Assessing Courtyard Design: Key Factors Influencing Students Social Interaction in Higher Education Institution

Social interaction holds a critical role in enhancing the overall experience of students in higher education institution, especially for those in the built environment disciplines where collaborative group works are essential. In a campus environment, students need conducive outdoors spaces for them to socialise and have effective social interaction. Hence, in the context of social space and in the effort to promote social interaction among students, this research aims to assess courtyard design, evaluating the key factors influencing students’ social interaction in higher education institution. The main objectives of the study are to identify factors of courtyard design that contribute to social interaction among students and to recommend courtyards attributes which could enhance students’ social interaction for future campus planning development. This research utilises both qualitative and quantitative approaches, where observational analysis of a courtyard is undertaken as a case study, and survey questionnaires are used to evaluate factors of courtyard design that can contribute to social interaction among students. The findings highlight the prominent factors that contribute to social connectivity, and recommendations of courtyard design in campus planning for enhancing social interaction among students are also discussed.