TY - GEN
T1 - A Study of Co-Presence in a University Architectural Studio using Bluetooth Contact Tracing
AU - Alyedreessy, Emad
AU - Dalton, Ruth Conroy
AU - Bourlkas, Leonidas
N1 - Funding Information:
This study is part of the PhD research by the lead author of ‘Copresence and Spatial Organisation in Coliving Communities’. The research has been funded by the Beyond Imagination programme (Research England) in Imagination Lancaster at LICA, Lancaster University. The authors would also like to thank Proxxi Technology Corporation (www.proxxi.co) for kindly offering a license to use their online contact tracing management platform.
PY - 2022/6/20
Y1 - 2022/6/20
N2 - ‘Co-presence’ in space syntax analysis is considered a fundamental prerequisite to various forms of social interaction (Hillier and Hanson, 1984). Spatial organisation has been found to significantly influence co-presence pattern formations (Hillier and Hanson, 1984; Hillier, 1996) and behavioural patterns (Golledge and Stimson, 1997; Sailer and McCulloh, 2012) in architecture. However, accurately identifying the precise location and duration of social interaction (and hence the building’s influence) can be challenging using conventional methods such as self-reporting and observational analysis due to reliability concerns and the inability for ubiquitous observations across large spaces. This paper investigates how non-intrusive, low-cost Bluetooth contact tracing devices (Proxxi Technology Corporation, 2022), visibility graph analysis and a post-experimental group debrief could provide practical insights on location and interaction frequency between undergraduate students at Lancaster University’s new School of Architecture. These findings could prove useful to educators, researchers, and architects by showcasing the use of contact tracing technologies in academic spaces alongside “soft”, adaptive, spatial solutions such as desk allocation. The authors found that spatial configuration influenced copresence event frequency between participants in certain locations; those whose drawing boards/desks were in more integrated spaces encountered other participants more frequently. A strong negative linear correlation with 56% of the variance was also found in the number of interactions between participants, explained by the visual step depth levels between participant desk locations. Furthermore, the findings suggested a statistically significant correlation (p-value of 0.0062) in the population of pairing interactions.
AB - ‘Co-presence’ in space syntax analysis is considered a fundamental prerequisite to various forms of social interaction (Hillier and Hanson, 1984). Spatial organisation has been found to significantly influence co-presence pattern formations (Hillier and Hanson, 1984; Hillier, 1996) and behavioural patterns (Golledge and Stimson, 1997; Sailer and McCulloh, 2012) in architecture. However, accurately identifying the precise location and duration of social interaction (and hence the building’s influence) can be challenging using conventional methods such as self-reporting and observational analysis due to reliability concerns and the inability for ubiquitous observations across large spaces. This paper investigates how non-intrusive, low-cost Bluetooth contact tracing devices (Proxxi Technology Corporation, 2022), visibility graph analysis and a post-experimental group debrief could provide practical insights on location and interaction frequency between undergraduate students at Lancaster University’s new School of Architecture. These findings could prove useful to educators, researchers, and architects by showcasing the use of contact tracing technologies in academic spaces alongside “soft”, adaptive, spatial solutions such as desk allocation. The authors found that spatial configuration influenced copresence event frequency between participants in certain locations; those whose drawing boards/desks were in more integrated spaces encountered other participants more frequently. A strong negative linear correlation with 56% of the variance was also found in the number of interactions between participants, explained by the visual step depth levels between participant desk locations. Furthermore, the findings suggested a statistically significant correlation (p-value of 0.0062) in the population of pairing interactions.
KW - Bluetooth wearables
KW - co-presence
KW - contact tracing
KW - space syntax
KW - visibility
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85145594372&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.hvl.no/en/research/conference/13sss/presentations/
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85145594372
T3 - Proceedings 13th International Space Syntax Symposium, SSS 2022
BT - Proceedings 13th International Space Syntax Symposium, SSS 2022
A2 - van Nes, Akkelies
A2 - de Koning, Remco E.
PB - Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL)
T2 - 13th International Space Syntax Symposium, SSS 2022
Y2 - 20 June 2022 through 24 June 2022
ER -