Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism(JIAU)

Abstract Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: Awareness stems from assessing the environment. Studies show that physical characteristics of space and individual differences affect environmental appraisal. However, movement through the environment and the effects of spatial sequences on evaluation are less considered. The level of brightness of a space after passing from a dark space or passing from a bright space has two different evaluations. Although studies in cognition and environmental sciences such as Gibson’s ecological approach to perception, Neisser’s perceptual cycle, Helson’s adaptation level theory, Paducci’s range-frequency theory, Berlyn’s studies on environmental preference, and research on context effects confirm the role of movement as a priming effect in two main forms: assimilation effect and contrast effect. Experimental studies to investigate the two effects of movement on environmental perception have been limited.
Methods: In this research, 10 animations were prepared using two simulated consecutive spaces. The second space was constant in terms of physical attributes. The characteristics of the first space, such as size, light, height, and visual permeability - the effects of which have been significantly evaluated in previous studies - were manipulated. To test the contrast effect, the intensity of variables was changed highly. Light and size were simulated at an average level to test the assimilation effect. The simulated animations -moving from the first space to the destination (at a normal walking speed of 5 km/h)- were shown to 92 participants, including 54 females and 38 males. Participants were asked to evaluate the size of the second space after passing from the first space on a scale ranging from very small (1) to very large (10). The simulated spaces were displayed on a 15.6-inch laptop screen in an environment with uniform lighting and no glare or darkness. We ran paired t-tests and repeated measures analysis of variance (rm-ANOVA) to analyze the data at a significance level of 0.05.
Findings: The results of the paired t-test and pairwise comparisons for “size of space”, at a significance level of 0.05, t = 7.34, df = 91, p <.001 and F(1, 91) = 53.97 with a large effect size (η2p =.37) showed that the main space appeared larger when the preceding space was small compared to when the preceding space was large. For another condition on “size”, t = 8.1, df = 91, p <.001 and F(1, 91) = 65.60 with a large effect size (η2p =.42), results showed that the main space appeared larger when preceding from an elongated space compared to a large space. As for “light”, t = -3.25, df = 91, p =.002 and F(1, 91) = 10.58 with a moderate effect size (η2p =.10) results showed that the main space appeared larger when the preceding space was dim compared to when the preceding space was bright. As for “height”, t = -1.95, df = 91, p =.055 and F(1, 91) = 3.79 with a small effect size (η2p =.04) results showed that the main space appeared larger when it preceded from a high space compared to a short space. The results for “visual permeability”, t = 2.96, df = 91, p =.004 and F(1, 91) = 8.78 with a moderate effect size (η2p =.11) showed that the main space appeared larger when it preceded from a small space compared to entering the main space from a small space without rotation. In another condition, t = 1.55, df = 91, p = 0.12 and F(1, 91) = 2.42, results showed that rotation had no effect on the size of the second space from an elongated space.
Conclusion: The results of this research showed that movement through the environment discriminates judgment in a specific direction. The extent and direction of deviation depend on the previous stimuli that the individual has received. In other words, in a spatial sequence, the characteristics received from previous spaces affect the evaluation of a specific attribute of the next space, so that discrepancies in type and intensity of the features of that sequence determine the degree of deviation in the individual’s judgment. This research aimed to investigate two significant effects of movement. It found out that the contrast effect prevailed over the assimilation effect. Based on this, one could say that with movement in space, a chain of spaces is experienced. Considering the purposeful movement of the individual in the environment, the environment can be clustered spatially and in specific time episodes. These clusters consist of first, middle, and climax spaces. Architects and designers can intensify or modify the main space features by manipulating the characteristics of previous and subsequent spaces under the contrast effect. Such an approach to diagramming the environment in the design process represents a new chapter in “meaning-oriented” design depending on specific temporal and spatial episodes and can be called “episodic architecture.

Abstract Thematic analysis has been used as a qualitative method for data analysis in various fields, especially psychology, behavioral sciences, health, and sociology. However, this approach, which emphasizes the content of the text, and views language as a direct and transparent path to meaning, has been less applied in the field of architecture and urban planning. Thematic analysis is a flexible theoretical approach, easy to learn, able to summarize data, and so on. Hence, it can be applied to a wide range of qualitative environmental studies, particularly to understand the users’ perception of the environment, which shapes their relationship with the environment, by classifying the meaning patterns within the data set. Using this approach allows provide an in-depth description of the data, and to highlight the similarities and differences between the data, thereby enabling the creation of rich and complex data. The present study introduces the thematic analysis as a flexible method, through a sample study undertook this method, and describes its six steps, including familiarizing with data, assigning preliminary code, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and finally, producing a report. It explains how the thematic analysis is used in built-environment studies. The study presented as a sample attempts to identify the meaning experienced by people in the architectural space. It strives to answer the following question, "What aspects of meaning are perceived when moving through a built environment?" The aim was to focus on the influence of physical properties on the users’ experiences of the environment to obtain useful findings for architects and environment designers. To identify the widest possible range of capabilities for movement and the possible experiences obtained with them, an interview was designed using “phenomenological ethnography” approach, in which students and staff of an academic campus were asked to respond to the questions of a deep, qualitative interview ‎when moving on their daily paths in the campus. Each participant was asked to move, along with the interviewer, on his/her daily main paths, express his/her thoughts and feelings about the path. Each interviewee were also asked to take photos of the phenomena affecting route selection, and explain why and how they affect. The thematic analysis of the interview content reveals eight meanings of efficiency, convenience, legibility, sense of belonging, agency, invitingness, attraction, and beauty, which can be summarized under 3 themes of physical comfort, involvement, and making sense (being apprehensible). These themes explain the main meanings experienced by people during movement between and within buildings. The findings show that some of the physical properties of the path clearly lead to the experience of certain meanings. Based on these findings, users experience efficiency in short, direct, and simple paths with minimum barriers. Paths with multiple accesses and amenities provide more convenience. Distinct paths with clear boundaries and adequate signs are easier to remember. All of these properties of a path provide an experience of physical comfort for those who move through the environment. The findings, on the other hand, suggest that navigable paths, containing reference points can be easily understood and remembered, and therefore, affored legibility. Other properties of the path that make it private, familiar and friendly, or make people feel more comfortable in it, allow for a sense of belonging. Together, these qualities of legibility, familiarity, friendliness, and the like enhance making sense of the environment for users. Finally, according to other part of findings, individuals can engage and involve in environments (identifying themselves as part of environments) where they, in addition to feeling more sense of invitation, experience agency that results from a greater sense of control over the environment through visual access and so forth. Crossing paths that have pleasing aesthetical qualities, and arouses individuals’ positive emotions, yield similar results and increase the involvement in the environment. These results can be used to design environments that are more favorable to users, and could help to create the desired architectural spaces for them by considering the attributes that provide physical comfort, the qualities through which individuals make sense of their settings, and those that more strongly attract and involve users with their built environments. Moreover, the process of thematic analysis, introduced in this article, can be applied for analyzing contents in similar qualitative research in the field.