SHAPEGRAMMAR: A TOOL FOR RESEARCH IN TRADITIONAL

ARCHITECTURE

LINAS FATHIMA, CHITHRA K.

National Institute of Technology, Calicut, Kerala
Email address: linasfathima@gmail.com
Email address: chithrak@nitc.ac.in

Abstract. Every Architectural style consists of an Architectural

language with vocabulary, syntax, and semantics. The compositional
principles of a particular style can be defined over as a set of rules.
These rules can be reformed and converted using mathematical
computational techniques using Shape Grammar (A systematic
method used for interpreting spatial design and activities).
Researchers across the world used shape grammar to analyse design
patterns of traditional architectural styles, master architects' works,
etc. These rule-based methods can be adopted into computer
languages to produce new designs. Traditional Architecture of a
region portrays culture integrated with all aspects of human life. The
proposed paper is to study the potentials of shape grammar to use as a
tool in the research of traditional architectural styles by analysing case
studies. The research methodology reviews the previous shape
grammar studies conducted in various conventional styles and
comparative analysis of the approaches of authors in shape grammar
generation. The research by Lambe and Dongre on the formulation of
shape grammar of Pol houses of Ahmadabad and Cagdas's work on
traditional Turkish houses is an example of this. T Knight had
formulated shape grammar of Japanese tea houses, and
Yousefniapasha and Teeling developed a grammar of vernacular
houses facing rice fields of Mazandaran, Iran. Similarly, many
researchers used shape grammars as a tool to analyse traditional
architecture. So the study will compare the different traditional shape
grammar generations and formulate a sample shape grammar of a
traditional prototype to conclude the scope of further research in the
domain.

Keywords: Shape grammar, traditional architecture, Architectural language

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.‫ يشتمل كل اسلوب معماري على لغة معمارية تحتوي على مفردات ونحو ودالالت‬.‫ملخص‬
‫ يمكن اصالح هذه‬.‫يمكن تعريف المبادئ التركيبية السلوب معين بانها مجموعة من القواعد‬
‫القواعد وتحويلها باستخدام تقنيات حسابية رياضية باستخدام قواعد الشكل(طريقة منهجية‬
‫استخدم الباحثون في جميع أنحاء العالم قواعد‬.)‫تستخدم لتفسير التصميم و االنشطة المكانية‬
‫االشكال لتحليل انماط تصميم االساليب المعمارية التقليدية واعمال المهندسين المعماريين‬
‫يمكن إعتماد هذه االساليب القائمة على القواعد في لغات الكمبيوتر‬.‫الرئيسيين وما إلى ذلك‬
‫تصور العمارة التقليدية الي منطقة ثقافتها المناسبة بجميع جوانب‬.‫إلنتاج تصميمات جديدة‬
‫تهدف الورقة المقترحة إلى دراسة إمكانات قواعد الشكل الستخدامها كاداة في‬.‫الحياة البشرية‬
‫يستعرض منهج البحث‬.‫البحث عن االساليب المعمارية التقليدية من خالل دراسات الحاالت‬
‫دراسات قواعد الشكل السابقة التي اجريت في مختلف االساليب التقليدية والتحليل المقارن‬
‫يعد البحث الذي اجراه المبي ودونغري حول‬.‫بنظرات المؤلفين في تكوين قواعد الشكل‬
‫صياغة القواعد الشكلية لمنازل بول في احمد آباد وعمل كاجداس على المنازل التركية‬
‫قام تي نيت بصياغة قواعد نحوية لبيوت الشاي اليابانية وطور‬.‫التقليدية مثاال على ذلك‬
‫يوسف نيا باشا و تيلنغ قواعد نحوية المنازل المحلية المواجهة لحقول االرز في مازندران‬
‫وكذلك استخدم العديد من الباحثين القواعد النحوية الشكلية كاداة لتحليل العمارة‬.‫بإيران‬
‫ومن اجل ذلك ستقارن الدراسة بين االجيال النحوية لالشكال التقليدية المختلفة‬.‫التقليدية‬
‫وتصوغ نموذج قاعدة نحوية تقليدية الستكمال نطاق البحث االضافي في المجال‬

