Spatial reasoning as a syntactic method for programming socio-spatial parametric grammar for vertical residential buildings

Integrating social constraints in computational models remains a challenge due to the difficulties in representing them algorithmically. Different methods, such as shape grammar and space syntax, consider the morphology of the overall form and its components. This research aims to find a mechanism for combining both methods for exploring spatial-formal features that affect the social life in vernacular houses in the Middle East and North Africa region. A developed model of ‘spatial reasoning’ analysis, embedded in Rhino/Grasshopper, offers an alternative method for extracting topological relations, understanding the social logic of spaces, and exploring the residents’ behaviour by evaluating privacy, social interaction, and accessibility. The results of an analysis for vernacular houses and neighbourhoods were transformed into codes and parameters to be used for designing new vertical developments inspired from local traditions. The constructed grammar was used for developing a computational tool that generates alternatives which successfully achieved the principles of social sustainability