Exploring Visual Features and Perception of façades in Residential Neighborhoods of Detmold

Author: Alvaro Balderrama

1. Detmold School of Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts (TH OWL), Emilienstraße 45, 32756 Detmold, Germany
2. Architectural Façades and Products Research Group, Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built
Environment, TU Delft, Julianalaan, 134, 2628 Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract

The visual perception of building façades plays a crucial role in shaping human experience in cities, and the debate of concepts like aesthetics, beauty and visual quality have been going on for centuries. However, systematic methods for assessing the visual features of buildings and their emotional impact remain underdeveloped. This study presents an exploratory methodology for assessing the visual features and visual perception of residential façades. Taking houses of the 32756 area of Detmold, Germany, the research primarily aims to test and refine methods for surveying both objective visual attributes and subjective perceptual responses. A database of façade photographs was created following predefined selection criteria, and two consecutive surveys were conducted focused on 20 façades. In the first stage, participants (n=22) generated descriptive terms to capture natural emotional reaction to photographs of different façades; in the second survey, a different group (n=12) rated façades using bipolar scales, first with 23 visual features and 25 perceptual attributes. The results show patterns between the physical characteristics of façades and their affective descriptors (e.g. pleasantness and cleanness, safety, and vegetation). While findings reveal a series of relationships between visual features and perceptual scales, the primary goal of the study was to test the approach of gathering visual and perceptual data with small groups of professionals. Future research could build on this methodology by expanding the sample size, refining survey instruments, and applying statistical modeling techniques to better understand the links between visual features and human perception of façades.

Keywords: residential buildings, cityscape, view, vision, sight, aesthetics

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