Identifying Visualization Opportunities to Help Architects Manage the Complexity of Building Codes

We report a study investigating the viability of using interactive visualizations to aid architectural design with building codes. While visualizations have been used to support general architectural design exploration, existing computational solutions treat building codes as separate from, rather than part of, the design process, creating challenges for architects. Through a series of participatory design studies with professional architects, we found that interactive visualizations have promising potential to aid design exploration and sensemaking in early stages of architectural design by providing feedback about potential allowances and consequences of design decisions. However, implementing a visualization system necessitates addressing the complexity and ambiguity inherent in building codes. To tackle these challenges, we propose various user-driven knowledge management mechanisms for integrating, negotiating, interpreting, and documenting building code rules.