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Designing for Usability in Modular Space Habitats: A Space Syntax Perspective

Authors Nick Dalton , Ruth Conroy Dalton , Sam McElhinney , Christoph Hölscher

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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Human-centered computing → Interactive systems and tools
  • Human-centered computing → Interaction design process and methods
Keywords
  • Space Syntax
  • architectural usability
  • intelligibility
  • lunar habitats
  • Mars habitats
  • modular design
  • human-centered computer simulation

Metrics

Abstract

As human ambitions turn toward establishing settlements on the Moon and Mars, the architectural and spatial configuration of these habitats has received comparatively little attention relative to their engineering systems. This paper explores the spatial configuration and architectural usability of modular extraterrestrial settlements, focusing on their potential growth, vulnerability, and navigability. Drawing from architectural theory and Space Syntax methods, we propose a novel framework for evaluating habitat layouts based on two key metrics: intelligibility and vulnerability. Using a combination of analytic tools and simulations - including adapted versions of the "beady-ring" growth model - we assess both small-scale configurations and larger aggregated settlements. We introduce a new vulnerability metric based on spatial types and configurational redundancy, allowing us to quantify how module failure can fragment a habitat system. Our findings confirm five core hypotheses, including the inverse relationship between structural resilience and spatial intelligibility as modular settlements scale, and the applicability of Space Syntax theories to non-terrestrial environments. We argue that without deliberate planning, accretive modular growth leads to declining usability, and we advocate for intentional and informed planning interventions, to sustain human-centered design at larger scales. This work provides a foundational methodology for evaluating and guiding the spatial evolution of off-world settlements.

Cite As Get BibTex

Nick Dalton, Ruth Conroy Dalton, Sam McElhinney, and Christoph Hölscher. Designing for Usability in Modular Space Habitats: A Space Syntax Perspective. In Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 130, pp. 4:1-4:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025) https://doi.org/10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.4

Author Details

Nick Dalton
  • School of Computer Science, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, UK
Ruth Conroy Dalton
  • School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, UK
Sam McElhinney
  • University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury, UK
Christoph Hölscher
  • Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland

Funding

This research was conducted in part at the Future Cities Lab Global, Singapore-ETH Centre, supported & funded by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to our two anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive comments - one in particular offered especially detailed and thoughtful feedback that significantly improved the clarity and quality of this paper.

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