Improving User Interaction with the Care Space: Contribution of Space Syntax to Guide Design and Decision Making
摘要
Space syntax as a theory aims to identify the link between spatial configuration and human behavior. Developed by Hillier and Hanson, it considers that social life generates space, just as the form of space in turn influences social interactions. It conceives of space as a system of relationships that makes movement possible and supports human activity. Applied to a hospital as a complex network of interconnected parts, this approach makes it possible to identify how the configuration of spaces influences movement and the effectiveness of care. Through a study conducted at the Ben Arous University Hospital for Trauma and Burns, a multi-scale analysis of care spaces was carried out using the DepthmapX tool, mobilizing indicators such as connectivity and integration. The methodology unfolds through successive steps, moving from DepthmapX analysis to a multi-scale spatial diagnosis. The results highlighted weaknesses in spatial organization that could compromise the quality of care, the organization of flows, and hygiene conditions. These dysfunctions reflect a dissociation between architectural logic and usage logic. The joint integration of space syntax and artificial intelligence tools into hospital design processes offers dual potential: in the upstream phase, it allows the design of new care spaces to be guided by objective measurements anticipating future spatial dynamics; in the downstream phase, it constitutes a tool for evaluating existing infrastructures, facilitating the identification of malfunctioning points and the proposal of appropriate solutions. This approach thus asserts itself as a strategic tool for improving human interactions with the care space while contributing to the creative process adapted to users and hospital performance. It provides hospital designers with an operational tool for anticipating spatial impacts on flows, care quality, and user experience.