User behaviour and circulation in an Indonesian student communal housing facility: Combining space syntax and Actor Network Theory

Abstract

This paper analyses space syntax and Actor Network Theory (ANT) as explanations of socio-spatial phenomena and presents a case study of an Indonesian indekos. Space syntax theory describes the impacts of spatial configurations and spatial quality on social settings. Methodologies derived from this theory utilise the integration of space for analysis. However, since space syntax fails to take into account key factors such as how objects in a given space impacts human use of space, we argue that ANT can serve as a ‘complimentary’ theory, as it takes up temporal aspects and the presence of such objects. Relying only on space syntax fails to explain socio-spatial phenomena holistically, while using ANT and space syntax together offers a more complete view by presenting space not as just a single entity but a system of user, objects, activity and time. The study will show how an architect can design a more strategic and efficient space arrangement by considering the spatial program along with the system of the objects involved in the space.