REPORTS
MSc in Advanced Architectural Studies (AAS)
Selected recent student reports from MSc Advanced Architectural Studies (click to download)

Al Sayed, K. (2007) Discursive and non-discursive design processes
The thesis explores the different theories which were concerned with the analysis and evaluation of design processes and outcomes. The analysis of design processes was investigated on micro and macro scales and the evaluation of solutions was considered in terms of spatial configurations and the social organization embodied in space. The research then goes on to apply some of these analytical studies to a set of design tasks made by architects who have a background in Space Syntax theory, and architects with other architectural backgrounds. The analysis of the design processes and outcomes show differences between the two groups of architects, in addition to some individual differences between the architects. Thus this research finds that the knowledge of space syntax may partially enhance the productivity of design process by making it more explicit.

Beros, C. (2006) Dis-orientation: spatial abilities performance in London
The aim of this thesis is to shed light on Spatial Orientation performance and how it is linked to spatial and syntactic properties of space. The research method used was a set of questionnaires done in London specifically in Covent Garden and Soho areas, asking people to point to five Landmarks and North. The results were overlaid with spatial analysis and compared through directions diagrams and statistical data analysis. The report concludes that the Spatial Orientation in Soho and Covent Garden is determined by Spatial Configuration of the place and related with the grid structure. Furthermore, it is argued that the Navigation System in Central London is based in Path Integration rather than Landmark recognition and it is dependant on the familiarity of the subject with the Space of Navigation.

Brettel, A. (2006)The effects of "order" and "disorder" on human cognitive perception in navigating through urban environments.
This paper investigates how "order", "structure", and "disorder" of street layouts are perceived when navigating through an urban environment. Wayfinding experiments and investigations into the configuration of street networks have so far supported the understanding of movement behaviour and given insight from different perspectives on an urban environment.

Buendia, L. (2007) Retail shop distribution in interrupted orthogonal grids: The case of Tijuana
Tijuana's historic centre and its surroundings are studied to find possible systematic relationships between the area’s morphology and the distribution of retail shops. The study uses the theoretical and spatial analytic framework of Space Syntax. The findings suggest that Tijuana's apparent unstructured and fragmented grid possesses a certain logic. It concludes by suggesting that it is the capacity of both the global and local processes to work together that ultimately determines the size and density of each shopping area.

Dai, X. (2004) The Chinese City Suzhou in Seven Hundred Years
This thesis is a study of the relationship between the changing functional pattern and its spatial structure as part of the urban transformation process and against the background of what is known of its morphological and functional changes. centres. Over and above its main aims, this study raises four key theoretical issues: the difference between the changing functional pattern of the city in an incremental growth in the pre-1949 time and in a massive growth after 1949; the co-existence of a canal system alongside the road system and its meaning to the city's spatial structure; the stability of the physical positions of historical urban elements against the shift of their syntactic context; and the special character of 'interrupted' as opposed to the more common 'deformed' grids.

Geddes, I. (2007) The housing forms and urban morphology of poverty areas in the London borough of Islington.
This research compares the urban morphology and house forms of three areas in the London Borough of Islington. It assesses their level of poverty and compares them with Charles Booth's survey of London poverty at the end of the 19th Century. The analysis is contextualised within the socio-economic framework of the study areas provided by the UK 2001 Census and other data. The methodology focuses on devising a system to summarise and analyse poverty data at the street block level and highlights the need for such summaries in order to relate these social data to the urban environment. The analysis shows that a number of spatial, architectural, market, and policy factors interact to shape the distribution of poverty and identifies them in order to evaluate their relationship to people's ability to create wealth. The research concludes that, although much of the spatial distribution of poverty is dictated by the intervention of the Welfare State as well as being driven by the private market, this is also related to: a) a particular spatial property of the built environment, known as Choice in space syntax theory, and, b) specific characteristics of housing forms: the frontages of the built form and the space-use division of the public realm.

Gemil, A.E. (2005) The sequential development and the consequent urban patterns of Bucharest. MSc thesis, UCL (University College London).
This thesis investigates the intrinsic morphological and topological properties of Bucharest. It suggests that the transformations of the city structure that occurred under the socialist regime had significant effects on the city's spatial configuration. The paper illustrates the functional implications of spatial modelling decisions and questions the future development potential of the current configuration in the background of the present concerns for the regeneration of the city.

Gribble, E. (2007) Brief as virtual building: How is configurational is a construction brief?
This study explores current briefing practice and tests the proposition that a construction brief contains sufficient prescriptive information regarding spatial relationships to constitute a 'virtual building' with its own ‘inequality genotype’. Starting from the premise that space syntax theory fills certain logical gaps in the literature on briefing, it argues that current advice on the briefing process, which states that understanding the client's organisation is critical, supports the direct use of space syntax methodology in developing the brief. The findings of this study indicate that space syntax methodology could be used to this end. However, this proposition would need to be tested with a larger sample of construction briefs before this could be asserted with any confidence. Finally, further study is proposed into the circumstances in which the benefits of using generic design guidance, briefing templates and standard briefs outweigh the costs. It is suggested that this could draw on the ideas of transaction costs and human error theory.

