Creating an endless visual space: An Isovist analysis of a small traditional Chinese garden

Traditional Chinese private gardens, as a unique spatial typology, create a maze-like quality through the arrangement of sightlines and pathways, offering occupants a sense of perpetual circulation and boundless time. The rich experiential nature cultivated within these confined spaces, alongside the ecological worldview of “harmony between heaven and humanity,” holds significant relevance for urban landscape design and the sustainable development of urban environments. While there is ample research literature on various aspects of garden spaces, studies exploring how private gardens generate visually infinite and cyclic spatial experiences within limited areas often remain confined to intuitive analysis, lacking concrete and rational explanations. This study employs the method of Isovist Analysis to test the validity of the spatial consciousness of “Limitless vision, Endless recurrence” within the spatial layout and tour organization of traditional private gardens, using the analysis of Isovists at eight scenic spots within the Xiaocanglang Water Courtyard, as well as an examination of visual-spatial changes along both primary and secondary pathways in different tour directions. It is hoped that this research method will serve as a tool for urban designers and landscape architects to assess spatial-visual characteristics and experiences during the design phase.