The Relationship Between Sense of Place and Nature-Based Architectural Beauty: A Comparative Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2024.v8n1-6Keywords:
Biophilic Design, Sense of Place, Naturalistic Architecture, Socio-economic Impact, Urban PlanningAbstract
Biophilic design, which integrates nature into the built environment, has shown positive impacts on human well-being. However, the benefits of indirect experiences of nature remain less explored, particularly in relation to the sense of place (SoP). This study investigates the relationship between nature-based architectural beauty and SoP through a comparative case study of two educational buildings with different aesthetic qualities: one classical and naturalistic, the other modernist and mechanistic. Using a quasi-experimental design, the study employs a survey-based quantitative analysis, measuring 1) SoP among users, 2) perceptions of naturalness through image-based judgments, and 3) objective measures of naturalistic beauty using image analysis. Findings indicate that users of the naturalistic building report a significantly higher sense of place, supported by perceptions of naturalness and objective measures. This suggests that environments embodying naturalistic beauty foster positive connections and place attachment. The study contributes to architectural and urban design strategies by highlighting the socio-economic benefits of nature-inspired aesthetics. By enhancing emotional and psychological well-being, such designs can lead to increased productivity, reduced stress, and stronger community ties, ultimately contributing to socio-economic development through improved quality of life and sustainable urban planning.
Downloads
References
Abboushi, B., Elzeyadi, I., Taylor, R., & Sereno, M. (2019). Fractals in architecture: The visual interest, preference, and mood response to projected fractal light patterns in interior spaces. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 61, 57–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.12.005
Akcelik, G. N., Choe, K. W., Rosenberg, M. D., Schertz, K. E., Meidenbauer, K. L., Zhang, T., Rim, N., Tucker, R., Talen, E., & Berman, M. G. (2024). Quantifying Urban Environments: Aesthetic Preference Through the Lens of Prospect-Refuge Theory. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 102344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102344
Alexander, C. (2002). The nature of order: the process of creating life. Taylor & Francis.
Almusaed, A. (2010). Biophilic and bioclimatic architecture: Analytical therapy for the next generation of passive sustainable architecture. Springer Science & Business Media.
Altman, I., & Low, S. M. (1992). Place attachment. Springer Science & Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8753-4
Ariannia, N., Naseri, N., & Yeganeh, M. (2024). Cognitive-emotional feasibility of the effect of visual quality of building form on promoting the sense of place attachment (Case study: Cultural iconic buildings of Iran’s contemporary architecture). Frontiers of Architectural Research, 13(1), 37–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.10.002
Berman, M. G., Kross, E., Krpan, K. M., Askren, M. K., Burson, A., Deldin, P. J., Kaplan, S., Sherdell, L., Gotlib, I. H., & Jonides, J. (2012). Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 140(3), 300–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2012.03.012
Boley, B. B., Strzelecka, M., Yeager, E. P., Ribeiro, M. A., Aleshinloye, K. D., Woosnam, K. M., & Mimbs, B. P. (2021). Measuring place attachment with the Abbreviated Place Attachment Scale (APAS). Journal of Environmental Psychology, 74, 101577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101577
Brown, D. K., Barton, J. L., & Gladwell, V. F. (2013). Viewing nature scenes positively affects recovery of autonomic function following acute-mental stress. Environmental Science and Technology, 47(11), 5562–5569. https://doi.org/10.1021/es305019p
Brown, G., & Raymond, C. (2007). The relationship between place attachment and landscape values: Toward mapping place attachment. Applied Geography, 27(2), 89–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2006.11.002
Canter, D. (1997). The facets of place. In Toward the integration of theory, methods, research, and utilization (pp. 109–147). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4425-5_4
Chang, C.-Y., & Chen, P.-K. (2005). Human Response to Window Views and Indoor Plants in the Workplace. HORTSCIENCE, 40(5), 1354–1359. https://doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.40.5.1354
Coburn, A., Kardan, O., Kotabe, H., Steinberg, J., Hout, M. C., Robbins, A., MacDonald, J., Hayn-Leichsenring, G., & Berman, M. G. (2019). Psychological responses to natural patterns in architecture. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 62, 133–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.02.007
Cole, L. B., Coleman, S., & Scannell, L. (2021). Place attachment in green buildings: Making the connections. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 74, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101558
Feng, X., Zhang, Z., & Chen, X. (2022). Paper Analysis of the Relevance of Place Attachment to Environment-Related Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability, 14(23), 16073. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316073
Gillis, K., & Gatersleben, B. (2015). A review of psychological literature on the health and wellbeing benefits of biophilic design. Buildings, 5(3), 948–963. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings5030948
Han, T. Y., Isa, M. I., & Marzbali, M. H. (2023). Influencing Factors Of Neighbourhood Attachment: A Case Study Of Penang, Malaysia. Planning Malaysia, 21, 364–375. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v21i28.1339
Herzog, T. R., & Bryce, A. G. (2007). Mystery and preference in within-forest settings. Environment and Behavior, 39(6), 779–796. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916506298796
Hung, S. H., & Chang, C. Y. (2021). Health benefits of evidence-based biophilic-designed environments: A review. Journal of People, Plants, and Environment, 24(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.11628/ksppe.2021.24.1.1
Hur, M., Nasar, J. L., & Chun, B. (2010). Neighborhood satisfaction, physical and perceived naturalness and openness. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 52–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.05.005
Jayakody, D. Y., Adams, V. M., Pecl, G., & Lester, E. (2024). What makes a place special? Understanding drivers and the nature of place attachment. Applied Geography, 163, 103177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2023.103177
Jiang, B. (2015). Wholeness as a hierarchical graph to capture the nature of space. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 29(9), 1632–1648. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2015.1038542
Jiang, B., & de Rijke, C. (2023). Living Images: A Recursive Approach to Computing the Structural Beauty of Images or the Livingness of Space. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 113(6), 1329–1347. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2023.2178376
Jorgensen, B. S., & Stedman, R. C. (2001). Sense of Place as an attitude: Lakeshore owners attitudes toward their properties. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 21(3), 233–248. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.2001.0226
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge University Press.
