About the project

Architectural Biometrics is a platform that addresses the lack of tools for comparative analysis of spatial data. The platform is inspired by research on the Canadian and Ottoman railways, both of which include an array of prefabricated building designs that display fascinating dissimilarities. Analogous to facial recognition software, the platform algorithmically analyzes 3D scans.

Team

Meet the faculty and graduate students working on Architectural Biometrics.

Visualizations

Morden train station [click image to interact with 3D visualization] Durak train station [click image to interact with 3D visualization] Paleoindian Point Scanned at RMSC [click image to interact with 3D visualization]

Bibliography

The project’s inspirations and resources include literature related to art history, biometrics, computation, image processing, and 3D modeling.

From Architecture to Artifacts: Scanning Paleoindian Points at RMSC (Fall 2017)

In an effort to expand the scale and scope of the Architectural Biometrics platform, during the Fall of 2017 graduate assistants Alicia Chester and Julia Tulke began scanning several Paleoindian points (commonly known as “arrowheads”) held in the collections of our external partner, the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC). The goal of this new […]

Project director Peter Christensen explains the scanning process at Beylikköprü, a village in Ankara Province.

This side-by-side photograph shows the rear facade (non–track side) of Zeytinli (left) and Durak (right), two stations that were built with the same plan yet which feature distinctive ornaments, windows, and doors.

A reference sphere affixed magnetically to the track diagram at Durak station.

Project director Peter Christensen sets up an interior shot inside the Portico at Durak station.

A distinctive ornament on the underside of the Zeytinli station’s eaves.

Oğuz Orkun Doma (right), a PhD student in architectural computation at Istanbul Technical University, joined the research team for four days in Turkey, serving as technical advisor, translator, guide, and photographer.

Graduate student Alana Wolf-Johnson takes site measurements at Durak station.

Project director Peter Christensen levels the FARO Focus3D scanner in Demiryurt. This site, no longer in use by the TCDD (Turkish railways), proved challenging due to unsteady terrain and heavy brush.

The research team was warmly greeted by station agents and local residents, and scanning sessions were often punctuated by invitations to relax and enjoy çay (Turkish black tea) and biscuits.