Study of Spatial Disorientation and Wayfinding Challenges in Buildings Using Axial Analysis: A Case of Hospital Buildings in Nigeria

Authors

  • Akubue Jideofor Anselm

    Department of Architecture, Baze University Abuja, 900108, Nigeria
  • Salman Mohammed

    Department of Architecture, Baze University Abuja, 900108, Nigeria
  • Salihu Tyabo

    Department of Architecture, Baze University Abuja, 900108, Nigeria
  • Abdulkadir Mohammed

    Department of Architecture, Baze University Abuja, 900108, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jaeser.v7i1.6233

Abstract

All living creatures rely on spatial orientation to navigate through familiar environments. For humans, everyday activities depend on spatial orientation for navigating routes from outside locations to final destinations. The study suggests that the larger buildings get, the more the challenges of spatial orientation for their users. Likewise, building forms and configurations impact significantly on the course of wayfinding. In the case of hospitals, spatial configuration has been identified as significant in influencing human movements, performances of users and efficiency of services. This paper analyses the layout configurations of selected large hospital buildings in Nigeria using axial lines and relates the analysis with spatial orientation and wayfinding process. The aim of the study was to identify the extent of the impact of building layout configuration on spatial orientation and wayfinding process. The three large-sized hospitals selected for the study presented different scenarios which identified simplicities and complexities of building layout configurations as significant in the process of wayfinding. A comparative summary of the three hospitals in the study suggests that the less complex hospital layout presented the least spatial disorientation effect. This is mostly due to the linear sightlines utilized in the layout configuration design with fewer turns that enable visual connectivity to destination points thus indicating lesser challenges for wayfinding.

Keywords:

Spatial orientation, Wayfinding, Spatial disorientation, Wayfinding challenges, Axial analysis, Axial map

References

[1] Physiology of Spatial Orientation [Internet]. StatPearls. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK518976/

[2] Stott, J.R.R., 2013. Orientation and disorientation in aviation. Extreme Physiology & Medicine. 2, 2.mDOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-7648-2-2

[3] Ponzo, S., Kirsch, L.P., Fotopoulou, A., et al., 2018. Balancing body ownership: Visual capture of proprioception and affectivity during vestibular stimulation. Neuropsychologia. 117, 311–321. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.06.020

[4] Hunt, E., Waller, D., 1999. Orientation and wayfinding: A review. Office of Naval Research: Arlington, VA.

[5] van den Brink, D., Janzen, G., 2013. Visual spatial cue use for guiding orientation in two-to-three-year-old children. Frontiers in Psychology. 4, 904. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00904

[6] O’Keefe, J., Nadel, L., 1978. The hippocampus as a cognitive map. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

[7] Gallistel, C.R., 1990. The organization of learning. Learning, development, and conceptual change. The MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

[8] Kosslyn, S.M., 1994. Image and brain: The resolution of the imagery debate. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

[9] Newcombe, N.S., Huttenlocher, J., 2000. Making space: The development of spatial representation and reasoning. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

[10] Simons, D.J., Wang, R.F., 1998. Perceiving real-world viewpoint changes. Psychological Science. 9(4), 315–320. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00062

[11] Wang, R.F., Simons, D.J., 1999. Active and passive scene recognition across views. Cognition. 70(2), 191–210. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-0277(99)00012-8

[12] Mou, W., McNamara, T.P., Valiquette, C.M., et al., 2004. Allocentric and egocentric updating of spatial memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 30(1), 142–157. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.30.1.142

[13] Nadel, L., Hardt, O., 2004. The spatial brain. Neuropsychology. 18(3), 473–476. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0894-4105.18.3.473

[14] Burgess, N., 2006. Spatial memory: How egocentric and allocentric combine. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 10(12), 551–557. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.10.005

[15] Waller, D., Hodgson, E., 2006. Transient and enduring spatial representations under disorientation and self-rotation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 32(4), 867–882. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.32.4.867

[16] Hillier, B., 1996. Space is the machine. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

[17] Spiers, H.J., Maguire, E.A., 2008. The dynamic nature of cognition during wayfinding. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 28(3), 232–249. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.02.006

[18] Siegel, A.W., White, S.H., 1975. The development of spatial representations of large-scale environments. Advances in child development and behavior (Vol. 10). Academic Press: New York.