Kellert, S. R. (1993). The biological basis for human values of nature. In The biophilia hypothesis (p. 69), Island Press.
Kellert, S. R. (2018). Nature by design: The practice of biophilic design. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300235432
Kellert, S. R., Heerwagen, J., & Mador, M. (2011). Biophilic design: the theory, science and practice of bringing buildings to life. John Wiley & Sons.
Kuper, R. (2017). Evaluations of landscape preference, complexity, and coherence for designed digital landscape models. Landscape and Urban Planning, 157, 407–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.09.002
Lee, K. E., Williams, K. J. H., Sargent, L. D., Williams, N. S. G., & Johnson, K. A. (2015). 40-second green roof views sustain attention: The role of micro-breaks in attention restoration. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 42, 182–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.04.003
Lewicka, M. (2011). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(3), 207–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001
Li, J., Luo, J., Deng, T., Tian, J., & Wang, H. (2023). Exploring perceived restoration, landscape perception, and place attachment in historical districts: insights from diverse visitors. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1156207
Liu, Q., Zhu, Z., Zeng, X., Zhuo, Z., Ye, B., Fang, L., Huang, Q., & Lai, P. (2021). The impact of landscape complexity on preference ratings and eye fixation of various urban green space settings. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 66, 127411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127411
Manzo, L., & Devine-Wright, P. (2013). Place attachment: Advances in theory, methods and applications. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203757765
Nieuwenhuis, M., Knight, C., Postmes, T., & Haslam, S. A. (2014). The relative benefits of green versus lean office space: Three field experiments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 20(3), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000024
Ode, Å., Fry, G., Tveit, M. S., Messager, P., & Miller, D. (2009). Indicators of perceived naturalness as drivers of landscape preference. Journal of Environmental Management, 90(1), 375–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.10.013
Ojalammi, S., & Koskinen-Koivisto, E. (2023). ATTACHMENT TO PLACE AND COMMUNITY TIES IN TWO SUBURBS OF JYVÄSKYLÄ, CENTRAL FINLAND. Geographical Review, 114(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.2022.2161383
Olla, I., Amole, B., & Amole, D. (2023). Place Attachment of Shoppers: A Study of Palms Mall, Ibadan, Nigeria. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2023.v7n2-8
Proshansky, H. M. (1978). The city and self-identity. Environment and Behavior, 10(2), 147–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916578102002
Ratcliffe, E., Gatersleben, B., & Sowden, P. T. (2013). Bird sounds and their contributions to perceived attention restoration and stress recovery. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36, 221–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.08.004
Relph, E. (1976). Place and placelessness. Pion London.
Ryan, C. O., Browning, W. D., Clancy, J. O., Andrews, S. L., & Kallianpurkar, N. B. (2014). BIOPHILIC DESIGN PATTERNS Emerging Nature-Based Parameters for Health and Well-Being in the Built Environment. International Journal of Architectural Research: ArchNet-IJAR, 8(2), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.26687/archnet-ijar.v8i2.436
Salingaros, N. A. (1997). Life and Complexity in Architecture From a Thermodynamic Analogy. Physics Essays, 10(1), 165–173. https://doi.org/10.4006/1.3028694
Sari, M., Fatimah, I. S., Pratiwi, P. I., & Sulistyantara, B. (2023). Psychological Effects of Walking and Relaxed Sitting in Urban Greenspaces During Post-pandemic: A Case Study in Bogor City, Indonesia. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs, 7(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2023.v7n1-1
Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2010). Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.09.006
Schroeder, H. W. (2007). Place experience, gestalt, and the human-nature relationship. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(4), 293–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.07.001
Seamon, D. (2019). Christopher Alexander’s Theory of Wholeness as a Tetrad of Creative Activity: The Examples of A New Theory of Urban Design and The Nature of Order. Urban Science, 3(2), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci3020046
Soderlund, J., & Newman, P. (2015). Biophilic architecture: a review of the rationale and outcomes. AIMS Environmental Science, 2(4), 950–969. https://doi.org/10.3934/environsci.2015.4.950
Stokols, D., & Shumaker, S. A. (1982). The Psychological Context of Residential Mobility and Weil‐Being. Journal of Social Issues, 38(3), 149–171. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1982.tb01776.x
Tuan, Y.-F. (1979). Space and place: humanistic perspective. In Gale, S. & Ollson, G. (eds.), Philosophy in geography (pp. 387–427). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9394-5_19
Williams, D. R., & Vaske, J. J. (2003). The measurement of place attachment: Validity and generalizability of a psychometric approach. Forest Science, 49(6), 830–840. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/49.6.830
Wilson, E. O. (1986). Biophilia. Harvard University Press.
Zhong, W., Schröder, T., & Bekkering, J. (2022). Biophilic design in architecture and its contributions to health, well-being, and sustainability: A critical review. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 11(1), 114–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2021.07.006
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Sana Al-azzawi, Prof. Dr. Göksenin İnalhan, Nada Al-azzawi
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.