*********************************
There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
*********************************
A talk by John Peponis, professor and associate chair, advanced studies and research, School of Architecture
"Space syntax: Progress and prospects of a program of architectural research"
Space syntax has emerged internationally as a major program of architectural research addressing the human functions of space. At its core, this program is about modeling the properties and affordances of built form in terms of which we understand ourselves as members of society, organizations and culture as we move around, occupy and cognitively map buildings or cities. In the light of contributions out of Georgia Tech over the last 25 years, I will identify the larger questions that are critical to progress in the near future. These include: a fresh consideration of the relationship between rich parametric models of functioning built spaces and simplified topological models that capture principles of architectural design; also, a fresh consideration of the tension between models that describe or explain function and models that clarify normative aims and normative choices.
