Assessing Functional Efficiency of Courtyards

This paper uses the space syntax methodology to assess the efficiency of the courtyard in eight traditional house designs. Each of the houses selected for this study boasts a different plan composition in connection with the location and number of the courtyards: there are one to four courtyards in each house; and the main courtyard is located either at the center or on one side of the plan. Using graph theory formulae, the mean depth, relative asymmetry and real relative asymmetry indicators are calculated for each plan composition. The results indicate that houses with one courtyard located at the center of the plan have the least mean depth and highest spatial accessibility and consequently boast the highest plan efficiency.