Classroom Design Guideline through Space Syntax

Abstract

By the phenomenon of creative economy, Korean education system motivates classroom to pursue a suitable environment to support and encourage students to nurture creativity. This thesis explores the spatial characteristics of classroom design and determines the features that support creativity. Space design affects human behavior and relationship. And, classroom can become a machine of social control. Theory on Panopticism (1975) by Michel Foucault, explains the existence of power and discipline in space. Similar arguments can be found in Visual Access and Exposure (1984) by Archae, The Power of Place and Space (1993) by Robert D. Sack and Space the fundamental stuff of human geography (2003) by Nigel Thrift. The proposed classroom design guideline is studied through space syntax. The researcher designed 64 sample classrooms, and used VAE (Visual Access and Exposure) model to study the correlation between space and human behavior. VAE is a type of space syntax, which quantitatively analyzes spatial influence in a social relationship through human visibility. VAE data for each 64 design samples were analyzed to learn which spatial characteristics support to reduce imbalanced level of visibility in space. Designing an space with evenly distributed VA (Visual Access) and VE (Visual Exposure) level can easily trigger people to interact, self-express and create collective knowledge to nurture creativity. The data collected from this research provide a prototype design solution. Although not generalizable to all classrooms, the design guideline may be beneficial for design practitioners and space users considering interactive and collaborative workspace for creativity. In addition, it can provide insight on spatial influence in a social relationship through human visibility.