On capital and architecture: architectural capital in the constitution of society

Reflecting on society and the diverse assets at our disposal through which we shape our place within it signifies comprehending the multiple dimensions that constitute it. For Pierre Bourdieu, it is crucial to understand the various types of capital (resources, means and capacities) that we mobilize in order to meet our needs, and that characterize who we are. By incorporating architecture into the constitution of society, based on the space syntax theory, we argue that the way we organize ourselves – bodies in space and time – and the way we organize places constitutes a social macrostructure, into which architectural capital is inserted, which is the ability of a subject to mobilize architecture for his or her purposes. This capital entails possibilities or restrictions regarding how we occupy places and move within them, as well as the conditions that determine the visibility of others. It consists of both spatial capital and building capital, the former referring to open spaces with unrestricted access, and the latter to closed spaces with restricted access. This article aims to present the theoretical framework used to formulate the concept of architectural capital.