The Graphic Representation of Data in Architectural Scientific Research. The Definition of Visual Elements

The paper shows how the graphic visualizations can be applied to the architectural scientific research to illustrate its contents, promoting its study and dissemination. In this project, the Drawing through the tools of Information Design, achieves a central role within the architectural field. In Architecture, we are used to communicate through a type of “traditional” illustration and the drawing represents the only tool to discuss, explain, and measure. However, inside the academic environment the communication of highly scientific and particularly specialized data risks to remain closed within the circle of experts. In this case, the drawing is hardly understandable outside the world in which it is born. Showing some examples of work, we want to illustrate the use and potentiality of visual elements realized as graphic representations of data, designed to communicate the information obtained from the results of architectural researches, amplifying their dissemination. This process allows both to create visual outputs that follow the steps of a study, demonstrating its results, and to highlight patterns between the results themselves, providing new data to advance the research. This shows all the information of a preliminary study that could also influence its development, crossing more disciplines through a single representation. This is useful if we consider that scientific researches in Academy often uses interdisciplinary collaborations. The sphere of content came up beside another question linked to the aesthetics of data. Indeed, images should also be visually pleasing, attractive and sometimes persuasive. All these aspects belonging to the world of graphic representation allow to balance the content on the one hand and the pleasure of discovering it on the other.