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Spacc S!-ntax is a tlicor!- of spacc and a sct of anal!.tical, quantitatil-e, and dcscripti\-c tools for analyzing the layout of spacc in hiiildings ;ind cities (Hillicr arid Hanson 1984; Hillier 10ci6).Origiiiating in architccturc, it aims to aiis\\cr Le! architectural cliicstions: docs the layout of spacc niake a differcncc.; If so, \\-hatkind of diffcrcnce? h n d ho\v may these difkrcnces he rcnlized throiigh design? For niuscuiils and gallcrics, it asks: docs spatial dcsign influcnce ho\\- pcoplc niove thro~iglithe la!-out? Docs it makc a difkrcncc to h o \ ~ galler! \\orAs as a social space? Can it be uscd to a enhance curatorial intcrit? Does the way in \\-hich spaces are arrangcd into visitable scqi~ences and ohjects are organized spatiall!. play a role ir] shaping the cxpcricnce \ isitor? of the n ~ u s c u n ~ Crrr.crtorirrl intent has rccci\-ed niuch attcntion in recent p r s , and non. fornis a foca1 thcriic for niiiseological studics. ,4 substantial litcrnture exists on ho\\- curators niay realize thcir intentions, antl hov chaiigiiig iiitcntions may reflect decpcr changes in thc contcstual socicty. 4i~chitt~i.trrrrrl intent has receilcd inuch lcss attcritioii, in spitc of an increasing rcalization, particularly through innovative architectural projccts, that spatial design can niake a significant differencc to the muscuni cxpcricnce. One reasoii for tlic lack of acadcmic - as opposed to architectural - intcrest niay he purely practical: thc ahsencc of a lrrr~~~rrrr~qt~ in whicli t o formulate clear :r.!f'sp~rcr? distinctions bctn-ecn onc kind of spatial layout and anothcr. l'his chapter aims to ti11 this gap by introducing the spacc sl~ntastheor!- and niethodology for anal!-zing spatial la)-outs as i.oi~fi,y~rr.cit1oi7.srclatcd spaccs, and showing ho\v the!- can be used of to investigate the social functioning and cultural iiicaning of spatial layouts. S!-ntactic studics of inuscums ovcr thc past two dccadcs are revieaed to show both the mide rangc of la)-out issues that ha\-c bcen covercd, and also lio\v thc accuniulation of ncw itlcas and tcchniclues has brought thc study of clrchitrcturcrl and crrrrrtoi-icrl intent closer togcther. M e end thc chapter b!. suggcsting that the muscum/galler!- constitutcs a niore or lcss \\cll-dcfinecl spatinl tlpe, with varied potcntials to act botli as a pcdagogical device for conimunicating knonledge and narrative, nnd for transniitting a non-narrative n~eaningin thc form of an cmbodicd spatial and social expericncc.
Space Syntax
people spaces
pliysical I~oiinclaries
Figure 17.1 Space is intrinsic t o hurnan activity: rnoving through space, interacting with other people i n space, or even just seeing arnbient space frorn a point i n it, has a natural and necessary geometry.
Figure 17.2a-b Spatial layouts are different when seen from different points within thern. If w e locate ourselves i n the gray space rnarked O (a), we have a choice o f four spaces one space away - and so 1-deep and rnarked 1 - then three spaces 2-deep, and so rnarked 2, and t w o spaces 3-deep, and so rnarked 3. If we start in the corner gray space rnarked O (b), we have one space 1 deep, t w o 2-, 3-, and 4deep, and one each at 5- and 6-deep. The total depth o f the gray space frorn al1 other spaces is the rneasure o f its degree o f integration i n the cornplex.
Figure 1 7 . 2 ~ The relations between each space and al1 the others in the layout can be rnade visually clear in t w o ways: by shading spaces according t o the integration values resulting frorn the analysis, frorn darkest for rnost integrated through t o lightest for least; or, by rnaking the chosen space the "root" of a justified graph, in which t h e levels of depths frorn each space are read as vertical levels. So an integrated space has a shallow graph, a segregated space a deep graph.
