A computational investigation into the fractal dimensions of the architecture of Kazuyo Sejima

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s a range of approaches to using fractal geometry for the design and analysis of the built environment were developed. Mandelbrot’s “box counting” approach was later refined and developed by Carl Bovill who demonstrated a method for determining an approximate fractal dimension of architectural elevations and plans. This paper is the first investigation of the fractal dimensions of five house designs by Kazuyo Sejima, a famous, late 20th century minimalist designer. The fractal dimensions are calculated using a combination of Archimage and Benoit software, the former of which uses an extrapolation of Bovill’s box-counting method for the fractal analysis of house designs. Significantly, past research using the box-counting approach has only been applied to the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and a limited selection of ancient buildings. This paper will not only expand the set of cases tested by adding a selection of late Twentieth Century examples, but these will also be the first examples of minimalist architecture tested by this method. This paper will conclude by first providing a discussion of the five houses of Kazuyo Sejima, with a comparison between their design features and their box-counting results. Second, a brief description will be presented of how the fractal geometry of Sejima’s architecture differs from that of other architects’ works recorded in past research.