.‫ الشكل النحوي والعمارة التقليدية واللغة المعمارية‬:‫الكلمات المفتاحية‬

1. Introduction

Traditional Architecture of a region has evolved by witnessing the evolution

of culture, geography, and other regional characteristics. Conserving
traditional architectural styles is the best method to conserve the heritage
value of a place. Traditional Architectural styles have compositional rules
and principles that were evolved by the trial and error method corresponding
to the culture, geography, and other regional characteristics. Hence, to define
a particular traditional style, it is essential to learn and understand the
language of the corresponding architectural style. Shape grammar is used as
a tool to decode the language of architectural styles by many researchers. It
is an efficient tool which helps to understand the spatial relationships in
architecture. Generation of shape grammar helps in the analysis of existing
architectural styles and the generation of new forms. This study analyses
the competencies of shape grammar as a tool to understand traditional
architecture by reviewing the approaches used in previous research on
different architectural styles. The case studies are selected such that the
method of shape grammar generation is different in the selected research.
Also, a sample shape grammar is generated on a traditional prototype.

2. Shape grammar: A logical argumentation method

Shape grammar is a systematic method used under mathematical-formal

logical systems in logical argumentation of architectural research (Linda
Groat, 2002). Architectural language consists of vocabulary, syntax, and

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rules similar to natural languages. Shape grammar plays an essential role in

defining the design rules in architectural language. A shape grammar is a set
of rules that are applied in the step by step to generate architectural
language or design., hence it plays an essential role in defining an
architectural design(T. W. Knight, 1999). In 1972, James Gips and George
Stiny introduced shape grammars in their research titled "Shape Grammars
and the Generative Specification of Painting and Sculpture'. They had
identified shape and shape grammar as a specification which is generative
and visual (Stiny and Gips,1995). The shape rules are the descriptions in the
shape grammar generation process. The fundamental component of shape
rules are shapes, points lines or planes. (T. Knight, 1999) For example,
Figure 1 shows the simplest two-step shape grammar generation. The first
rule takes a square and moves along its diagonal direction.
Similarly, in the second rule, an L shape moves along the diagonal path. A
datum point is fixed and shows before and after movement. The rules can be
Shape operations such as addition, subtraction, and other transformations or
movements with specific orientations. The computation starts with a double
L shape. There are other possibilities of formation also, but in each stage, the
user can decide what shapes to see and what action to do next(Knight, 2015).
Last forty years. Researchers and designers had used shape grammar as a
generative tool in various fields. They evolved many applications out of
shape grammar theory such as colour grammars, structure grammars etc.

Figure 1. Shape grammar and computation rules example

2.1. SHAPE GRAMMARS AND IT'S APPLICATIONS

The early researchers have used shape grammar as a technique to analyse

design patterns in the works of master architects. Duarte analysed design
patterns of Alvar Siza's patio houses at Malagueira using shape
grammars(Duarte, 2005). Paio, along with five other authors, generated a
shape grammar based computational tool for developing a sustainable and
integrated urban design(Paio et al., 2011). Eilouti had used shape grammar
as a reverse engineering method for the generation of architectural façade
design(Eilouti, 2019). Cromwell, Lu and Steinhardt used shape grammar
rules to derive Islamic ornamental patterns (Cromwell, 2009)(Lu and
Steinhardt, 2007). Li's article uses shape grammar as a tool to teach Yingzao

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Fashi's architectural style (Li, 2001). Maria Angela Dias had generated shape
grammar of an informal city, Rocinha Favela in Brazil (Dias, 2014). The
authors' expectation was that study would help improve housing and public
space in the favela. Eloy and Duarte had used shape grammar to analyse the
quality of designs with a comparative test on Lisbon apartments(Eloy and
Duarte, 2014). Yue and Krishnamurti had estimated Queen Anne houses'
interior layout using shape grammar to capture the building style(Yue,
Krishnamurti and Grobler, 2012). Various researchers had used shape
grammar to analyse the different traditional architecture

