Precise locations in space: an alternative approach to space syntax analysis using intersection points

Space syntax is a mathematically derived theory that provides a means of understanding the spatial configuration of a building from the perspective of the social interactions between inhabitants. The three conventional approaches to space syntax research are convex space, axial line and visibility graph analyses. These three procedures convert urban and architectural plans into, respectively, a series of defined spaces, lines of sight or visual locations. Once this has occurred it is possible to mathematically analyse the relationships between these elements. Unfortunately, these three methods for abstracting space do not allow for the analysis of precise locations in a plan without a computationally intense process, and many architectural theories seek to measure and debate such locations. However, there is an alternate, rarely discussed development of the axial line approach, which allows for the identification and efficient analysis of discrete locations within a spatial configuration. This approach, intersection point analysis, inverts the axial line map to create an intersection graph that can then be analysed using standard space syntax measures. This paper provides a worked example, using a series of hypothetical building plans, of the process of inverting an axial map to create an intersection graph and its subsequent mathematical analysis. The paper also discusses the potential applications of this approach in situations where alternative procedures would be either less informative or too computationally intensive