Space Syntax
grande salle
Pi
vestibule
n
laverie bureau
laiterie
salle
salle comrnune
J
\
\ \
1
-debarra:
couloir
- bule
U
I l
I
I
1
\
\
/ 1 1 I
1
\
\
Figure 17.3 The justified graphs o f the rural French house frorn the outside, the sallecommune, and the grande salle show how culture manifests itself in the layout of space. For example, the salle commune, the space used for everyday living, is not justa space with certain furnishings and implements, but also with a certain configurational relation t o the house as a whole: it is the most integrated function space and lies on al1 rings of circulation in the layout.
allother spaces is 10. If \ve start in thc corner gray space markcd O in fig. 17.2b, \\.e have one space 1 decp, tn.0 2-, 3-, and 4-decp, ancl onc each at 5 - and 6-deep, gil~ing total oE 30. S h i s is thc basic of the ~iieasure the degree of ir?ic~g.r.n/inii each of of ace in a comples. ?'he lo\l-er the total, the niore integrated thc space; that is, the wer you have to pass through to go to al1 othcr spaccs in thc layout. 'The less inteted, or more scgrcyprted, the space, the niore spaces you llave to pass through to to al1 the othcrs. \Ve can clari- this by making each of the chosen spaces the grllph, as in fig 1/.2c, in which thc levels of depths froni each root" of alisrl/i~J ace are read as vertical layers abol-c the root. So an integrated spnce has a shallo\v raph, a segregated spacc a deep graph. Intecyr~~tio?i alues are then indiccs of thc lations betwcen each space and a11 the othcrs in thc layout. Space syntax analyis cornbincs thcse t n o basic ideas. Spatial la!-outs are first repented as a pattern of conves spaces, lincs, or ficlds of view eol~cring layout (or, thc will sec, some combination of them), and then calculations are madc of thc urutiorzal relations bctwecn cach spatial clement and all, or some, others. \Ve these techniques to shou. hon. culture manifests itself in the la\-out of space ing a spatial pattern in \vhich acti\-ities are integratcd and segrcgated to difent degrces. T h e spaces \ve identifl- with functional lnbcls such as "living rooni," tchen," or a "reccption" room are not just spaccs ~vithcertain furnishings, dective styles, and cquipment, but also \vith a certain con/iprnltior~tIIrelation to the se as a u-holc. For example, in the rural French house sliown in fig. 15.3, togethcr h its justified graph fiom thc outside (treating this conventionally as a single
Space Syntax
Figure 17.4a-b The traces o f a hundred people entering the Tate Britain gallery and rnoving for t e n minutes (a) show that, upon entering, visitors quickly diffuse into rnany, but not all, parts o f the gallery. The density o f movernent traces clearly resernbles the pattern o f visual integration i n t h e spatial layout, shown in (b).
as a w-hole. B- shaping mo\-cment in this \\-a!; thc spatial la!-out of course nlso shapcs ! a certain pattcrn of L . ~ - ~ I P s L ~ ~ z L . ~visitors, and this is onc of its niost posveranlongst ful effects.
Design Choices
Hon then has space syntax becn used to develop our undcrstanding of spatial la!-out ir1 niiiseums and galleriesi T h c first publishcd study using space syntax to s t u d - the n1useum/galler! was Hillier et al. (1082). This nas about design choices, and took thc forni of an analysis of the schcmcs proposed for thc extension to the National Gallcr!, 1,ondoii. T h e purposc of the stucly n-as to show that by stud!-ing critica1 spatial propcrtics, siich as axiality, segment;ition, and movcment choiccs, thc effccts of spatial dcsign on the inti)rn~ational potential and social character of the designs could he more cxplicitl!- discussrd, and so allow a more considered functional assessment to complcment the acsthetic considerations. Kcvien-ing the designs, thc studv suggested that the functioning of a scheme charactcrizcd b- riiajor ases n-hich cross its lcngtli aiid \\-idth, and conibined n-ith sec! andar!. axial lincs dircctl!- intcisecting the main oncs, \\-ould generate quite different peclagogic potentials and social experiencc to a more clahorate layout. One uould facilitate a prtlagogic. :ipproach in n.hich a simple structurc, 11-itli \arict!- and directness of spatial rclations anil seq~iencing, would suggest a chronological presentation of tlic collcction, and pcrmit a morc simultaneous appreciation of paintings and a\\-arcncss of others. I'he other woul(1, by allo\ving a range of altcrnati\-e routes, cncourage a more cxplorator!- visiting st!-le, and at thc sanie timc reduce awareness of othcr visitors and lead to shorter and less regular cncounters bctn-een them. In cffcct, the \-arious schemes offered quite different outcomes in ternls of the spatinl ~ . L ~ / I Lthat. L > might encoiiragc; the one more ovcrtl! pedagogic and at the same L ~ each timc more public and ceremonial, thc other more cxploratory and private. As it turned out, political development erisurcd that neithcr of the schemes u-as built, but the spatial character of thc Sainsbury \Ving as it \\.as finall!- built is critically reviewed bclou.
