ENVIRONMENTAL AESTHETICS

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Lecture One

PROF. DR. NOMANA ANJUM

What is Environmental Aesthetics?

Environmental aesthetics is one of the major new areas of

aesthetics to have emerged in the last part of the twentieth
century. It focuses on philosophical issues concerning
appreciation of the world at large as it is constituted not
simply by particular objects but also by environments
themselves. In this way environmental aesthetics goes beyond
the appreciation of art to the aesthetic appreciation of both
natural and human environments.
What is Environmental Aesthetics?

Its development has been influenced by eighteenth-century

landscape aesthetics as well as by two recent factors:
a) the exclusive focus of twentieth-century philosophical
aesthetics on art, and
b) the public concern for the aesthetic condition of
environments that developed in the second half of that
century.
New Zealand
Pakistan
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 Development of Environmental Aesthetics

Environmental aesthetics is one of the three or

four new areas of aesthetics that have been
developed in the second half of the twentieth
century. And, although it has emerged as a major
field of study only recently, and considers the
aesthetic appreciation of human as well as
natural environments, it has roots in earlier
traditions concerning the aesthetic experience of
nature.
 Development of Environmental Aesthetics

The twentieth-century development of environmental

aesthetics was strongly influenced by two factors, one
theoretical and one practical.

The former was the exclusive focus of twentieth-century

philosophical aesthetics on art; and the latter was the
public concern for ’the aesthetic quality of the
environment’ that emerged in the second half of that
century.
 Development of Environmental Aesthetics

Both factors helped, first, to broaden the scope of

environmental aesthetics beyond that of earlier
landscape aesthetics, which concentrated primarily on
sublime and picturesque scenery, and,

second, to set the central philosophical issue of

environmental aesthetics.
 Course Objectives

The purpose of incorporating the environmental aesthetics

course in the sustainable environmental design program
is to remind students/professionals to conserve natural
beauty in planning and design of built environment. The
course will also focus on the role of aesthetics in
architecture in historic and contemporary perspective.
The concept of “aesthetic experience is also covered
from user’s point of view in range of building types.
 Specific Objectives

1.Trace the history to examine the theory and practice of aesthetics

with reference to environment.
2.Introduce environmental aesthetics as field of study
3.Review the theoretical framework of Environmental aesthetics
(Humanist, Experimentalists, Activists, Planners)
4.Investigate the aesthetic identity of buildings along with
user/tourist/visitor perspective
5.Raise awareness on visual pollution
COURSE CONTENTS
Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Aesthetics

1.1 Background of Environmental Aesthetics as field of

study
1.2 Short history
1.3 Origin of the Aesthetics impulse
1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of environment

Unit no. 1 is the introductory unit that introduces the

background and history of Environmental Aesthetics
as field of study.
 1.1Background of Environmental
Aesthetics as field of study
Environmental aesthetics, considering as it
does the world at large and motivated in part
by public concern for the aesthetic condition
of everyday environments, has broadened
beyond philosophical aesthetics in two
respects. First, environmental aesthetics,
unlike typical traditional aesthetics,
incorporates various kinds of empirical work
done on the human aesthetic experience of
environments.
 1.1Background of Environmental
Aesthetics as field of study
There are a number of different orientations in this kind of
research.
For example, one movement grew out of the environmental
design and planning disciplines, such as landscape
architecture, and attempts to analyse and assess aesthetic
experience in terms of the design features recognized and
valued by these disciplines.

Another kind of empirical work is more closely aligned with

resource and recreational management and focuses on
measuring aesthetic preferences of different individuals for
different environments.
 Scope of Environmental Aesthetics
The second broadening of the scope of environmental aesthetics
concerns its subject matter and may be charted on three
scales.

One scale runs from wilderness, through rural landscapes, to

cityscapes, neighborhood, shopping centers and beyond.

