Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

This paper analyses a university building as a sociotechnical system where spatial arrangements produce subtle forms of hostility. Through the case of the NIG building in Vienna, it examines how accessibility, spatial knowledge, and layout shape everyday dynamics of inclusion and exclusion.

Paper long abstract

This work addresses the university building as a constellation of socio-technological artefacts in which the negotiation over space accessibility produces everyday hostility in forms of disorientation and exclusion. I argue that this building, seen as a sociotechnical system, promotes exclusionary politics at some of the points where the interests of different human and non-human actors intersect.

The paper focuses on the minor instances of hostile spatial arrangements at the "New Institute Building" (NIG) of the University of Vienna. Examples of such instances include the existence of the spaces behind the closed doors, whose function is only known to a limited number of users. Such a close focus allows to denormalise everyday spatial practices, considered politically neutral.

Methodologically, the study combines an architectural analysis of the public/private gradient of the spaces with an analysis of accessibility for different groups of users. Accessibility here is seen not only as a physical feature, but also as the readability of the building layout and ease of orientation for different user groups. I argue that the varying levels of transparency between departments in communicating about the functions of different spaces play a role in the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. Thus, users’ access to knowledge is incorporated in accessibility diagrams as an enabling or limiting factor.