Research on Spatial Structure Analysis of Ancestral Hall Architecture Based on Space Syntax—A Case Study of Ancestral Halls in Ninghai

Ancestral halls represent vital vernacular cultural heritage, attracting growing academic interest in their spatial order, social functions, conservation and adaptive reuse. This paper takes Ninghai ancestral hall architectural heritage as the research object and applies Space Syntax theory. It selects four nationally protected historical and cultural sites to carry out convex space, axial and visual field analyses, exploring their spatial form, patriarchal ritual order and spatial logic. The findings indicate that Ninghai ancestral halls serve dual functions of opera performance and ancestor worship. Adopting a central axis layout, they separate the ritual center from the public activity center. In the selected cases, Temple-type ancestral halls indicate a tendency towards higher spatial integration and openness than clan-type ones, reflecting evident functional and spatial differentiation. This study combines Space Syntax with traditional ancestral hall research, shifting from qualitative description to quantitative analysis. It supplies empirical support for ancestral hall spatial structure correlation, and provides new technical methods and perspectives for the scientific conservation and sustainable utilization of such architectural heritage.