2015 Volume 50 Issue 3 Pages 303-308
This study empirically examined the relationships between the arrangements of dwelling units on a lot and the perceptions of legibility, personal space, and residential familiarity. 60 participants viewed nine different patterns of unit arrangements, created with different degrees of rotations and displacements being applied, and conducted tasks that were designed to assess their spatial orientation, personal spaces, and feelings in the residential environments. Results showed that for the arrangements to which rotations were applied, legibility, the area of personal space, and familiarity decreased. For the arrangements to which only displacements were applied, people who perceived a larger personal space tended to feel greater familiarity. For the arrangements to which smaller degrees of rotations and displacements were applied, familiarity was positively correlated with the recognition of a smaller personal space, or a larger public space.
