A Behavior-Responsive Spatial Framework for Adolescent Institutional Care
Translating Environmental Psychology into Orphanage Design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.9744/dimensi.53.2.149-160Keywords:
behavior-responsive design, environmental psychology, adolescent spatial behavior, orphanage designAbstract
The current environment in children’s homes is still unable to fully meet young people’s needs for privacy, comfort, a sense of belonging, and healthy social relationships. Such conditions can affect young people’s psychosocial development in their daily lives. This study advances a behavior-responsive spatial framework for adolescent institutional care through a qualitative case study at the Darul Aitam Orphanage, Medan, Indonesia. Data were collected through behavioral mapping, structured observation, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires involving sixteen adolescents aged 12–18, and analyzed using four environmental psychology constructs: personal space, territoriality, crowding, and privacy. Thermal discomfort is a major factor contributing to spatial stress. In bedrooms, a personal space of 60–100 cm is always maintained. Spatial clarity is reduced due to overlapping room functions. Comparative analysis was used to identify spatial designs based on criteria such as interpersonal distance, territorial hierarchy, density reduction, privacy, thermal ventilation, and sensory-stimulating materials. These parameters form a transferable framework for improving spatial quality in orphanage environments. By converting behavioral constructs into measurable spatial thresholds, the study positions behavior-responsive architecture as an evidence-based methodology for adolescent institutional design in comparable tropical institutional contexts.
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