Author: Eitan

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]

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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.

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Field Work in Turkey (October 2015)

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.
A trio of local puppies joined the team in Demiryurt.
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Field Work in Canada (July 2015)

The Morden CPR station is now located at the Pembina Thresherman’s Museum in Winkler, Manitoba.
The Meeting Creek, Alberta station is an example of the third class “100-29” design by Ralph Benjamin Pratt.
In Beiseker, Alberta, the research team met with Chris Doering, a Canadian travel writer and amateur historian.
The research team uses these precision-molded reference spheres to create correspondences between consecutive scans.
Midnapore Station, currently on display at Calgary Heritage Park.
FARO Focus3D X330, the “Lidar” camera used for Architectural Biometrics.
Project director Peter Christensen and graduate student Alana Wolf-Johnson
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