The relationship between spatial structure and social life, from a theoretical and methodological point of view, will be the primary concern of this presentation. This presentation at first frames space syntax as a theory and method that conceived in 1970s by Bill Hillier and Julienne Hanson and is based on the idea that spatial configuration – that is the way in which the parts of space are put together – play a crucial role in explaining the social meaningfulness of the built environment. Secondly, it deepens on how spaces syntax framework can be used to investigate lower secondary schools by reflecting on the ongoing PhD research titled ‘Assessing educational environments: A temporal socio-spatial approach to lower secondary school buildings in Cyprus ‘.
The thesis mentioned above is concerned with the interplay between the school environment and school practices. Specifically, it seeks to identify the role of spatial layout and agency in socio-educational practices, with the main research questions being:
How do the spatial layout and agency in lower secondary school buildings built in Cyprus after 2000 impact the socio-educational school life? and to what extent lower secondary school buildings built in Cyprus after 2000 illustrate spatial, functional, and morphological consistencies? The ten (10) most recent lower secondary schools built in Cyprus after 2000 were selected as case studies. 2000 marked an important period in Cyprus education. During this period, tremendous changes started occurring in the island’s educational system, while the design of schools passed from the Ministry of Education to individual architects.
Having architecture as the departed discipline, this dissertation’s focal point is on relational and configurational consideration of space, where space operates as an intangible asset that shapes to a certain extent how collective behaviours emerge. However, this does not automatically imply that space is merely considered as stable and fixed in time. Instead, by enriching space syntax theory with relational concepts such as Assemblage theory by Deleuze and Guattari (1987), space is approached as a temporal relational concept that acknowledges the importance of social agency. Specifically, this study’s methodology through a top-down and bottom-up approach combines spatial, functional, morphological and organisational data with empirical data from space usage and social agency. In that sense, it contributes to the existing lack of empirical evidence (Woolner et. Al. 2007) while enabling case-independent conclusions due to the crosswalk between bottom-up and top-down approach. It also offers an explanatory base for understanding spatial relationality and agency in school buildings.
Thus, this research’s innovative aspect is that both theoretically and methodological combines different approaches through a holistic framework that aims to understand and address school environments’ complexity. The consideration of school environments as complex socio-spatial entities contributed to a broader and more holistic understanding that extends beyond the limited school physical boundaries. Simultaneously, even though this research departs from the built environment is not bounded only to the spatial configuration since the understanding of school environments is not purely through physical terms. Lastly, in Cyprus’s specific context, it is one of the few studies that try to provide a critical evaluation of the authorities’ existing principles for the design of secondary school buildings based on data.