Analysis of the materials and exterior texture of agro-industrial buildings:: a photo-analytical approach to landscape integration

The visual and aesthetic aspects of any object are defined by its colour, form, line and texture. To these, might be added compositional reference elements such as scale and, in the case of three-dimensional scenes, spatial character. This paper investigates 'texture', allowing the designer to analyse visual elements in terms of the properties that define them. 'Texture' is defined by its regularity, density, internal contrast and grain size. The proposed approach studies the relationship between buildings and their background. The approach includes computer analysis of landscape images, public preferences for integration of agro-industrial buildings and a special table for systematic application of the process. It is hoped that this approach will help professional designers to select appropriate building textures in order to harmonize architecture and the surrounding. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.