3. Shape grammar as a tool in traditional Architecture

Cagdas had derived shape grammar to derive the language of Turkey's

traditional houses (Çaǧdaş, 1996). Lambe and Dogre formulated shape
grammar of the Pol houses of Ahmedabad to generate contextual
designs(Lambe and Dongre, 2019). T Knight had developed shape grammar
of traditional Japanese houses in forty-two steps considering ceremonial
aspects of Japanese tea ceremony(Knight, 1981). Majid and John studied
forty-four houses in four villages to identify compositional rules of
vernacular houses facing rice fields(Yousefniapasha et al., 2019). Chiou and
Krishnamurti's application of shape grammars on Taiwanese traditional
vernacular dwellings is one of the most-cited publications in the
domain(Chiou and Krishnamurti, 1995a). Herbert and Sander's research
generates shape grammar of African Ndebele homesteads that obey all social
customs and structural properties of traditional settlement and avoid external
influences(Herbert, Sanders and Mills, 1994).Two cases from traditional
architecture with different approaches selected as case studies for this
research.

3.1 CASE STUDY 1-TRADITIONAL TURKISH HOUSES

The traditional Turkish houses are single-storied houses built between the
15th and 16th centuries in the Ottoman Empire. The ground floor is used for
ancillary purposes when the house has more than one floor. The house
contains spaces such as bedrooms, stairs, laundry, pantry, kitchen, hall etc.
Cagdas had formulated the parametric shape grammar of these houses as
they were getting demolished widely (Çaǧdaş, 1996). Turkish houses'
peculiarity is that they have several plan types based on plan shape, location
of central hall etc. Cagdas had identified plan elements and types of plan in
the first stage. The method Cagdas used in generating grammar of Turkish
houses is similar to the method used by Flemming for Queen Anne houses
(Flemming, 1987). The generation process employed by Cagdan starts by
locating a particular space and proceeds by adding the adjacent areas to the

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plan composition (similar to the grammar derived by Lambe and Dongre in

pol houses) (Çaǧdaş, 1996). Here an imaginary grid guides the placement of
elements (similar to the tea house grammar by T Knight). Hence can define
Cagdas's approach as a combination of both these approaches. A grid-based
representation system can combine graphical and abstract depictions of
vocabulary elements, and thus it treats lines symbolically rather than
mathematically according to the coordinate system. (Çaǧdaş, 1996). the
initial shape of grammar generation labelled as point K on the coordinate
system. The polygonal shape hall's left corner is coinciding with K in the
initial step. The author created other vocabulary elements from the
transformation of the main vocabulary elements. A computer can easily
convert the data into descriptions as a grid is guiding the process. Cagdas
represented each polygon as a 3x3 matrix and sub shapes represented by
larger matrices (Figure 2) matching their configurations.

Figure 2. Shapes as represented as matrices (Çaǧdaş, 1996)

Cagdas represented shapes with integer numbers' 1' and '0" for empty cells in
the matrix. The same integer numbers represent the sub shape in a block as
in a matrix. The usage of a matrix to represent polygon is necessary to
convert the symbolic representations into graphical outputs for the algorithm
generation. Even spatial relations illustrated using integers in the matrix.
These spatial relations are necessary for grammar generation.

3.1.1. Grammar Generation

The author had generated grammar by grouping the rule sets into two. They
are plan types belonging to the outer hall (ROn) and inner hall separately
(RIn), and he generated grammar for both the groups. But the initial shape
for grammar generation was the hall in both groups. Cagdas generates the
grammar of Traditional Turkish Houses using eight rule sets. The first six
rule sets create the plan layouts, and the last two rule sets refine the plan
layouts. Each rule sets defines all the possible spatial adjacencies of space.
The final rule set represents shape rule schemata that determine the inflected
corners. Figure 3 shows a tree plan layouts generated by Cagdas for Turkish
Houses with an outer hall. Cagdas mentions that the method can't be used to

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create palaces and Konark plans by combining more plan types.

