# MACE

_Metadata for architectural contents in Europe_

Published: 2007-07-01

Live project: [http://portal.mace-project.eu](http://portal.mace-project.eu)

MACE (Metadata for Architectural Contents in Europe) was a pan-european initiative to interconnect and disseminate digital information about architecture. In this ambitious research project, I had a central role in designing the user interfaces and data visualizations developed over the course of the project.

## Key visuals

- Full radial tree of the MACE architecture taxonomy with node circles sized by number of resources
- Close-up of the MACE taxonomy radial tree with aligned splines and term labels sized by frequency
- Visitors exploring the mæve installation at the Venice Biennale, arranging physical project cards on an interactive table
- Upper section of the MACE taxonomy tree with branches like Expression form, Facade and Wall components
- MACE faceted search filtering 451 architecture documents by architect, style, map location and year
- Lower section of the MACE taxonomy tree detailing the Constructing and Technical design branches
- Zoomed center of the MACE taxonomy showing the Technical design hub branching into Material and Systems
- MACE portal homepage with repository search, a visual project browser and community features

## MACE portal

![Diagram of the MACE infrastructure harvesting metadata from repositories into a portal with faceted search and widgets]()

The project connects various repositories of architectural knowledge and enriches their contents with metadata. The result are unique services for searching and browsing architectural contents, for instance, by conceptual connection, geography, language.

## Radial visualization

![Radial tree of the MACE architecture taxonomy, term labels sized by resource count around a Technical design hub]()

The MACE classification glossary plays a central role in content retrieval and access. The browsing of the vocabulary and associated contents is supported by an interactive visualization of the terms and their relations. I extended a classical radial tree layout towards a structured tag cloud, where more frequently applied terms are presented larger. Additionally, aligned splines make it easier to grasp the tree structure and bring an organic look-and-feel into the visualization.

## maeve installation

<p>
 At the <a href="http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/" target="_blank">Venice Biennale 2008</a>, the mæve installation connects the entries of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170606104426/http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/everyville/" target="_blank">EveryVille student competition</a> and puts them into the larger context of MACE content and metadata. By placing physical project cards on an interactive surface, the visitors can explore an organic network of projects, people and media. mæve has been designed and developed by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141126203941/https://web.archive.org/web/20231118133626/http://portal.mace-project.eu/maeve/credits.php">a team of students and researchers</a> under the lead of <a href="http://esono.com">Prof. Boris Müller</a> and <a href="http://tillnagel.com">Till Nagel</a>. I initiated the project, consulted the design and development team, and realized the side projections.
</p>

## Credits

While employed as research assistant at [FH Potsdam](http://design.fh-potsdam.de)

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