Cultural influence on the aesthetic judgment of architecture
Architects should consider the aesthetic experience of potential users when designingarchitectures. Previous studies have shown that subjective aesthetic judgment ofarchitectures is influenced by Structure features, and Western observers preferstructures that have curvilinear contours, high ceilings, and open spaces. The commonbuilding styles, however, vary across cultures, and may potentially influence observer'saesthetic preference. It remains unclear whether the preference for contours, ceilingheight, and openness is universal or culture dependent. To investigate this issue, thisstudy analyzes the aesthetic judgment of Chinese observers, and the results demonstratethat Chinese observers also prefer high ceilings and open spaces, similar to previousresults based on Western observers. Preference for curvilinear contours is also observedbut strongly interacts with ceiling height and openness. Post hoc analysis reveals thatChinese observers prefer curvilinear contours only when the ceiling is low and the spaceis closed. In sum, these results suggest that preferences for high ceilings and openspaces are observed in both Western cultures and in the Chinese culture. Thepreference for curvilinear contours, however, is less reliable in the Chinese culture.