In architectural drawings, human figures generally express the scale of design space. Their presence is supposed to be a sign of a particular sensibility toward human scale and needs and over the centuries, figures were capable of playing a number of different cultural roles. From the anthropomorphic attitudes of Renaissance architects to the Functionalists' diagrams, human figures have illustrated and mediated the cultural development of human environment. Even if architects maliciously used them to convey layered meanings into their architectural renderings, they are an implicit index of different ideas about men and women and express architects' ideological positions toward society often beyond their intents. This paper analyzes the use of human figures in architectural designs with a particular attention to the twentieth century, to the passage from the mechanical to the digital age, in which the diffusion of cut-and-paste procedure is changing and enhancing their use in the globalized architecture.

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Abstract:Architectural heritage preservation is based on an in-depth, multi-layered and interdisciplinary knowledge of the cultural heritage sites, especially when they are a combination between natural and artificial, such as rupestrian (cave) architecture often is. Survey and representation of rock-cut architecture is one of the most problematic issues for a number of problems concerning the geometrical complexity of the interior and exterior enveloping surfaces. Laserscanner is an appropriate tool concerning the registration of geometric and spatial properties of artificial caves in continuity with the external topography, but automatic representations are often unable to convey their hidden geometric and spatial relationships. In the context of a work methodology customized on the rupestrian habitat of Cappadocia (Turkey), the authors developed an original envisioning model in which an associate use of contour lines and chromatic codes transforms traditional orthogonal projections after the numeric model into drawings able to offer a synthesis and transmit the complex forms and relationships of rupestrian settlements.

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Springer Series in Design and Innovation (SSDI) publishes books on innovation and the latest developments in the fields of Product Design, Interior Design and Communication Design, with particular emphasis on technological and formal innovation, and on the application of digital technologies and new materials. The series explores all aspects of design, e.g. Human-Centered Design/User Experience, Service Design, and Design Thinking, which provide transversal and innovative approaches oriented on the involvement of people throughout the design development process. In addition, it covers emerging areas of research that may represent essential opportunities for economic and social development.In fields ranging from the humanities to engineering and architecture, design is increasingly being recognized as a key means of bringing ideas to the market by transforming them into user-friendly and appealing products or services. Moreover, it provides a variety of methodologies, tools and techniques that can be used at different stages of the innovation process to enhance the value of new products and services.The series' scope includes monographs, professional books, advanced textbooks, selected contributions from specialized conferences and workshops, and outstanding Ph.D. theses.