| Title |
An Analysis on Analogical Thinking in Architectural Designing |
| Abstract |
Desing reasoning is largely visual and makes heavy use of visual analogy. In this article, analogical transfer is analyzed, exemplified and shown to clarify the nature and process of analogical thinking in architectural designing.There are two questions to address through this design research. First, we have to explain how designers make use of visual analogy to help themselves restructure and solve design problems. To do so we resort to the theory of cognitive psychology on analogical thinking and a cognitive analysis of design thinking. Second, we should explor the ways to increase the effectiveness of intuitive design processes through using appropriate visual analogy.As a result of this study, visual analogy is helpful in its activation of design knowledge transfer processes. The quality of analogical transfer is relative to the shared features of the analogues. The positive transfer is made when the features shared by the base area and the target area are structural.In contrast, when the base and target analogues share surface features the negative transfer is more likely. Through the analysis of one case of Le Corbusier's problem solving we identify analogical transfer through structural mapping and explain the positive aspect of this mapping. |