Mavridou, M. (2003) An investigation of the relation of space to society: a discussion on A. Giddens, H. Lefebvre and space syntax
This thesis attempts to investigate the relation of society to space through this core problem by examining three theories which seem to deal with this issue. These are the Space Syntax Theory of Hillier and Hanson, the Structuration theory of Giddens and the theory of the Production of Space of Lefebvre. The discussion of the three theories shows that all three grasp an interrelation between society and space although each theory sees this interrelation in a different way. For the Structuration theory space has an important role in the structuration of society, for Space Syntax a constructive role of the generic forms of society and for Lefebvre an instrumental character.

Papargyropoulou, P. (2006) Park Interpretations: An exploration of the spatial properties and urban performance of Regent's park, London and Pedion Areos Park, Athens.
The aim of this report is to investigate the effect that the spatial properties of urban parks have on their performance, in terms of their usage and their relation to the surrounding urban grid. The intention is to contribute to a broader understanding of the park space type, through the investigation of two case studies; Regent's Park in London and Pedion Areos Park in Athens, Greece. Space syntax is used both as a tool to examine the performance of the parks as well as a theoretical model, in order to define the park space type. Lastly, the findings are discussed in the light of landscape design theories and relevant researches. The conclusion is that both parks present emergent movement and occupation patterns, strongly connected to their spatial and visual properties. It is suggested that parks are unique in their topological characteristics, being distinguished by the vast freedom of choices offered to their users by the spatial configuration.

Parsons, S. (2007) The Relationship between Spatial Segregation, Social Exclusion and Access to Healthy Food
The intention behind this study is to explore potential relationships between spatial segregation, social exclusion and access to healthy food, using the London borough of Islington as a case study. The aim of the report is to use spatial analysis to contribute to a new definition of accessibility and a new framework for its measurement to the existing body of research on the subject. The methods used in the study combine these variables in a variety of ways. Borough-wide analysis of Islington attempts to draw together the analytical techniques of Space Syntax, the sociological distillation of census information and the geographical use of Ordnance Survey data in order to uncover unifying patterns. Finer scale, micro study of two specific areas within the borough builds on this with the introduction of a further social variable: access to culturally specific healthy foods. In an attempt to discover the role of correspondence between social groupings and spatial proximity, the availability of certain foods was surveyed in all the retailers accessible to two specific Bangladeshi communities. Ultimately, this thesis finds that food poverty is a complex issue, encompassing far more variables than those outlined here. Therefore, although spatial properties have their part to play, they are merely one of many contributing factors. It is suggested that the relationship between spatial segregation, social exclusion and access to healthy food will differ in line with the characteristics of the area being studied; for example, well established communities may be able to overcome spatial restrictions in order to meet at least some of their specific needs. It is also suggested that many of the patterns presented in this thesis are not as strong in the specific inner London context studied as they may be in more rural or suburban areas.

Rafailaki, E. (2006) The implications of the “palimpsest” of the grids of the main city of Piraeus on creation, transmission and application of cognitive knowledge
This research aims to investigate the local rules and constraints which govern the individual behaviours of the pedestrians of Piraeus, Port of Athens, Greece, by examining the relationship between the spatial syntax of mental representations and the spatial syntax of the environment. It is concluded that the cognitive knowledge of the pedestrians of Piraeus (etymological "the place over the passage") is created, transmitted and applied by the geometrical forms of the city, the morphology of the local visual field - which involves issues of configuration and scale of a space layout - and by topological relations.

Sarma, A. K. (2006) The Social Logic of Shopping: a syntactic approach to the analysis of spatial and positional trends of community centre markets in New Delhi.
This paper examines Community Centre markets in New Delhi, and proposes that the spatial and configurational properties of the markets as embedded in the urban grid can, in part, explain their social and economic differences. Shopping is considered a social activity, and the choices made by shopper and shop to visit or to locate in a particular area together constitute an ‘interface of exchange’. The paper concludes that the nature of movement impacts the category of shops, while the distance from which this movement originates effects the social and economic value attached to the market.

Raford, N. (2004) Movement Economies in Fractured Urban Systems
This thesis uses Boston as a case for studying the relationship between urban form and pedestrian movement patterns in fragmented urban systems. A new statistical method of modelling sub-urban areas is developed in order to fully comprehend fragmentary configuration.

Ribeiro, P.S.H. (2005) Space in bodies and bodies in space: an examination of bodily experience in Parc de la Villette. MSc thesis, UCL (University College London).
This report investigates different forms of bodily experience in Parc de la Villette. The purpose is to shed light on different forms of bodily experience and how they are linked to syntactic and spatial properties of space. The report concludes that these different forms of bodily experience can be said to exist, in an abstract form, in space itself, and that their concrete manifestation in space-time occurs through the action of bodies in space. Furthermore, it is argued that the abstract techniques of space syntax bring to the fore different forms of bodily experience that are implicitly embedded in space.

Shetty, S. (2006) Oxford: People and Townscape.
The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on the role of the urban configuration in bringing Residents and Visitors into 'common space' and interface. The study focuses on the city centre of Oxford, in South East England, which is a thriving hub of students, tourists and local inhabitants. Through a historic review of Oxford, the report provides a context for understanding the spatial aspects of the socio-economic processes prevalent through centuries illustrating the emergent spatial pattern contributing to the city's socio-spatial organisation that we witness today. Space Syntax theories and methodology coupled with on-site observations are implemented to evaluate the performance and social implication embedded in the urban spaces.

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