This book looks at relationships between the organization of physical objects in space and the organization of ideas. Historical, philosophical, psychological and architectural knowledge are united to develop an understanding of the relationship between information and its representation.

Despite its potential to break the mould, digital information has relied on metaphors from a pre-digital era. In particular, architectural ideas have pervaded discussions of digital information, from the urbanization of cyberspace in science fiction, through to the adoption of spatial visualizations in the design of graphical user interfaces. This book tackles:

the historical importance of physical places to the organization and expression of knowledge the limitations of using the physical organization of objects as the basis for systems of categorization and taxonomy the emergence of digital technologies and the twentieth century new conceptual understandings of knowledge and its organization the concept of disconnecting storage of information objects from their presentation and retrieval ideas surrounding ‘semantic space’ the realities of the types of user interface which now dominate modern computing.

Contents

Introduction 1. The Architecture of Everything 2. Changing Patterns of Architecture and Information 3. Scope and Focus 4. The Place of Architectural Theory 5. The Multi-Disciplinary Context 6. Structure and Content Part 1: The Architectonic System 7. Architecture and Meaning 8. Architectonic Systems and the Emergence of Categorisation 9. Conceptual Spaces: Categories in the Mind 10. Topic and Topos 11. Conclusion Part 2: Between City Lights Receding and the Non-space of the Mind 12. Loosing the Ballast of Materiality 13. Spaces between Logic and Ontology 14. ‘Display Becomes Reality 15. The Web is not a Tree 16. Remediating Space 17. Conclusion Part 3: The Spaces of Information 18. Spaces of Information 19. The Failure of Architectural Meta0. Measuring: Semantic Space 21. Mapping: Screen Space 22. Exploring: Interaction Space 23. Navigating: Architectonic Space 24. Conclusion Part 4: Reality Becomes Display 25. After Information Architecture 26. Non-discursive Formations 27. Place-Action 28. Space Agency 29. Invisible Architectures 30. Conclusion Conclusion

Author Bio

Martyn Dade-Robertson is Lecturer in Architecture and Communication in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University. He originally did a degree in Architecture at Newcastle University before embarking on an MPhil and PhD at Cambridge University (Darwin College) on the topic of Information Architecture.