Sign Analysis

Purpose: This method is designed to describe the signification system active in a building, place, plan or design. It can be used to document the meanings of specific forms, the underlying ideologies and the codes that serve as vehicles for imbedding ideologies into built form.

Definitions

The signifier is the form that is being analyzed; the form includes a specific object (e.g. a McDonald's restaurant) and the class to which it belongs (e.g. fast food restaurant).

The context is the set of related forms with which one can identify similarities and differences; this includes both syntactical (e.g. relationship to surroundings) and semantic aspects (e.g. stylistic vocabulary) of form. Comparisons at local, regional, national and world scales may be appropriate.

The signified includes both denotative (literal or first order) and connotative (second order) meanings of the form. Connotative meanings include underlying ideologies (e.g. consumerism, economic determinism, democracy) and sensibilities (e.g. sexuality, modesty, sanitary).

Codes are the vehicles through which meanings are conveyed. They may include regulatory codes like a building or zoning code or aesthetic codes like a style of architecture or mass media codes like a televisual effect. Codes can be grouped into those that are unique to the situation and created by the designer or producer (internal) or that are broader, imposed by others (external). A unique use of a building material would be an example internal codes whereas the building code requirements for fire resistance imposed on all buildings of the class would be an external code. Forms can conform or diverge from codes. For example, a colonnade of Doric columns was part of the code of Hellenic Greece. But, a collonade of Doric columns with a Corinthian capitals would diverge from the Hellenic code.

Identity refers to the actual impact on the producers and consumers of the building as cultural artifact in terms of confirmation or contradiction of self.

Meanings to consider in the analysis:

Analysis Steps:

1. Study and compare the built form, plan or design with its physical surroundings and broader context in terms of the class of forms, e.g. building type. Take a local, regional, national and world perspective if necessary.

2. Identify the codes, or typology of forms, available for the particular building type (class) and the one that was selected.

3. Identify the traces that can be used to understand the meaning of the form to its users or other classes of people, e.g. physical condition, by products of use, adaptations, etc.

3. Investigate and identify how the building relates or contrasts with larger scale signification systems used in the culture at large, e.g. advertisements, educational system, corporate practices, etc.

5. Through archival material, interviews and observations, interpret how the identities of occupants, owner and designers of the building are either confirmed or contradicted by the building.

Documentation:

1. Use the Sign Analysis Outline below to organize and compare findings for different forms and individual occupants, owner and designers.

2. Prepare written and visual documentation.

3. Write a narrative describing findings using the Sign Analysis Outline. Include differences between the experiences of occupants, occupant groups and designers.

5. Speculate on how the meaning of the building may change over time and why.

Analysis #5:

Complete a sign analysis for your case study project using the Sign Analysis Outline. Depending on the project, complete separate analyses (subsections of report) for different stakeholder groups (e.g. inhabitants, visitors, designers, owners, etc.), different aspects of the building (e.g. exterior, interior, etc.).

Be prepared to discuss the following in class:

  1. What are the different meanings the building may convey?
  2. What codes are evident in the appearance of the building ?
  3. How is the building form connected to a larger signification system?
  4. Whose identity is confirmed/contradicted?
  5. How would you have designed the project differently? What signification would you seek to achieve

Sign Analysis Outline

The outline is a tool to organize information on all aspects of the sign. From the information collected , an analysis of the sign can be constructed through an explanatory narrative. Several subsections of each section may be used to address different aspects of the building (e.g. exterior, interior), different participants (e.g. designer, inhabitant, visitor) or different contexts (e.g. local, regional),

 

Signifier (Form):

 

Documentation of the form, e.g. photos, plans, etc.

Traces

Present in the form

Expected but missing traces


Meaning of the traces

Context

Relationship to surroundings

Formal vocabulary

Class of forms to which this belongs

Cultural context

Signified (Meaning)

Denotative


Connotative


Codes (complied or violated)


Identity (confirmed or contradicted)

Change over time - observed or predicted

Overall Critique

Click here to see an example of how to use the Outline.