ENVIRONMENTAL

ENVIRONMENTAL
AESTHETICS
AESTHETICS

Prof. DR. NOMANA ANJUM

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY
ISLAMABAD
What is Environmental Aesthetics?
Environmental aesthetics is one of the major new areas of aesthetics
to have emerged in the last part of the twentieth century. It
focuses on philosophical issues concerning appreciation of the
world at large as it is constituted not simply by particular objects
but also by environments themselves. In this way environmental
aesthetics goes beyond the appreciation of art to the aesthetic
appreciation of both natural and human environments. Its
development has been influenced by eighteenth-century
landscape aesthetics as well as by two recent factors:
a) the exclusive focus of twentieth-century philosophical
aesthetics on art, and
b) the public concern for the aesthetic condition of environments
that developed in the second half of that century.
New Zealand
Pakistan
Pakistan
 Development of Environmental
Aesthetics
Environmental aesthetics is one of the three or four new areas of aesthetics that have
been developed in the second half of the twentieth century. And, although it has
emerged as a major field of study only recently, and considers the aesthetic
appreciation of human as well as natural environments, it has roots in earlier
traditions concerning the aesthetic experience of nature.

The twentieth-century development of environmental aesthetics was strongly

influenced by two factors, one theoretical and one practical. The former was the
exclusive focus of twentieth-century philosophical aesthetics on art; and the latter
was the public concern for ’the aesthetic quality of the environment’ that emerged
in the second half of that century. Both factors helped, first, to broaden the scope
of environmental aesthetics beyond that of earlier landscape aesthetics, which
concentrated primarily on sublime and picturesque scenery, and, second, to set the
central philosophical issue of environmental aesthetics.
 Course Objectives

The purpose of incorporating the environmental aesthetics

course in the environmental design program is to remind
students/professionals to conserve natural beauty in
planning and design of built environment. The course will
also focus on the role of aesthetics in architecture in
historic and contemporary perspective. The concept of
“aesthetic experience is also covered from user’s point of
view in range of building types.
 Specific Objectives

1.Trace the history to examine the theory and practice of aesthetics

with reference to environment.
2.Introduce environmental aesthetics as field of study
3.Review the theoretical framework of Environmental aesthetics
(Humanist, Experimentalists, Activists, Planners)
4.Investigate the aesthetic identity of buildings along with
user/tourist/visitor perspective
5.Raise awareness on visual pollution
COURSE CONTENTS
Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Aesthetics

1.1 Background of Environmental Aesthetics as field of study

1.2  Short history
1.3  Origin of the Aesthetics impulse
1.4  Value of senses in the interpretation of environment

Unit no. 1 is the introductory unit that introduces the background

and history of Environmental Aesthetics as field of study.
 1.1Background of Environmental
Aesthetics as field of study
Environmental aesthetics, considering as it does the world at large and motivated in part
by public concern for the aesthetic condition of everyday environments, has
broadened beyond philosophical aesthetics in two respects. First, environmental
aesthetics, unlike typical traditional aesthetics, incorporates various kinds of
empirical work done on the human aesthetic experience of environments.

There are a number of different orientations in this kind of research.

For example, one movement grew out of the environmental design and planning
disciplines, such as landscape architecture, and attempts to analyse and assess
aesthetic experience in terms of the design features recognized and valued by these
disciplines.
Another kind of empirical work is more closely aligned with resource and recreational
management and focuses on measuring aesthetic preferences of different individuals
for different environments.
Scope of Environmental Aesthetics
The second broadening of the scope of environmental aesthetics concerns its subject
matter and may be charted on three scales.

One scale runs from wilderness, through rural landscapes, to cityscapes, neighborhood,
shopping centers and beyond.

A second scale ranges over size. Many typical objects treated by environmental
aesthetics are rather large environments: mountain ranges, countryside, market
places. (the field also considers smaller and more intimate environments, such as
backyards, offices, living rooms, as well as the objects, both large and small, that
populate various environments).
The third scale ranges from the extraordinary to the ordinary, from the exotic to the
mundane. Just as environmental aesthetics is not limited to the large, nor is it
limited to the spectacular. Ordinary scenery, commonplace sights, and our day-to-
day environments are proper objects of aesthetic appreciation.
 1.2  Short history

“Aesthetics” derived from the Greek word “to perceive”

“Knowledge derived from the senses”

Oxford dictionary

“The science of the conditions of sensuous perception”

Kant

“Philosophy or theory of taste, or the perception of the

beautiful in nature and art”
New English dictionary
 1.2  Short history

Classical Greece “Notion of beauty

Medieval Aesthetics”radiance of truth reflecting God”

Renaissance Aesthetics “goodness, truth ,beauty”

Modern aesthetics “Study of Perception”

Britain “laws of beauty”

German “good taste”
 1.3 Origin of the Aesthetics impulse
“Beauty is a desirable commodity. But not all men are equally
susceptible to it. Nor are all men agreed about its abode. Moreover,
it varies with period. It is subject to the laws that govern fashion…It
also varies with its geographical position… Variations in national or
racial standards of beauty are as noticeable as period standards.”