Figure 3. Part of a tree diagram of plan layout generated for houses with a central
hall.(Çaǧdaş, 1996)

3.2. CASE STUDY 2- TAIWANESE TRADITIONAL HOUSES

Taiwanese architecture is a branch of Chinese architecture with slight unique

characteristics—styles in Chinese architecture characterised by people, type
of building, and construction type. Even though Taiwan is a typical migrant
society, each migrant group has an architectural style related to that of their
native place (Chiou and Krishnamurti, 1995). Site is the most important
factor in traditional Taiwanese design. The repetition of massing elements
produced site plans. In conventional Taiwanese buildings, nearly all were
bilaterally symmetric about to central line through the main hall. The main
hall is considered sacred among family spaces. All the significant spaces lie
on this axis, and secondary spaces lie on the left or right of this axis.
Taiwanese traditional buildings have primary and secondary buildings. The
main buildings were transverse to the axis of symmetry, and the secondary
building was parallel. The axis of symmetry is bisecting the central room
and all the other spaces generated through this hall.

3.2.1. The grammar

The Chiou and Krishnamurthi had developed shape grammar of Taiwanese
houses in seventeen stages. The first stage is establishing the fortunate
numbers. The initial point for grammar generation is key brick, and it is
represented as *(asterisk). The stage one consists of two rules. Rule 1
determines the orientation by defining the axis of symmetry. Fortunate
dimensions of the building are computed using the next rule. Principles of
feng-shui and orientation are the basis of fortunate dimensions. The rule
schema selects one set of fortunate numbers from many.

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The authors generated the central room of the principal building d in stage 2.
The central hall is situated on the central axis with key brick as its centre.
The central room is generated using four rules. Stage three adds openings to
the central room. Taiwanese houses consist of two types of doors, main
doors and regular doors. There are ten rules in this stage which can be
classified into three. Rules 7 to 9 creates openings in the front wall of the
central hall. The second group creates openings on the rear wall, and the last
rule creates openings in both walls. There are four rules at this stage. Stage
four generates the plan of the main building using seven sets of rules. First,
two rules create the plan of the main building. The next rule adds two rooms
to the main building. Rule 18 terminates the generation of the principal
building. Rule 19 adds an additional space within the room by adding a wall.
Rule 20 and 21 extend porch across the already added rooms. Stage 5 adds
openings to the rooms in the main building. All the rooms in the main
building are directly or indirectly connected to the central room. Rooms
were with a minimum number of openings. The fifth stage consists of two
sets of shape rules. The first group consists of rules for adding placeholders
for doors and other groups for windows. And stage 6 replaces doors and
windows by their two-dimensional icons. The seventh stage generates a
courtyard at the front of the main building. Courtyards in the Taiwanese
houses are open space between the main building and two secondary
buildings. The plan of the secondary building is generated in stage 8. The
secondary building connects the main buildings parallel to the line of
symmetry. 9th stage computes the fortunate dimensions of the main building,
which is in front of a courtyard. The procedure here is similar to stage 1, but
building height also is considered here. Height of the building should be less
than the main building. Stage 10 generates the main building plan, which is
in front of a courtyard. The next stage generates a secondary building which
surrounds the front main building. The secondary building's extent is given
by the sum of depths of front buildings and the courtyards. 12th stage
generates another kind of secondary building connected by a passing room
to the end room of the main building (Chiou and Krishnamurti, 1995).
These secondary buildings are perpendicular to the line of symmetry. In
stage 13, openings are added to secondary structures. Stage 14 describes the
rules for making platforms, an essential component of Chinese architecture.
Roofs represent a person's social position in Chinese architecture—stage 15
represents the rule schema for creating roofs. 16th stage modifies the lines in
the plan to three-dimensional walls. The height of the wall depends on the
roof. The last stage is termination, in which all the labels used in plan
generation are erased. The stage has four rules Chiou and Krishnamurti had
formulated the grammar of traditional Taiwanese houses with bilateral
symmetry as an essential feature (Chiou and Krishnamurti, 1995).

