Line/form/movement: Circulation diagramming as plan technique

Abstract: The emergence of line diagrams in architectural plans for the purpose of mapping human circulation through buildings is a feature of twentieth century architectural design practice, constituting a key method in the design of functionally complex buildings today. Such a method is currently being explored by architectural design practices in relation to new software technologies, where diagrams of circulation become the base material for the self-generation of architectural forms constructed within computer environments. The resulting explorations are creating unprecedented shifts in the formal vocabulary of buildings designed by architects, producing hybrid and complex forms. This paper presents a comparative analysis of plans drawings by exemplary architects in order to consider the impact of this method on architectural forms and planning. The aim of the paper is to consider diagramming, and the circulation diagram in particular, in the broader historical context of architectural design practice.