Socio-cultural factors are amongst the most prominent forces that reshape the development of housing in Qatar, namely when considering its vernacular architectural history. The research study uses space syntax analysis supported by other simulation and visualization techniques to examine the extent to which socio-cultural patterns influence the spatial form of traditional Qatari houses. The findings reveal that, despite changes in time and across eras, socio-cultural patterns, namely, (i) privacy, (ii) gender segregation and (iii) hospitality, determine the spatial form of Qatari vernacular houses. Knowledge obtained from this research study contributes to the construction of architectural identity, auspicated to be referred to along the planned strategy for the urban regeneration of the built environment in Qatar (as envisioned through the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030).

Architecture and urbanism in the Arabian Gulf region, and specifically in the State of Qatar, offer many scenes to observe the loss of urban identity and cultural heritage in the various components of the built environment, including residential architecture. Many people attribute this to rapid development in globalization and the adoption of Western standardization in planning and design practice. Conversely, in the field of architectural sociology, scholars argue that socio-cultural factors such as privacy, gender segregation, and hospitality are the important variables for determining the spatial form of Islamic residential architecture. This research study aims to investigate the degree to which the shaping of the spatial form in a sample of Qatari vernacular courtyard houses embeds socio-cultural factors based on morphological analysis of human behavior and activities in domestic space. The study utilizes space syntax analysis to explore the spatial connectivity of four Qatari vernacular courtyard houses related to domestic functions as a realization of inhabitants’ system of activities and a manifestation of culture as a way of life. The study’s findings shed light on the spatial formation of Qatari vernacular courtyard houses as a realization of socio-cultural imperatives, thus reflecting the essence of societal formation in the domestic architecture of old Qatari settlements. The insights from this research study can help to contribute to a cultural heritage-framework for the preservation of distinctive Qatari Vernacular Residential Architecture based on the analytical criteria of housing spatial form, socio-cultural factors, and the interrelation between both.