The Spatial Culture of Factories

It is argued that factory layouts have social functions over and above the purely technical ones and that such functions can be described with accuracy and suggested that the design olfactory space has strategic effects on the culture of workplaces.

Abstract

This paper argues that factory layouts have social functions over and above the purely technical ones and that such functions can be described with accuracy. It relates the fundamental design choices that are identified by the analysis to the spatial requirements of organizations. Thus, it suggests that the design olfactory space has strategic effects on the culture of workplaces. Spatial variables are based on the theory of space syntax developed at the Unit for Architectural Studies, University College London. Measures of interaction are based on network theory. The analysis rests on evidence from six case studies of factories located in England and in Greece.