THE SPATIAL CULTURE OF THE COURTYARD HOUSE IN QATAR

Abstract

Housing is a basic human need and a fundamental component of urban morphology. The forms of residential architecture and domestic conditions are in a continual state of evolution to conform to the requirements of a particular society in a certain era. In the domestic setting, physical, socio-cultural, and behavioral aspects affect the spatial configuration of houses. Placing this study in the context of the State of Qatar and its traditional architectural history, the aim is to investigate the embedding of social and cultural factors in the spatial form of the courtyard house and explore its spatial culture. Based on the theory of the house as a social unit of space and the theory of the domestic space as a carrier of cultural information, it is proposed that the spatial form of the traditional courtyard house embeds culture and social attributes (Hanson, 1998; Rapoport, 1969). The research question refers to these socio-cultural factors; what are they, and how can they be tested and validated in the traditional courtyard house? In defining the objectives of the study, it aims to (i) unveil the spatial culture of the traditional courtyard house, which is a type of domestic building in Qatar that belongs to the pre-oil period, based on criteria for analysis using qualitative, quantitative, and modeling methods. Another objective is to (ii) perform a comparative analysis of the traditional courtyard houses in Qatar to explore their commonalities and differences using a cultural heritage approach in comparison that considers spatial form, socio-cultural factors, and the system of activities. As a hypothesis, the spatial form of the Qatari traditional courtyard house represents a common genotype or general type based on modeling of spatial attributes. This is due to similar sociocultural characteristics, climatic influences, and building and construction techniques, among other factors. The exploration is carried out through qualitative, quantitative, and modeling techniques to examine socio- cultural aspects of house form, thereby using the primary methodological tool of space syntax. Space syntax is a methodology to understand space, its configuration, and the interconnection between physical and social aspects of the built environment. The study uses a collection of ten courtyard houses from Qatar that belong to the pre-oil period (1800-1950) to understand the similarities and differences in the domestic space in relation to the user's lifestyle and practiced culture. Understanding the effect of socio-cultural factors on the spatial configuration of the traditional courtyard house is important when studying its spatiality, especially the impact of visibility, integration, and depth on privacy and other cultural influences. In its practical significance, the study has outcomes that relate to patterns of visibility and privacy in the courtyard house and a classification of the courtyards based on their spatiality, including nucleated, three-sided, and multiple courtyards. These outcomes deliver a further understanding of the courtyard housing model, which is required for its preservation and adaptation for reuse in current and future housing projects.