A psychological approach to evidence‐based architectural design in domes7c spaces Colin Ellard1, Deltcho Valtchanov1, Thomas Seebohm1, Jus;n Perdue2, Sarah Susanka3 1University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario Canada, 2Stantec Architecture, Toronto, 3Susanka Studios, Raleigh, NC Introduc7on In this experiment, we demonstrate a principled method for assessing the comfort, usability, and aﬀec;ve proper;es of a series of domes;c spaces. We combine high‐level visualiza;on with immersive virtual reality, mo;on tracking and structured interviews to assess the quali;es of a variety of styles of domes;c spaces. This ini;al study is meant as a “proof of concept” for future studies in a variety of built seTngs ranging from ins;tu;onal and health care environments to the urban scale. Method 3d visualiza;ons of three exis;ng domes;c structures were constructed using 3d Studio Max and V‐ray. The structures were Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacobs House, Sarah Susanka’s Milstein House, and a typical North American suburban house. Par;cipants were provided with immersive experiences of the models using head‐mounted displays, infrared mo;on tracking, and mobile compu;ng. The models were realized at actual size in a gymnasium. Par;cipants explored the spaces un;l they felt familiar with them, and then they were asked a series of ques;ons about their preferences for par;cular loca;ons. Figure 1. A screenshot of the Milstein House visualiza7on Results Par;cipants were asked about their overall preferences for certain aspects of each of the models. Results suggested that designers’ inten;ons were, to some extent, manifest in the opinions of par;cipants. For example, the Milstein House, which was designed to enhance both opportuni;es for socializing and privacy [1], appears to have met both of these objec;ves. Table 1. Mean responses of par7cipants to general ques7ons pertaining to aﬀec7ve proper7es of the three VR models. Par7cipants were asked to rank each of the three models on a scale of 1‐5 for the parameters listed in the table. The ﬁnal ques7on asked par7cipants how likely they would be to purchase each of the homes if they had the opportunity to do so. Using Ajanachara so]ware [2] the spa;al proper;es of the home designs were analyzed to determine such proper;es as isovist size (area of space observable from a given loca;on), and other higher order proper;es of spa;al shape. Analyses were converted to contour plots to visualize how spa;al proper;es varied between loca;ons in the space. The ﬁgure below shows an example of such a contour plot from the Jacobs House. Figure 2. Spa7al analysis of Jacobs House. Colour coding corresponds to size of visible region of space from each loca7on in the space. Light colours indicate large visible regions of space and dark colours indicate small visible regions of space. Figure 3. Par7cipants were asked: “If this were your house and you were having a party, where would you go to oversee Conclusions The ﬁndings described here, although very preliminary in nature suggest the viability of a method for assessing the aﬀec;ve proper;es of architectural spaces using a combina;on of immersive virtual reality, mo;on tracking, and tradi;onal structured interview methods of experimental psychology. In future work, we hope to add to these ﬁndings by including measurements of physiological reac;ons during explora;on of such spaces, including eye movements, heart rate, skin conductance and EEG. References [1] Susanka, S. (1998). The not so big house: A blueprint for the way we really live. Taunton Press: Newton CT. [2] Wiener, J.M., Franz, G., Rossmanith N., Reichelt A., Mallot H.A., & Bulthoﬀ H.H. (2007). Isovist analysis captures proper;es of space relevant for locomo;on and experience. Percep:on, 36(7), 1066‐1083. This work was supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Humani:es Research Council of Canada. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Gloria Sicuro. Ela Malkovsky, Hannah Masterman, Leanne Quig