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4. A Sample Grammar Generation of a traditional prototype

A sample shape grammar generation was conducted on a traditional
prototype to verify different grammar generation methods. A traditional
prototype with informal development was selected for grammar generation.
Kuttichira is a Muslim settlement in Calicut district of Kerala, India. The
user communities of the settlement were tradesman. They followed the
matrilineal inheritance system to ensure women's safety in their apartments
as men were away with trade. They constructed huge mansions to
incorporate their large joint families. These mansions were introverted in
planning and with strict segregation of male and female areas. Five samples
were selected from the settlement and documented. The selected houses
were older, about 100-150 years. The vocabulary and grammar of the
prototype were derived from the plan based on a detailed analysis.

4.1 VOCABULARY OF KUTTICHIRA MUSLIM MANSIONS

The Kuttichira houses are two-storied structures with the introverted

planning system. One of the main planning criteria is the privacy of ladies
areas due to Islamic principles. This results in a clear division of spaces into
the male area, female area and common area. Even though all the mansions'
basic layout in the settlement is similar, the scale and detailing differ
concerning the user's financial attributes. The main elements of the plan
(Main door, Main windows, and Main spaces) are aligned on the central
axis.
Males of the family use the frontal areas of the mansion, including
Kolaya(Verandah), Padappuram and a central hall. Padappuram is an inner
verandah mainly utilised during functions for the family. Padappuram
consists of two platforms (135cm height) on either side of the central axis.
The bedroom of the senior-most male member is situated on either side of
Kolaya. Naduvakam is a central room used by females of the family. Space
consists of a small courtyard meant for lighting and ventilation. The
bedrooms of females are situated next to naduvakam. According to their
customs, every woman is provided with an ara during the wedding. Ara is a
self-contained room which includes all facilities for dining, sleeping and
relaxing etc. The first floor of these mansions is entirely meant for newly
wedded couples. These houses contain big kitchens to feed the entire family.
Above mentioned are the main elements of a typical Kuttichira Muslim
mansion. Figure 4 shows the plan of a typical layout of Kuttichira Mansion.

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4.2 THE GRAMMAR GENERATION

The Samples were analysed for understanding the variations in design
typologies. The grammar generation is carried out in twelve stages; in which
each stage contains several rules.

Figure 4.Plan of a typical Kuttichira Mansion (Fathima, 2018)

.
The grammar generation method is a combination of Pol houses' grammar
and vernacular houses of Mazandaran (Lambe and Dongre,
2019)(Yousefniapasha et al., 2019). The grammar derivation begins with
generating midpoint of the site and generating axis through the centre in NW
and SE direction. The kitchen is considered as a unit for simplifying
grammar generation. Toilets were not considered in grammar generation as
they were later additions. A system of labeling is used in grammar
generation. Each space is denoted as s (an abbreviation of space). For
example, kolaya is denoted as s(k). Interior walls and perimeter walls are
denoted as I (w) and P(w). Door, main door and window are represented as
'D', 'MD' and 'W' respectively. 'I' denotes irunila and 'v' denotes verandah.
The first stage generates the central axis. Padappuram is considered an
important datum point in grammar generation. In the second stage,
Padappuram is placed in the central axis using two rules. In the third stage,
Kolaya is placed in two rules (Rules 4-5). In the fourth stage, the gent's
common room is placed using two rules. The bedroom of karanavar is
placed in the fifth stage using a single rule. The placement of naduvakam is
described in the sixth stage using four rules (Rules 11-14). The rule for
placing ladies rooms around naduvakam is described in the seventh stage
using two rules. The eighth stage describes the rules for generating stair
(Rules 17-18). The kitchen is generated using the rule sets in stage 9. The
verandah is added in the tenth stage using four rules (Rules 21-25). The
eleventh stage describes the placement of doors, windows, main doors using
different rule sets (Rules 26-48). The last stage describes the placement of