Space Syntax
The authors argued that in the Hirds Gallcr!; thc experieiice of spaces, arranged on both sidcs of a central aislc, u-hich emphasizcd s!.nchrony and hierarchical order, reflectcd thc hierarchl- of the classiticator! ideas of naturc that dominatcd scientific thinking in thc eighteenth century In the Hunian Biolog!- Hall, naturc n a s presented though a sequcnce of spaces with varying depths, a spatial fcaturc that, they arg~ied, retlected thc theory of evoliition that prevailcd fi-om the middlc of thc nineteenth ccntury. 'l'he changes in eshibition design n-ere also held by the authors to reflect the changing relationship of visitors to lino\\-ledge, from direct and explicit to indircct and claborated. While in the Birds Galler!; the scientiic knowledgc n-as abstract, in that it \$-asdispla!,ed but not cxplained, in the Human Hiologj- Hall, it took a more physical, and didactic forni, reinforced through the popularist use of educational technology. 'l'hc authors also saw current cducational thiniiirig reflectcd and axiall!- fragmcnted cxhibition layout ser\-ed in the la!-out in that the s u b d i ~ i d c d to individualizc learning, in contrast to thc oldcr morpholog!; characterizcd b>-the central aisle which actcd as an integrating point and gcneratcd a collcctivc interaction betwccn pcople and objects. In al1 these censes, the authors contended, thc changes in la!-out reflected changes in ideas of scicntific kno\\-lcdge and its forms of transmission.
Space Syntax
1996). T h e study \\-as conimissioncd b!- the Tatc to asccrtain thc likel!- implict of major additions and changcs that \\-ese tlien bcing proposcd to the esisting layout, thej niight affcct the pattcrns of visiting and, niore importantl!; the splr/i(~l and h o ~ v cult~~re thc gallery. Visitor sur\-eys had sho\\-n that 1-isitorsvalued the inti~rnial of and relaxed atmosphere of the Tatc, and tended to 1-isit quite impromptu and to repcat visit. Thesc \vere clcarly key 'lctors in the succcss of tlic gallery in spite of its somewhat rcmote location. 7'he puzzle \\as h o ~ vthe fi)rmalizcd, neo-classical layout of Tatc Hritain (fig. 17.41) could ha\-e crentcd \\,hat sccmcd to be a distinctl!- informal visiting ciilture. T h e first task \\as to grasp hon. the gallcr!- rvorkcd, and understand thc pattern of mal-ement, n-hich prcvious studics had concluded n-cre randoril. Rccordiiig thc routes of onc hiindrcd people for the first ten minutcs of thcir visit (fig. 17.4b) shoned that, upon entering, visitors qiiickly diffuscd into nlan!; but not al], parts of the gallcr!: hlan! mo\-cd aloiig thc central asis of the biiilding froni the main entrancc and thcn turncd iiito one of the shortcr cross ases, but 11-itli a strong bias to the left-sidc gallcrics. Illany others also turned inimcdiritely right to go to the Clorc Gallery (a late t~ventieth-century estension), but although this led to high flon-s in the main acccss spaccs in the Clore, therc \\-as a comparati\-c paucity of 1isits to thc inimediatcly adjaccnt dead-end spaccs. T o a surprising dcgree, the rnain feature of the pattern establishcd in thc first ten min~itcs ~ ~ i s iturned out to be rcflected iil of ts the all-da!- rnovement pattern. This study cntailed an unusually thorough stiid- of movenient and space use, ancl its approach has bccome the standard mcthod h r researcliing spatial la!-oiit in galleries and muscums. Sincc, for thc niost part, tlic la!