S S. Short Paper: Using space syntax methods to explore abandoned prototype housing units in Tangale land, North-Eastern Nigeria

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1 hort Paper: Using space syntax methods to explore abandoned prototype housing units in Tangale land, North-Eastern Nigeria Joy Maina Department of Architecture and the Built Environment The University of Nottingham, Nottingham UK J Pages: The Journal of pace yntax IN: Year: 2012 volume: 3 issue: 2 nline Publication Date: 28 December

2 J Using space syntax methods to explore abandoned prototype housing units in Tangale land, North-Eastern Nigeria H R T Joy Maina Department of Architecture and the Built Environment The University of Nottingham, Nottingham UK P A P E R Government intervention in housing in Nigeria since independence has been mainly achieved through the provision of prototype public housing schemes in many communities. These schemes have undergone various transformations and, in some cases, been abandoned. This paper examines the case of the latter in Tangale land, a traditional community in North Eastern Nigeria. pace syntax methods are employed to analyse the spatial and morphological structure of a set of one-bedroom prototype units, alongside a sample of 45 randomly selected compounds in the area. Results reveal the inadequacy of the courtyard and bedroom spaces, as well as the location of the units far from occupied clan lands. These findings suggest possible reasons for the abandonment of the units in the community. Keywords: Prototype housing, socio-cultural factors, Tangale land 1. Introduction Throughout the history of housing as an institutionalised concept in Nigeria, successive governments have tried over the years to varying degrees to formulate cohesive plans, programmes, and subsequently policies to cater for the housing needs of an increasing Nigerian populace. Notable amongst these is the 1980 National Housing Policy which saw the construction of public prototype units across most Local Government Areas of the country, with 80% of the houses (one-bedroom core units) targeted to the low income group (FGN 2006, ection 1.3.3). While these were occupied and sometimes transformed by users (Aduwo, 2011), those constructed in Billiri, the main town inhabited by the Tangale community, remain abandoned. 2. Research question To this end, the research seeks to investigate if there are any spatial or morphological differences between the public housing units and those built by the community which could explain possible reasons for their abandonment. This forms a part of PhD research on socio-cultural facets and spatial morphology of Tangale domestic spaces. The study aims to analyse socio-cultural factors influencing house form and residential structure in an area where intense architectural research is lacking, to inform future housing policies (housing policies may have contributed to poor decisions in the design and location of the public funded, but abandoned units). 3. Methodology Floor plans of 45 randomly selected compounds in the area were analysed using space syntax methods to obtain basic syntactic measures for integration (using UCL s Depthmap v10) and difference factors, H* (Hanson, 1998, p.31). pace syntax quantifies interrelationships between the built environment and social life based on the spatial configuration approach to exploring relationships between social behaviour and space (Hillier and Hanson, 1984; Hillier, 1993, 1998, 2005; Ratti, 2004; Asquith, 2006). imilar values were obtained for the units, with the functions verified by officials in the tate Ministry of Works and similar studies (Aduwo, 2011). Patterns of space use were observed and documented for various functions within each of the compounds. The main findings are presented in the next section. 223

3 J The Journal of pace yntax Volume 3 Issue 2 Billiri Prototype units Figure 1: Location of the prototype units in Billiri. The black line outlines the extents of built up areas. ource: Google Earth images, November, Figure 2: Floor plans (1:250) and convex map for the single bedroom prototype units. Convex maps are in scale 1: Main findings yntactic measure Community sample 1 bedroom prototype units Most integrated space pen courtyard for 80% of the sample, average value of 2.05 (All compounds contained at least one courtyard) Corridor, IV of The units have no courtyard spaces Least integrated space Wc, average IV 0.23 Bathroom, IV of 0.69 pace link ratio Average value of H* uggested presence of 2 inequality genotypes: Genotype I 0.62 TABLE 1: Comparison between the community sample and the prototype units. for 25 houses (H* , suggestive of traditional Tangale compounds). Genotype II for 8 compounds (H* for 8 compounds, hybrid between traditional compounds and contemporary bungalows). Non genotype for 12 compounds (0.45 <H*>0.79, atypical plans, bungalows mostly designed by professionals) ther parameters Location Located within built up areas Located out of built up areas 224

