The Potential of Subjective Semantic Methods in Exploring the Perception of Architecture

This research focuses on empirical explorations of psychological features and mechanisms of the percep¬tion of urban architecture and on the specifics of the perception of buildings of various architectural styles. The techniques employed included those of personality and architectural semantic differential and the Value Spectrum technique. Four factors were found to have a significant impact on an individual’s percep¬tion and understanding of architectural space: ‘passive-active’, ‘whole-split’, ‘open-closed’, and ‘expressive’. People tend to attribute more semantic features and values to listed buildings or buildings that bear witness of a certain historical period than to those buildings that look alike and represent a typical example of mass housing. No significant sex differences were found in the individuals’ evaluations of buildings. Consistent quantitative differences were revealed between the images of listed buildings and of mass housing. The paper describes the relevance of various research methods in explorations of architectural images

Archaeology · Architectural engineering · Cognitive psychology · Perception · Personality · Political science · Relevance (law · Semantic differential · Value (mathematics · Witness · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis · Color perception and design · Computer Science · Engineering · History · Psychology · Social Psychology · Urban Design and Spatial Analysis · Architecture

• Subjective and Objective Factors in Subjective Semantic Evaluations of Architectural Works

  Open Access•A Y Vyrva, Dmitry Leontiev•Cultural-Historical Psychology•2016

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