Spatiotemporal Appropriation of Non-Furniture Architectural Elements on Minimarket Terraces within the Academic District of Bandung City

Abstract

Gathering and lingering on minimarket terraces as a form of informal social activity has become increasingly common within urban academic environments. Nevertheless, this phenomenon has received insufficient scholarly attention from the perspective of behavioural architecture. This study investigates the limitations of the spatial elements of commercial terraces that stimulate users' physical adaptation and further elaborates the transformation of the terrace from a functional circulation area into an informal social space. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the research utilised place-centred behaviour mapping and semi-structured interviews conducted on the terrace of Indomaret Point Dipatiukur No. 85, Bandung City. Observations were carried out over five consecutive days to capture fluctuations in patterns of spatial occupancy. The findings demonstrate that the limited provision of formal seating facilities does not prevent users from independently appropriating the space. Non-furniture architectural elements, including the 18-centimetre-high main entrance steps, the landing platform, and the perimeter areas surrounding the structural columns, were identified as functioning effectively as catalysts for lingering activities. This spatiotemporal pattern of adaptation is driven by the rhythm of academic activities at the surrounding universities; whereby intensive social interaction shifts from brief transitional mobility on weekdays to more prolonged patterns of space occupation. The study provides empirical evidence that organic place-making can emerge through the active negotiation between the human body and the physical configuration of the non-furniture architectural elements of everyday built environments.