ENVIRONMENTAL

ENVIRONMENTAL
AESTHETICS
AESTHETICS
Code
Code1580
1580

PROF. DR. NOMANA ANJUM

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY
ISLAMABAD
RECAP
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.
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.
 3. Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics

3.1.Psychologists and Environment

(Berlyne- Wohlwill approach, The Kaplan
approach)

3.2. Urban verses Rural environment

3.3.The value of experimentation

 3.1 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
Like Humanist experimentalist are also
dependent on observation and Interpretation
but between the two they incorporate some
kind of laboratory experiment, field survey or
questionnaire approach.

They are mainly psychologist and usually heavily

rely on scientific methods of hypothesis
testing, formulating research design, use of
research tool for data collection and
interpretation.
3.1 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
 3.1 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics

Experimentalist are interested in both environmental

variables (such as complexity and mystery) and in the
characteristics (culture, social variables, personality)
of persons who interact with environment.

Humanistic and Experimentalist approaches are

complementary to each other. Both are not inclined
towards direct implementation. Humanist prompt
Activists and experimentalist discoveries are
incorporated in the aesthetic planning system.
 3.1 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics

Psychologists and Environment

Psychological aesthetics focused largely on works of

Art. Almost all of earlier work on colour, music, art and
like has used fragmented environmental components
Maslow and Mintz’ s classic experiment: study of
subjects in ugly, average and beautiful rooms. (The
subjects in ugly rooms expressed monotony,
headache, sleeplessness, irritability, sleeplessness,
hostility and discontent. These type of experiments
conclude that visual aesthetic surroundings can have
significant effects on people exposed to them.
3.1 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
3.1 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
3.1 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
 3. Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
Psychologists and Environment
More recent work on the effects of interior has
downplayed aesthetics and concentrate on
relationship between lighting and work performance.

Next step was to come out of laboratory and study in the

field or natural setting.

In one naturalistic study the subjects were asked to tell

the experimenter about things they saw, heard or
smelled. Subjects made spontaneous aesthetic
remarks; It’s lovely, it’s ugly. They enjoyed openness
of wide side walks, loveliness of buildings lapped in
sunlight and the rich texture of sand.
 3. Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics

Psychologists and Environment

Psychologist have mainly explored two

questions:

What is it about environment that disposes us

to react to it aesthetically? And

What is it about ourselves that influence our

aesthetic reactions to environments?
3. Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
 3. Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
Psychologists and Environment

Berlyne- Wohlwill approach

Seeks to establish the nature of “collative Variables”

and built upon it

The Kaplan approach

To develop a model of environmental preferences

 Experimentalist Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics

THE ENVIRONMENT THE OBSERVER

Collative Variables Hedonic Variables

INTERACTION

Complexity Pleasure
Diversity Arousal Arousal Reward
Novelty Potential Positive Feedback
Surprising ness Attraction
Ambiguity Positive
Incongruity Incentive
Compatibility

A SCHEMA OF AESTHETIC RESONSE TO ENVIRONMENT

3.2 Urban verses Rural Environment

In environmental aesthetics the work of

experimentalists have repeatedly
confirmed that subjects in laboratory
setting have overwhelmingly preferred
natural (wilderness or rural) over urban
scenes.
3.2 Urban verses Rural Environment

The findings conclude that: environmental

evaluation include three major components:
pleasantness, excitement and distress; that
the salient perceptual and cognitive features
in promoting pleasantness and excitement
are visual richness (complexity, mystery).
Clarity (legibility, coherence) and the
unobtrusiveness of the built elements.
 3.2 Urban verses Rural Environment
High

Natural
Scenes

Preference Urban
Scenes

Low Complexity High

Natural and Urban Scenes judged in terms of preference and

complexity
Methodological Problems

In environmental aesthetics little attempt has been made

to delve deeply into the emotions; most work is
based on preference as done by Wohlwill:
1. Select and measure the environmental variables to be studied
(complexity, texture).
2. Sample a range of environments (E) to provide an array of
environmental variables (urban, nature etc.).
3. Sample research subjects (Ss) for an array of personal variables
(age,sex etc.).
4. Present E to Ss, in simulated form such as colour slides
5. Record Ss’ responses on a variety of response measures, and
analyse and interpret the responses.
3.3 The Value of Experimentalism

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of

experimentalist environmental aesthetics is
the support it provides for a fledgling
evolutionary and physiological theory of the
origin of the aesthetic impulse.
Here experimentalist and humanist
approaches confirm and extend each other,
providing some hope that this largely
theoretical interdisciplinary will one day
develop a convincing theoretical apparatus.
 3.3 The Value of Experimentalism
Experimentalist work has also been extremely fertile
in confirming ancient humanist concepts such as the
'nature tranquility hypothesis' and the importance of
attributes such as complexity and mystery in the
generation of affect.

Experimentalist work is thus extremely valuable in

forming a bridge between humanist intuition and the
realm of action. Research on the positive relationship
between nature and personal well-being may well
form ground­work for the generation of design and
policy in such areas as psychotherapy, architecture,
park planning, and hospital management.
Discussion
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