-oiit of '13tc Biitiiin takes thc form of roorn-like spaccs with cntriincc spriccs oftcn, tliougli not aln-ri!s, aligncd in sequcnccs, counts of 1-isitors ciossing cach threshold 11-crc madc throughout the working da!; so that di\-iding the rcsult b!. t\\o (bccausc each visitor both cntcrs and leaves the spacc) gil-es a n x a n occupation ratc for cach space. Separate counts arid plots ncre also madc of h o ~ v nlan!. peoplc wcre 1-ien-ingc ~ h i b i t in cach space, agaiii s throughout thc norking da!-. Each spacc could thus be indcscd with niol-ing rate, a viening ratc, and 11 total occupanc!- ratc. T h e counts n-cre then corrclatcd with thc intcgration values givcn by thc ~ . / / t / i . ( / xir~l rcprcsentation and anal!-sis of thc la!-out, in which rooms \\ cre trentcd as linked to al1 spaces to n-hich thcre n-as a dircct visual coiincction. It \\-as found that, ns in the case of visual intcgration discusscd carlicr, therc n-as a \.er!- strong aiid linear relation (;m r' of 0.68, on a scalc from O to 1, n ~ i t h mcaning no rdations and 1 a O complctel!- dcterniinistic rclation), n-hich shon-ed that the gallery is being rcad h! visitors in the lvay it is dcsigned: as rooms linkcd \-isuall!- through entrances in en/il~/(/t. T h e key outcomc of the 'late stud! was that it showed the po\\-er of a hiiilding to shapc n-hat went oii in it through spatial layout. But u h a t madc thc glillcr!- \\ork this \\-a'; and could this in somc wa!- explain ho\\ an informal visiting pattcrn arose from a formal la!-out? In fact, thc spatial analysis had alread! niadc thc reason clear by hringiiig to light an i i l / ~ ~ y r i l ti.or~~ 17.413) hich liiiked the niain cntrance ~(~l~ (fig. through thc main asis to thc decper parts of the building, and striictured access both to the galleries fronl thc entrance, and betn.een gallerics in differcnt parts of thc
building. 'The avis, and the \va!-s in \\-hich the galleries \\-cre relatcd to it, thus pla!-ed a L! rolc both in niaking the la!-out intclligible as a \\~holc e(this \\-as nunicrical1~confirmed) and in organizing mo\~cnient both in and out of the gallcry and within the gallery. This is thc layout structurc which \\-e call a s/lclllon1 cnrc, and \\ hich has bcen sh\vn to create a sense of dynamic informal encounter in man!- types of building. 'l'his also has thc additional, enicrgent cffect which \ve have come to call L./IL~J.IIII people moving lvithin the gallcrv continuall> ~.t,-ei~co~il~/t,ronly those moving in not and out of the galler'; but also those they have cncuntcrcd prcviousl!; pcrhaps on cntering the gallery. >4spcople tcnd to unconsciously survey thosc \\ ith 11-hom they are co-present, a re-encounter e\-cnt can also he ii conscious or unconscious recognition espcriencc, a kind of mininialist vcrsion of meeting sonicone for a second time. 'Thcsc re-encounters fcel likc iandom events but are reall? a predictable effcct of the layout. T h c cllarl~ir,~cffect of a la!-out constantl! disengages peoplc from each other and then, 11-itha ccrtain probabilit!; brings theni togethcr again. Layouts vith i.ll~[r~ling to be espcricnced as more sociall!. cvciting than those \\ hich preclude tcnd it by 01-er-scquencing. This tlien is h o \ ~ informal, and apparently highl!- random, an pattern of visiting, \\ ith a cense of dense encciuntcr, can aiise from a formalized, ncocl;issical layout.