4 J hort Paper: Prototype housing units in Tangale Maina, J. TABLE 2: paces in the community sample and prototype units. /No Function Abbrev The Compounds Prototype I No Av. No/cpd Av. IV % of total space use No Av. IV 1 Courtyard Ct N. A. _ 2 Bedroom Br Veranda Vr N. A. _ 4 itting room r VIP toilet Vp N. A. _ 6 utside space Ø Animal shed An N. A. _ 8 Bath Bt Wc Wc Kitchen Kt Room Rm N. A. _ 12 tore t N. A. _ 13 New building Nb N. A. _ 14 Corridor Co hop h N. A. _ 16 Dining room Dr N. A. _ 17 Carport/Garage Cp N. A. _ Total Figure 3: Convex map, Compound #12 (example of Genotype I). Figure 4: Convex map, Compound #22 (example of Genotype II). Figure 5: Convex map, Compound #38 (example of the Non genotype category). 225

5 The Journal of pace yntax J Volume 3 Issue 2 5. Discussion 5.1. Basic functional spaces: The courtyard During the measured survey of the compounds, the open courtyard was observed to be a multi-functional space where a lot of household activities occurred (Table 2). This is validated by spatial analyses of the courtyard being the most integrated space for 80% of the sample (Figures 3-5). The absence of such a vital functional space in the prototype units would thus impair the diurnal functioning of most Tangale households (about 45% of all activities were observed within courtyards). The corridor in the prototype units has a high integration value, akin to an internal courtyard which other spaces in the small unit open up to (this perhaps explains why its H* value places it within the first genotype alongside most traditional Tangale compounds). Its narrow dimensions, however, make it difficult for any activity other than circulation to take place, unlike courtyards in the community sample Flexibility in sleeping spaces Many low income earners in Nigeria, which constitute the targeted group for this prototype, are characterised by large families which in part justify the need to add extra bedrooms over time. Aduwo s study of similar units in Lagos reports that the number of bedrooms present and even the sizes of the available interior spaces in the original houses were considered grossly inadequate for the low income earner who probably has a large nuclear family to contend with (Aduwo, 2011, p.275). The number of bedrooms across the community sample was found to be higher than other spaces (Table 2, 166 in number, average of 3.7 per compound). In contrast, the prototype unit contains one bedroom and subsequent additions may prove difficult due to its locked in position on the plan (Figure 2) ecurity for compounds The space link ratio of the community sample is suggestive of relatively non-ringy configurations and most compounds had one entrance and exit for security purposes, unlike the prototype units. Furthermore, the units were built in areas far from the main occupied clan areas which are considered insecure by Tangale standards (Figure 1). Many residents noted this as being a great disadvantage to occupying the units. These findings highlight the need for future housing policies in Tangale land to incorporate the socio-cultural values and spatial requirements of the community if problems relating to abandonment are to be avoided. Results from this study, while not exhaustive, reveal that locating houses out of occupied clan lands with inadequate basic functional spaces like courtyards and bedrooms greatly reduces the chances of such units being utilised such as they were conceived. 6. Directions for future research While the discussion so far has unearthed some spatial differences, the study would greatly benefit from mapping and analyses of observed space use in other prototype units which have not been abandoned but modified. This has the advantage of establishing the fit or otherwise between activities and designed function which will help proffer more robust conclusions on prototype housing in the community. 226

6 J hort Paper: Prototype housing units in Tangale Maina, J. About the author: Joy Maina studied Architecture in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria-Nigeria. he has taught CAD and design studio in the same institution since 2006 and is a registered architect who has worked on many projects in Nigeria. Joy is currently pursuing a PhD in the chool of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of Nottingham, UK which focuses on socio-cultural facets of housing in Tangale land, North-Eastern Nigeria. The research is funded by the Nigerian government through a fellowship grant of the Education Trust Fund. References Aduwo, E. B. (2011), Housing transformation and its impact on neighbourhoods in selected low-income public housing estates in Lagos, Nigeria, Unpublished PhD thesis, ta: Covenant University. Asquith, L. (2006), Evaluating and illustrating domestic space use: Collecting and analysing behavioural data for space syntax analysis. Paper presented at the Workshop on pace yntax and patial Cognition, eptember 2006, Universität Bremen, Germany, p Federal Government of Nigeria (2006), National Housing Policy, Abuja: Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development. Hanson, J. (1998), Decoding homes and houses, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hillier, B. and Hanson, J. (1984), The ocial Logic of pace, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hillier, B. (1993), pecifically architectural theory: A partial account of the ascent from building as cultural transmission to Architecture as theoretical concretion. In: The Harvard Architectural Review, Vol. 9, p Hillier, B. (1998), A note on the intuiting of form: 3 issues in the theory of design. In: Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, Anniversary Issue, p Hillier, B. (2005), The art of place and the science of space. In: World Architecture, Vol.185, pecial Issue on pace syntax (English) p Ratti, C. (2004), Rejoinder to Hillier and Penn. In: Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, Vol. 31, p