[19] Thorndyke, P.W., Hayes-Roth, B., 1982. Differences in spatial knowledge acquired from maps and navigation. Cognitive Psychology. 14(4), 560–589. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(82)90019-6

[20] Tolman, E.C., 1948. Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological Review. 55(4), 189–208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0061626

[21] Arthur, P., Passini, R., 1992. Wayfinding: People, signs, and architecture. McGraw-Hill Book Co.: New York.

[22] Vaez, S., Burke, M., Alizadeh, T. (editors), 2016. Urban form and wayfinding: A review of cognitive and spatial knowledge for an individual’s navigation. The 38th Australasian Transport Research; 2016 Nov 16–18; Melbourne, Australia.

[23] National Health Service, 2005. Wayfinding: Effective wayfinding and signing systems. The Stationery Office: Harrogate, UK.

[24] Ullas, B., Aju, R., 2014. Wayfinding in theme parks. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research. 5(7), 139–145.

[25] Hashim, M.S., Said, I., 2013. Effectiveness of wayfinding towards spatial space and human behavior in theme park. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 85, 282–295. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.359

[26] Hayward, D.G., Brydon-Miller, M.L., 1984. Spatial and conceptual aspects of orientation: Visitor experiences at an outdoor history museum. Journal of Environmental Systems. 13(4), 317–332.

[27] Russell, A.E., Eva, Z.P., Joshua, B.J., et al., 2017.The cognitive map in humans: Spatial navigation and beyond. Nature Neuroscience. 20, 1504–1513.

[28] Kuipers, B., 1982. The “map in the head” metaphor. Environment and Behavior. 14(2), 202–220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916584142005

[29] Osman, K.M., Suliman, M., 1994. The space syntax methodology: Fits and misfits. Architecture and Behaviour. 10(2), 189–204.

[30] Brunyé, T.T., Gardony, A.L., Holmes, A., et al., 2018. Spatial decision dynamics during wayfinding: Intersections prompt the decision-making process. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 3, 13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-018-0098-3

[31] Golledge, R.G., Stimson, R., 1997. Spatial behavior: A geographic perspective. Guilford: New York.

[32] Gifford, R., 1997. Environmental psychology: Principles and practice, 2 ed. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.

[33] Rooke, C.N., 2012. Improving wayfinding in old and complex hospital environments [Ph.D. thesis]. Salford: University of Salford. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.26694.27208

[34] Jiang, S., Verderber, S., 2017. On the planning and design of hospital circulation zones: A review of the evidence-based literature. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal. 10(2), 124–146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586716672041

[35] Abdullahi, I., Mogbolukor, J.A., Peter, J., 2022. Classification of private hospitals in Northern Senatorial District of Taraba State, Nigeria. MOJ Ecology & Environmental Sciences. 7(4), 142–152.

[36] Badru, F.A., 2003. Sociology of health and illness relations. Sociology for beginners. John West: Ikeja. pp. 336–355.

[37] Martinez-Conde, S., Alexander, R.G., 2019. A gaze bias in the mind’s eye. Nature Human Behaviour. 3, 424–425. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0546-1

[38] Turner, A., Penn, A., Hillier, B., 2005. An algorithmic definition of the axial map. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design. 32(3), 425–444. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1068/b31097

[39] A Space Syntax Glossary [Internet]. Available from: http://arkitekturforskning.net/na/article/viewFile/778/722

[40] Dhanani, A., Vaughan, L.S., Ellul, C., et al. (editors), 2012. From the axial line to the walked line: Evaluating the utility of commercial and user-generated street network datasets in space syntax analysis. 8th International Space Syntax Symposium; 2012 Jan 3–6; Santiago, Chile.

[41] Gesler, W., Bell, M., Curtis, S., et al., 2004. Therapy by design: Evaluating the UK hospital building program. Health & Place. 10(2), 117–128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1353-8292(03)00052-2

[42] Edgett, S.D., William, A.M., 2004, Vertical circulation. Building design and construction handbook. MacGraw Hill Company: New York.

Downloads

How to Cite

Jideofor Anselm, A., Mohammed, S., Tyabo, S., & Mohammed, A. (2024). Study of Spatial Disorientation and Wayfinding Challenges in Buildings Using Axial Analysis: A Case of Hospital Buildings in Nigeria. Journal of Architectural Environment & Structural Engineering Research, 7(1), 20–33. https://doi.org/10.30564/jaeser.v7i1.6233

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 1 (January 2024)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2024 Akubue Jideofor Anselm, Salman Mohammed, Salihu Tyabo, Abdulkadir Mohammed

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC