Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Indoor Environment
Volume 10 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2024.1431780

Exploring Building Materials : Human Skin as a Sensory Reference in the Absence of Visual Cues

Provisionally accepted
Anuththara Kudaligama Anuththara Kudaligama *Chameera Udawatta Chameera Udawatta
  • University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Material texture significantly influences how people perceive built environments, yet empirical evidence supporting its impact on spaciousness perception is limited. This study aimed to explore how people perceive building materials through sense in the absence of visual attention and how texture meanings affect indoor spaciousness perception. Conducted with 160 participants (90 males, 70 females, mean age ± SD: 22 ± 5 years), the study comprised three phases: baseline tactile assessment, blindfolded navigation in a lab and exposure to real-world environments. Findings revealed the skin's ability to discern textural quality without visual cues, with slightly rough wall surfaces consistently perceived as more spacious. Moreover, the association between wall texture and perceived space varied, with subjective aspects influencing spaciousness in relatively spacious rooms, while objective factors played a larger role in less spacious settings. This study provides insights into sensory referral processes, warranting further investigation into the potential psychological impacts of textures.

    Keywords: Archirecture1, Design consideration, Human perception, Indoor Spaces4, materials, Psychological impact, spaciousness, wall texture

    Received: 12 May 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kudaligama and Udawatta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Anuththara Kudaligama, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.