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Elongation and enclosure.

Arthur E Stamps1

  • 1Institute of Environmental Quality, 290 Rutledge Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. artstamps@worldnet.att.net

Perceptual and Motor Skills
|December 15, 2005
PubMed
Summary

The elongation ratio of a space significantly impacts how enclosed people feel, more so than its horizontal area or boundary materials. This finding is crucial for designing public spaces that evoke specific enclosure perceptions.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental psychology
  • Urban design
  • Spatial perception

Background:

  • Previous research indicates that spatial characteristics like elongation, horizontal area, and boundary materials may influence perceptions of enclosure in public spaces.
  • Understanding these factors is essential for designing environments that elicit desired psychological responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the relative influence of elongation, horizontal area, and boundary material on perceived enclosure.
  • To quantify the contribution of each factor to the variance in enclosure impressions.

Main Methods:

  • An experiment was conducted crossing three factors: elongation ratio, horizontal area, and boundary material.
  • 15 respondents rated their impressions of enclosure for 16 different plaza designs.

Main Results:

  • The elongation ratio (ranging from 1:1 to 1:1.8) was the most influential factor, explaining 18% of the variance in enclosure perceptions.
  • Horizontal area (12.25 m² vs 49 m²) accounted for 3% of the variance.
  • Boundary material (plants vs. walls) had a minimal effect, explaining only 0.3% of the variance.

Conclusions:

  • Spatial elongation is the primary determinant of perceived enclosure in urban plazas.
  • While horizontal area and boundary materials play a role, their impact on enclosure perception is considerably less significant than elongation.
  • Designers should prioritize the elongation ratio when aiming to control the sense of enclosure in public spaces.

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