Computational Rule-Based Modeling of Hausa Architectural Patterns Using Plan Layouts from Kano Metropolis Urban Traditional Houses Forms, Nigeria

Traditional Hausa architecture embodies rich cultural and spatial values that are rapidly diminishing due to urbanization and modern architectural practices in Nigeria. This study aims to develop a computational rule-based model using shape grammar methodology to analyze, preserve, and regenerate the architectural patterns of Hausa traditional houses in Kano Metropolis. The objectives are to extract spatial rules from existing house plans, encode these into a generative grammar system, and model new culturally consistent layouts.
The study adopts a computational rule-based shape grammar approach that formalizes the spatial organization of Hausa house elements, including room spaces (RS), Zaure (Z), courtyards (CY), forecourt (FY), inner court (IY), and internal staircases (SC). A purposive sample of 30 traditional house plans from Kano was analyzed to extract vocabulary elements, spatial relations, and shape rules. These were translated into a family of generative rules capable of producing variations of Hausa housing layouts. Data analysis combined spatial rule extraction with visual syntax modeling and computational simulation.
Findings reveal that Hausa architecture follows a distinct spatial hierarchy and culturally driven logic, where the courtyard plays a central circulation and functional role. The rule-based modeling effectively captured layout types such as single-storey courtyard compounds, story-type layouts, and parametric courtyard forms. These findings align with similar applications of shape grammar in Suakin (Sudanese) architecture studies and confirm its potential for cultural conservation and contemporary design adaptation.
The study concludes that computational shape grammar provides a robust framework for preserving and generating traditional Hausa house forms. It is recommended that urban planners, architects, and heritage conservationists integrate rule-based modeling in design practice. Additionally, future studies should expand this framework through parametric tools and digital fabrication technologies to ensure cultural continuity in the face of modernization.