Strategic use of Representation in ArchitecturalMassing

Architectural massing is the primary subset of the early stages of built form creation. In this empirical study, we set out to better understand the specific cognitive processes contributing to massing. We found that these processes help the designer better manage the overall design process through strategies that facilitate a discourse between designer and her graphic representations. These strategies, which rely on the use of regulating elements, include management of part-whole relationships, design hierarchy, topologygeometry relationships, scaffolding the design process, structuring ill-structured problems, and the restructuring of problem parameters.