Constructing a framework for architectural representation: sketch as a medium for flexibility and perceived dynamism

Abstract

Architectural representations, as a language of communication and a medium of conceptual production, are increasingly inadequate in conveying contemporary spatial experiences. Space is not merely a visual form; it is a phenomenon perceived bodily, sensorially, and temporally. However, conventional representational methods often overlook the spatial bond formed through the body and shaped by the senses. This vision-oriented reductive approach not only limits the visual outcome of design but also shapes the structures of underlying modes of thinking. Therefore, the impact of representational tools on design is not merely a formal or technical concern; it constitutes a framework that defines, and thus necessitates a critical reassessment of, the boundaries of architectural thinking. At this point, the notion of expressive flexibility emerges as a key concept in disrupting the rigid structure of representation and making it more responsive to contemporary spatial practices. Flexibility here refers not only to formal variability but also to the transformability of representation and its capacity to accommodate openness within the design process. This study focuses on sketching as a method that inherently embodies such flexibility. The sketch, representing a design idea in its incomplete, searching, and formative phase, is addressed not merely as a technical tool but as a medium through which thought assumes a flexible form. In this context, the study examines the characteristic qualities of sketching in order to identify representational approaches that enable flexibility. In the subsequent phase of the research, the study explores how the concept of dynamism can be integrated into flexible representational practices. Within this framework, various theoretical and disciplinary approaches to the notion of movement in architecture are examined. Bernard Tschumi's tripartite conceptualization of space, movement, and event provides the theoretical grounding for this inquiry. The layered articulation of movement in Tschumi's work is adopted as a methodological approach, offering a lens through which spatial dynamism may be reconsidered. Accordingly, perceptual interpretations of movement in visual representations are investigated and categorized into two main groups: eye-mind movement and bodily projection within space. This categorization into two types provided a guiding framework for the practical part of the study; the design of both the eye-tracking test and the questionnaire reflected this underlying logic. In the context of dynamism, the study analyzes how movement in space can be represented and incorporated into sketching, based on the identified theoretical framework. To this end, the deconstructivist movement, known for its challenge to conventional design and representational norms, as well as its focus on movement and dynamism, forms the basis of the selected case studies. The examples include architectural representations that express movement through diverse methods and approaches. These cases share commonalities in format and concept with the representational strategies derived from Tschumi's space-movement-event model and the interpretive analysis of sketching practice. Through this selected material, the study investigates how movement can be represented within flexible architectural representations, while also testing the proposed approaches through a participant-based observational process. In this study, conducted with third-year interior architecture students, data obtained through eye-tracking and participant surveys were analyzed based on the previously established dual classification of movement perception. Visual attention metrics, including the number of gazes, fixations, saccades, and the attention coefficient, were examined and interpreted in conjunction with participants' responses. Accordingly, the study evaluated how the identified representational strategies contribute to conveying spatial flexibility and supporting the perception of spatial dynamism. The findings indicate that explicit visual cues in the drawing do not primarily trigger the perception of dynamism, but instead emerge through a cognitive process activated by ambiguous and indeterminate representations. Representational strategies such as ambiguity, openness, and abstraction were found to be effective in evoking a sense of movement and transformation in the viewer. Dynamism is not an inherent feature of the visual itself, but an experiential effect shaped through the interaction between the drawing and the observer. Eye-tracking data revealed that visual attention metrics alone are insufficient to account for the perception of movement; instead, qualities such as layering, spatial ambiguity, and compositional flexibility were found to play a more decisive role in shaping this perception. The study aims to provide a conceptual framework that links sketching to flexibility in architectural representation. The proposed approach, while centered on sketching, has the potential to be adapted to other representational tools and may evolve into a more systematic methodology through future empirical studies and broader applications.