Visual perception of the built environment in virtual reality: A systematic characterization of human aesthetic experience in spaces with curved boundaries.

Abstract

Visual perception of architectural spaces and human aesthetic experience in these spaces have recently received considerable interest in cognitive science. However, it has been difficult to construe a common understanding of aesthetic experience for architectural space, since different studies use different scales to measure aesthetic experiences. In this interdisciplinary study spanning cognitive science and architecture, we aim to provide an empirically driven systematic characterization of human aesthetic experience and investigate what aspects of the architectural spaces affect aesthetic experience. To this end, we manipulated various architectural variables including the shape of the curvilinear boundaries of architectural spaces as well as their size, light, texture, and color in virtual reality. We then had people evaluate these spaces by exhausting a large list of commonly used scales in the literature and applied principal component analysis to reveal the key dimensions of aesthetic experience. Our findings suggest that human aesthetic experience can be reduced to 3 key dimensions, namely familiarity, excitement, and fascination. Each of these dimensions are differentially affected by the various architectural variables revealing their differences. In sum, our study provides a comprehensive framework to characterize human aesthetic experience in virtual architectural spaces with curved boundaries.

The impact of urban graffiti with facial expressions on human behavioral and emotional experiences in a VR environment

“…Franz et al (2005) identified that architectural research can be more empirical by using VR technologies with their flexibility of stimulation and easy-to-create controlled laboratory conditions while still providing a high degree of perceptual realism. In architecture and urban research fields, more researchers have focused on VR as a medium for conducting user studies, measuring perception of space or effects of architectural elements for both users and designers by applying empirical and experimental settings recently (Elver Boz et al, 2022;Keshavarzi et al, 2021;Llorca-Bofi and V€ orlander, 2021;Zhang and Zhang, 2021;Dumlu, 2020a, b). Also, it is highlighted that VR has particular advantages with its immersive, interactive, multi-modal, multi-sensory ability to apply realworld features for neuroscience, psychology and cognitive science research (Bohil et al, 2011;Loomis et al, 1999).…”

“…(2005) identified that architectural research can be more empirical by using VR technologies with their flexibility of stimulation and easy-to-create controlled laboratory conditions while still providing a high degree of perceptual realism. In architecture and urban research fields, more researchers have focused on VR as a medium for conducting user studies, measuring perception of space or effects of architectural elements for both users and designers by applying empirical and experimental settings recently (Elver Boz et al. , 2022; Keshavarzi et al.…”

Literature Survey: The Potential of Integrating Immersive Experience and Aesthetic Experience in Virtual Reality Historical Event

“…User cognition and perception at postphenomenology stage determine their level of aesthetic experience evaluated in various dimensions. While Elver Boz et al, [28], suggested that human aesthetic experience measured three key dimensions, namely familiarity, excitement, and fascination. Somehow, user must perceive beauty and art with appropriate attitude to show appreciation [42].…”

“…In practical sense, the ideal state of virtual reality experience is evaluated after the user psychological [22,23] and phenomenological [24][25][26] experienced the virtual world, gained both immersive and aesthetic experience [26][27][28], hence felt presence [18,19], appraisal [22] and appreciate [23] the world. In short, the experience is not adequately captured by the single dimension evaluation.…”

The aesthetic experience of interior spaces with curvilinear boundaries and various space properties in immersive and desktop-based virtual environments

“…To this end, 60 participants were presented with 360-degree 32 VE visualizations that had horizontal or vertical curved boundaries and possessed various architectural properties including size, light, texture, and color, using a headmounted display and a desktop computer. The aesthetic experience was measured in terms of three key dimensions identified before (Elver Boz et al, 2022): familiarity, excitement, and fascination. In addition, participants' sense of presence was measured.…”