Spatial characteristics of campus areas in West Kalimantan using figure-ground mapping

Abstract

Urban campuses frequently encounter spatial imbalances between building mass and open space, limited accessibility, and inadequate integration with their surrounding urban contexts. The expansion of academic programs and increasing student enrollment intensify demands for additional facilities, while the availability of developable land remains constrained. A figure-ground theory approach, which examines the spatial relationship between building mass (figure) and open space (ground), can be utilized to identify typologies of spatial utilization within urban environments. This study aims to identify the spatial characteristics of urban campuses through the application of this approach. The research adopted a sequential mixed-methods design integrating qualitative spatial analysis with exploratory quantitative analysis. Spatial data were utilized to generate Nolli maps, which were subsequently evaluated based on variables including form, organization, orientation, composition, and spatial quality. The resulting data were then analyzed using Z-scores, K-Means clustering, and ANOVA techniques. The research objects consisted of eight state university campuses located in West Kalimantan Province. The findings reveal three principal typologies of campus morphology in West Kalimantan Province: the planned-responsive campus, the transformational-clustered campus, and the adaptive radial-axis campus. The variables contributing most significantly to the formation of these typologies include composition (symmetry and rhythm), form (transformation), orientation (climatic responsiveness), and organization (grid structure). This study contributes to the field by systematically formulating a typology of campus spatial morphology through the integration of figure-ground analysis and statistical approaches.