The application of space syntax to Maltese domestic typologies : the role of the internal courtyard in exploring spatial relationships

Abstract

The following study investigates the relationship between domestic space and its inhabitants through the application of space syntax theory within the local context. Building on a published text by Prof. George Said-Zammit ‘The Development of Domestic Space in the Maltese Islands from the Late Middle Ages to the Second Half of the Twentieth Century’ (2016), the study analyses the role of the courtyard within the domestic network and its impact in shaping the day-to-day lives of its users. As a space, the courtyard is a recurring element across local domestic typologies, as part of a network of spaces making up the house. Being a regional architectural element, the courtyard serves both as a functional and a social space. Primarily developed as a climate control architectural element the courtyard is also a space within which chores were carried out, however, the space was that also functions socially as well; one used for family gatherings and for greeting visitors. The study discusses the development of the theory of space syntax, first published as ‘The Social Logic of Space’ (1984) by Bill Hillier and Julienne Hanson. From understanding its origins and application to the relationships between space and people, the study further looks into its development, criticisms, and application both globally and within the local context. Through visual space representation, the theory aids in acquiring a deeper understanding of spatial networks and user movement patterns and how such patterns are influenced by space. Through Said-Zammit’s wide-ranging analysis, this study aims to build on his work through furthering his application of space syntax within the local context. Within his text, Said-Zammit published a sample of thirty (30) dwellings from the multiple studied and visited throughout the course of his research. Said-Zammit’s published sample will also be the following study’s sample, however, using various space syntax analyses on the aforementioned dwellings to study the courtyard as part of a network. The study, therefore, gains a further understanding of how such a distinct space influences the lives of the inhabitants through shaping visual perception and movement patterns. Taking the farmhouse and townhouse typologies, from Said-Zammit’s published sample, both being distinct local domestic typologies developing in tandem both rurally and urbanely respectively, the courtyard is discussed within its context. Beyond the study of Prof Said-Zammit, this study’s findings confirm the importance of the courtyard within local farmhouse and townhouse typologies, through the application of space syntax to local dwellings. This study also sheds light on furthered new ways of understanding local domestic space and its use through representation of accessibility, reception of visual information and movement patterns within the local context. Beyond its functionality, both climactically and for its uses, the courtyard is visibly and numerically seen as one of the most important spaces within the studied local typologies, where its influence on the users’ communication and senses, such as that of sight, and movement, shapes the way users perceive and navigate the dwelling; being humans’ first exposure to space, one in which learning and developing take place.