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columns using three rules. The grammar of Kuttichira houses consists of

several derivations under two main types. That is mansions without a
common central hall and mansions with a central hall. Figures 5, figure 6,
figure 7, serially shows the grammar generation.

Figure 5. Sample grammar generation

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Figure 6. Sample grammar generation

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Figure 7. Sample grammar generation

4. Discussion

The two case studies depict two different ways of grammar generation in
traditional architecture. In the case of shape grammar of Turkish houses, an
imaginary grid line guides the generation process, and several derivations
are possible in this. The parametric shape grammar has a generative
approach as substitution rule sets represent the spatial relations in the plan
layouts. The polygon representing the hall is considered the initial shape of
the grammar as the hall type determines the plan type of Turkish house.
Shapes are mathematically represented using integer matrices in this
approach. Here, shape grammar is generated in two-dimensional layouts
only. The usage of grid prevents spatial uncertainty and control
interpenetration of blocks and spaces. Cultural and climatological factors
regarding the traditional style are not studied in this approach. In the second
case study of Taiwanese houses, the derivation starts by locating the central
axis, and the bilateral symmetry of the plan has great importance in the
derivation. Another difference, in this case, is that the house is not a single
building. Chiou and Krishnamurti defined the generation of primary and
secondary buildings based on the relation to the main building and symmetry.
The generation process is about the hierarchy of buildings. The method is
suitable for styles in which building complex consists of several buildings
and follows symmetry.
The sample grammar generation is conducted in a third method similar to
Lambe and Dongre's Pol house grammar(Lambe and Dongre, 2019) and
Yousefenipasha's Mazandaran vernacular house grammar(Yousefniapasha et
al., 2019). In which, A base point is located based on the climatological and
cultural factors. And generation begins with locating axis on the basepoint. A
datum space is located on the axis, and other spaces are generated based on
the hierarchy and proximity of spaces with respect to that. The generated
grammar is non-deterministic grammar with multiple derivations. The
grammar generation consists of 12 stages and 57 rules. Figure 8 shows the
possible shape computations. In the designs that have informal development
of spaces and have a hierarchy in their importance, the method used in

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Kuttichira houses can be applied. The three cases depict three different
approaches to shape grammar generation of traditional prototypes. Even
from a primary observation, we can analyse that the plan character has an
important role in determining the derivation methodology.

Figure 8. Shape Computation

4. Conclusion

Traditional architecture styles have specific compositional principles and

homogeneity within it. Hence it is essential to define the language of
traditional architectural styles to comprehend it better. Shape grammar is an
efficient tool to appreciate traditional architectural styles. It will also help in
the generation of architectural designs following traditional design
principles. As the traditional architecture of a region is evolved respecting
the region's climate and culture, it will be useful to consider the cultural and
climatical rules also in the rule schemata like in the grammar generation of
Kuttichira house. The researchers can choose the methodology of shape
grammar generation based on the type of plan and form of structure. In the
designs that have informal development or spaces and have a hierarchy in
their importance, the method used in Kuttichira houses can be applied. In the
case of non-deterministic grammars, usage of imaginary grids will reduce
ambiguity in the generation process, as evident in the grammar generation of
Turkish houses. The structures which have bilateral symmetry can adapt the
approach used in the case of Taiwanese houses. The same method can use
for the cases with multiple blocks also. The selection of grammar generation
method can be based on the plan configuration of buildings. Hence the shape
grammar can be used as an efficient tool that can generate or decipher the
language of various architectural styles.

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