Eric Newton, English critic, 1950

He believes that perception of beauty varies according to a whole array

of positional, temporal, and personality variables.
 1.3 Origin of the Aesthetics impulse
The roots of aesthetic appreciation lie in human biology”
Appleton 1975
It manifests itself in nest making, shelter-seeking, food finding and desire
to see without being seen.

Habitat theory suggests that human beings experience pleasure in and

satisfaction with landscapes insofar as these environments are
perceived…

Aesthetic satisfaction is a live-in, rather than a look at, experience.

 1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment
Autocentric Senses Allocentric Senses

Subject centered: Object centered:

Concern with how people feel Are concerned with objectification and
knowledge

Sounds are autocentric Vision is chiefly allocentric

 1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment
Vision Sound
Vision is a dominant sense in humans Other than vision sound is extensively
providing the far more information studied in environmental
than all the other senses aesthetics. Unlike visual space,
combined. acoustic space is non-locational,
spherical, and all surrounding.
Psychologists, urban designers,
landscape architects, and It emphasize space itself rather than
advertisers all stress vision is the objects in space.
chief mode of knowing about the
world.
In environmental terms, soundscape
The perceived environment, is largely
is an important component of our
a visual one and most science is
sensory environment.
“eye science”.
 1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment
Smell
Environmentally, smell is information
poor and emotion rich than sound.
Smellscape is an enveloping,
unstructured, often directionless
space; the smell world is diffuse,
inchoate, transient, and emotional.
Odours arouse feelings of pleasure,
well-being, nostalgia, affection and
revulsion.
Tactility
Touch is vital for well being. We gain
information as well as pleasure by
handling things.
Environmentally tactility is related to
the sense of temperature and air
movement. These senses become
environmentally important in terms
of contrast as when one moves
from bright street to the the dark
corner or from dry. Hot city centre
to the cooler, moister sea-coast.
 Senses
Conclusion
Environmentally, places can readily be described by the characteristic “mix” of
sense perceptions available to the average able-bodied member of the
public.

Unfortunately, in modern environments both sensory variety and quality are

rapidly being reduced to monotony through deliberate manipulation .

Attention to sensory quality coupled with sensitive urban design can alleviate
this problem
Unit 2: Theoretical framework for Environmental
Aesthetics. (Humanist, Experimentalist,
Activists, Planners)

2.1 Humanist Approach to Environmental Aesthetics

2.2  History of Landscape taste.
2.3  Types of Landscapes
(Mountains, Wilderness, Middle Landscape, Land gardening,
Townscape)

Unit no. 2 outlines the theoretical framework for “Environmental

Aesthetics” and covers the Humanist approach to the subject.
UNIT 3. Experimentalists Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics

3.1 Psychologists and Environment

(Berlyne- Wahlwill approach, The Kaplan Approach)

3.2 Urban verses Rural environment

3.3 The value of experimentation

Unit no. 3 emphasizes the role of psychologists who have interest

in Environmental Aesthetics and have conducted research
experiments in this field.
UNIT 4. Activists Approach to Environmental
Aesthetics

4.1 Literary Activists

4.2 Design Activists
4.3 Citizen Activists
4.4 Legal issues
4.5 Continental differences
Unit no. 4 looks into Activists approach to Environmental
Aesthetics including the contribution of literary, design and
citizen activists.
UNIT 5. : Planners Approach to Environmental
Aesthetics

5.1 Aesthetic Landscape Planning

5.2 Aesthetic Urban Planning
5.3 Environmental Education
(Environmental Sensitivity Training)
5.4 Aesthetic Critique (learning to see)

Unit no. 5 includes Planners approach to Environmental Aesthetics

covering the landscape planning and urban planning. This unit also
emphasize on Environmental Sensitivity training.
UNIT 6. Aesthetics and Buildings

6.1Design and Buildings

(concept to execution).
6.2 Aesthetic identity of Building Design
6.3 Aesthetic effect of architectural work

Unit no. 6 is specific to buildings and covers the Aesthetic identity of

Building Design and Aesthetic effect of architectural work.
UNIT 7. Architectural Experience/
Encounter with Buildings

7.1. Modernist view of architectural experience (spatial experience, fragmentary

experience, movement experience)
7.2. Sensory experience with Buildings

Unit no. 7 consists of the details of architectural experience and encounter with the buildings.
UNIT 8. Experience of Human feelings through
Buildings

8.1Visual perception
(realistic and non realistic seeing).

8.2 The two stages of expression

a.  Outlining the brief b. Imaging the design).

8.3 Emotional effect of Design

(power, peace, playfulness, relaxation).
8. 4The user experience in Buildings
8.5 The tourist experience in public and commercial buildings.

The unit no. 8 includes the emotional effect of design and high lights the user
experience in buildings and tourist experience in the public and commercial
buildings.
 UNIT 9. Visual Pollution

9.3 Source of Visual Pollution

9.2 Raising awareness on Visual Pollution
9.3 Control of Visual Pollution

Unit no. 9 deals with the public awareness and participation regarding
visual pollution in the environment.
Discussion
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