The Influence of Immediate Common Space and Building Layout on Social Interaction in Residential Apartments: A Case Study in Sulaimani

Abstract

Numerous academics have demonstrated the value of immediate communal spaces in residential projects. In contemporary apartment site planning, these places are essential but sometimes ignored and categorized as leftover negative spaces rather than intentional interaction areas, diminishing the conventional forms of interpersonal communication. However, there is no proof of this relationship's causality. This study eliminates this gap and explores whether territoriality function-based building arrangement convex layouts can moderate the link between physical design and social interactions. Since culture and social interaction are closely related, what are the effects of these spaces and their layout on social interaction in Sulaimani City and other cities with similar cultural and social contexts? This study is a comparative analysis of four selected projects. They are selected according to their different building arrangement layout. This study used two methods: a physical analysis of arrangements design and a quantitative survey questionnaire, and the samples were taken from (40%) of the total selected units. Out of the 182 questionnaires randomly distributed to the households, only 156 were retrieved. The Kruskal-Wallis test by SPSS is used to analyze data. According to the findings, there are significant differences between cases. This discovery emphasizes how crucial constructive layout is in producing a convex positive social space. In conclusion, research reveals that the built environment, through convex positive building arrangements, influences social interactions indirectly by fostering territoriality and a sense of belonging, both of which positively affect social interactions.