Visual Complexity of Building’s Geometric Pattern Based on Fractal Dimension

Architecture design is usually described in terms of "rich details","harmony with nature" and so on, it’s intuitive but lack of articulated quantitative standard, therefore, a method of quantifying the geometric pattern of building design by using fractal dimension is proposed. With the aid of computer programming, the box-counting method is combined with visual observation distance between people and building, so the proposed conceptions of "visual complexity" and "fractal dimension trending" make the dimensional analysis more suitable for architectural field. Based on this, by computing the fractal dimension of well-known architects’ built works, the accuracy of proposed method is first determined, then this method is also applied in two aspects: the visual experience of certain path in space, and the visual field built in the early stage of design process. The computation shows the dimensionality can be a articulated quantitative method to explore the digital feature hidden behind the building’s appearance.