The dynamics and diversity of space use in the British Library

• Published in: A|Z ITU Journal of Faculty of Architecture 2015-11, Vol.12 (3), p.23-39
• Main Author: Sailer, Kerstin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1302-8324

The Space Syntax study of buildings typically distinguishes between weak and strong programming, where social behaviours either follow or defy the spatial logic of a building. This is often based on analysing collective and aggregate patterns of behaviour. This paper builds on recent work redefining our understanding of weak and strong programming, yet aims to analyse usage patterns and spatial affordances in a much more fine-grained way by taking diversity of user groups as well as the temporal unfolding of behaviours into account. The British Library acts as a case study and is investigated based on a rich empirical dataset of observed user behaviours.?Results suggest that the British Library shows both strong and weak programming: movement flows only partially followed spatial configuration, and the interface the building constructed kept people apart rather than bringing them together. In addition, large variations in user activities existed in some parts of the Library, all of which points towards strong programming. At the same time how- ever, certain activities showed clear spatial preferences and significant differences in local and global visibility patterns, which illustrates weak programming. It was also shown how dynamic and diverse user behaviours emerged in the British Library, highlighting the need to draw a nuanced picture of usage. The contribution of the paper thus lies in a detailed and deep analysis of usage patterns, unpacking variations in behaviours between different users at different times and linking this both to the affordances of configuration as well as programmatic influences. OA