Spatial Genotypes
Starting out from the 'Tatc Hritain study, Huang (2001) sought to de\-clop a more thcoretical a p l x o x h to issucs of thc spatialization of knon-ledge and social relationships in muscuni la!-outs. l'aking into account tlie accumulatcd syntactic st~idies, and ~rl setting this against thc \\ider m ~ i s e o l o ~ i cliteriiture, he argucd that two key themcs ncrc eriibcddcd in tlie spatiiil layout of the niodern museum: orgilwiucil ~~~alX.iir,q and (!f'itsitnrs. T h c fornicr is rcalized by the organization of spaces into thc i.oyyr~,gutinl~ visitable sequences so as to map lino\\-ledge, and the latter is manifcsted b- the crc! ation of gathering spaces, thc itrtegrilttoll core, n~herc congreg~itiontakcs pliicc. the Huang san thcse two ,yo~oi)jpi~.al /ht'mes, of organizing scquences and gathering spaces, as providing thc ground for a typlog!- of niuscuni buildinps. T o illustratc this argunient, Huang anal'zed the s y t a c t i c structurc of a sct of museums takcn from different time pcriods and countries, iind classified tliem according to thcir strcngth of' scquencing and the depth of thcir integration core. IIe obscr\-ed that the integration coie of the niuseum had tended to bccome dccper \vith time, and suggestcd that this shift in thc pattern of spacc had an additiorial cfkct on the pattern of co-prescnce and co-an-arcness: tlie physical encountcr of pcople through nlovenlcnt which took place in thc shallo~l~ \\-as \veakcned and core replaced b; the l~irtual ! encounter of ~ i s i t o r s through visibilit!, rathcr than pliysicl co-presencc, in thc deep corc of thc niuseunl. 'l'herc \vas no comparable trcnd as far as the strcngth of scquencing \\as concerncd, though he did observe a particularly strong sequencing tcndenc! in British muscunis. 'I'his unevcn distribution of gcnotypcs in terms of time 2nd place supgestcd, Huang argued, that progrcss is not so much evolutionary, but a matter of finding diffcrent ways of resol\,ing an undcrlying conflict bct\\-een their social and infornia-
Space Syntax
tional function uithin a finite 5ct of possible na!s to dcsign muscum and gallcr! la! outs.
Space Syntax
configuration of tlie la!.out. T h c obscr\.ation study nliich invol~etlrccording tlic routcs of oiic liiintlrcd people tlirougli the gallerics - sho\\-cd that the spaccs that seemed to lic more often o ~ i t s i d c search track of 1~isitoi.s the \I-cre those of tlie central sequcnce of the tripartitc la!out, tlie iritcnded circ~iliition spinc of the ~ a l l e r y It \\-as . suggcstecl that this fcaturc is reliitcd to tlie "non-Haniiltoniaii" structurc of the gdlcr!-'S grapli: if tlie 1-isitor follo\\.s tlic routc proposed by the galler!; he o r shc cannot pass througli al1 the spaccs and rctiiin to the origiiial startirig-poiiit, ~ ~ i t h o i i t ha\ing to return to sonie of the sanic spaccs o r miss parts of tlie gallci!. Hut if, o n o n c hantl, the po\\er of spacc o ~ e r r i d c s interitions of thc curators the \\.hcn it conics to the niorpholog!- of eul>loration, o n thc othcr li;iiid, the author argued, thc s!nerp! betneen c~iratorial stratcg! antl spatial desigii renders successfiil the galler!-'S operation. Slic dcnionstrnted that tlic displa!- la!-out used spatial potcntinl to masiniizc thc iiiipiict OS objccts: tlie niasiiiiizatiori of asialit! eliminatcd distancing cffects, and iii con~binationn i t h the opcri spatial relationships, fa\orccl thematic or acsthctic relationships bct\\-cen 11-orks; iiitcntional ~ ~ i s t a s ases that iirid reiriforced cach othcr ser\-cd tlie placenlent of paintings ir1 strategic locatioiis at the end of long lines of sight o r in thc deepcst spaccs, a displa! de\-ice that ainled to create a \.isual c f k c t and thus intl~iccd nio\-eiiicnt. -4s ;I l>!-product cffect of both the spatiiil la!oiit and the aii-angenient of the display, tlie spatial cliaractcr of the itinerary bec~inie niore cohcrcnt arid tlie cspericnce niore deterministic. Looking at C:astel\-ecchio in cornparison \vith the Sainshiir!. \\-ing (Tzortzi 2004), the author found n diffcrent kind of integration of tlic ilcsig~i space \\~itIi la!.out of the of the display; rnther tlian using space to cnliancc the cxhibits, thc architcct uscd objects to artic~ilate and elaljorate spacc, and this sccmed to ha\-c an effect h!- iiiakiiig
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Figure 17.6a The abcd typology of spaces according t o their embedding in the layout. An a-space is a dead end. A b-space is on the way t o a dead end, so you must return the same way. A c-space has one alternative way back, and a d-space is more than 2-connected and lies on at least two rings.
tlie ~ ~ i s i t culture more esplorator!; and thc muscuni \-kit, nn arc1iitcctur;il csperior cncc, a spiitial e\-cnt.