectural precedents. Specifically, the work falls under Eilouti’s category of Principle-Based Design (PRBD), in which form-composition principles are deduced from a morphological analysis of studied precedents. Le Corbusier’s proposal for Museum of Unlimited Extension is used as a case study. The Museum involves a structure of visibility that reveals and obscures views of the horizon. A diagram of this visibility structure, called the occlusion map, generates floor plans that adhere to Le Corbusier’s concept, as evidenced by comparative analysis of three built iterations of the Museum of Unlimited Extension.

Published as: Mike Christenson (2023). “The generative function of the occlusion map: Square spirals and the structure of visibility.” Design Studies 85: 101169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2023.101169"