Using Space Syntax as a Tool for Architecture Design: An Academic Library Space Design Case Study

Document Type : Research articles

Authors

1 Department of Architecture, Modern Academy for Engineering and Technology - Cairo – Egypt.

2 Architecture and Environmental Control Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

3 Department of Architecture Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Academic library spaces are the physical spatial installation of different design ideas. Despite there are a lot of studies that improving the design of library spaces, there are no rigor results that could be implemented to understand possible effects of their design proposals. Architectural design is a complex process, from abstract thinking to concrete design. In this process, the designed product is created and impacted by the unique experiences, observations, perceptions, and characteristics of the designer, while the design work of the architects develops through the use of varied design tools and the designer's own architectural knowledge, one that is fed from various disciplines and fields. It is this scientific knowledge that guides the designer's intuitions This research focuses on contributing a link between scientific tool and academic library design process, trying to generate a kind of knowledge that can help architects find out how their design might work and explore the potentials and advantages by using space syntax. The aim of this work is purposed to serve as decoding of the invisible characteristics of physical space of academic libraries by focusing on the configurational theory of space also to investigate the research theme by focusing on Space syntax itself, its main idea and its role in architectural practice. To undertake this work, space syntax is used to examine the spatial morphology of the new central Cairo university library in Egypt. Results showed that the space syntax succeeds in creating a link between science and design by producing graphical and numerical data that the designer can use in testing his/her design proposals.

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