A second scale ranges over size. Many typical objects treated by

environmental aesthetics are rather large environments:
mountain ranges, countryside, market places. (the field also
considers smaller and more intimate environments, such as
backyards, offices, living rooms, as well as the objects, both
large and small, that populate various environments).
Scope of Environmental Aesthetics

The third scale ranges from the extraordinary to the ordinary,

from the exotic to the mundane. Just as environmental
aesthetics is not limited to the large, nor is it limited to the
spectacular. Ordinary scenery, commonplace sights, and our
day-to-day environments are proper objects of aesthetic
appreciation.
 1.2 Short history

“Aesthetics” derived from the Greek word “to perceive”

“Knowledge derived from the senses”

Oxford dictionary

“The science of the conditions of sensuous perception”

Kant

“Philosophy or theory of taste, or the perception of the

beautiful in nature and art”
New English dictionary
 1.2 Short history

Classical Greece “Notion of beauty

Medieval Aesthetics”radiance of truth reflecting God”

Renaissance Aesthetics “goodness, truth ,beauty”

Modern aesthetics “Study of Perception”

Britain “laws of beauty”

German “good taste”
 1.3 Origin of the Aesthetics impulse

“Beauty is a desirable commodity. But not all men are

equally susceptible to it. Nor are all men agreed about its
abode. Moreover, it varies with period. It is subject to the
laws that govern fashion…It also varies with its
geographical position… Variations in national or racial
standards of beauty are as noticeable as period
standards.”

Eric Newton, English critic, 1950

He believes that perception of beauty varies according to a

whole array of positional, temporal, and personality
variables.
 1.3 Origin of the Aesthetics impulse
The roots of aesthetic appreciation lie in human biology”
Appleton 1975
It manifests itself in nest making, shelter-seeking, food
finding and desire to see without being seen.

Habitat theory suggests that human beings experience

pleasure in and satisfaction with landscapes insofar as
these environments are perceived…

Aesthetic satisfaction is a live-in, rather than a look at,

experience.
 1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment
Autocentric Senses Allocentric Senses

Subject centered: Object centered:

Concern with how people Are concerned with

feel objectification and
knowledge
Sounds are autocentric
Vision is chiefly allocentric
 1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment
Vision Sound
Vision is a dominant sense in humans Other than vision sound is extensively
providing the far more information studied in environmental
than all the other senses aesthetics. Unlike visual space,
combined. acoustic space is non-locational,
spherical, and all surrounding.
Psychologists, urban designers,
landscape architects, and It emphasize space itself rather than
advertisers all stress vision is the objects in space.
chief mode of knowing about the
world.
In environmental terms, soundscape
The perceived environment, is largely
is an important component of our
a visual one and most science is
sensory environment.
“eye science”.
1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment

Vision and Sound

 1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment
Smell Tactility

Environmentally, smell is information Touch is vital for well being. We gain

poor and emotion rich than sound. information as well as pleasure by
Smellscape is an enveloping, handling things.
unstructured, often directionless
space; the smell world is diffuse, Environmentally tactility is related to
inchoate, transient, and emotional. the sense of temperature and air
movement. These senses become
Odours arouse feelings of pleasure, environmentally important in terms
well-being, nostalgia, affection and of contrast as when one moves
revulsion. from bright street to the dark
corner or from dry hot city centre
to the cooler, moister sea-coast.
1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment

Odours arouse feelings of pleasure

1.4 Value of senses in the interpretation of
environment
 Senses
Conclusion

Environmentally, places can readily be described

by the characteristic “mix” of sense perceptions
available to the average able-bodied member of
the public.

Unfortunately, in modern environments both

sensory variety and quality are rapidly being
reduced to monotony through deliberate
manipulation .
Unit 2: Theoretical framework for Environmental
Aesthetics. (Humanist, Experimentalist,
Activists, Planners)
2.1 Humanist Approach to Environmental Aesthetics
2.2 History of Landscape taste.
2.3 Types of Landscapes
(Mountains, Wilderness, Middle Landscape, Land
gardening, Townscape)

Unit no. 2 outlines the theoretical framework for

“Environmental Aesthetics” and covers the Humanist
approach to the subject.
UNIT 3. Experimentalists Approach to
Environmental Aesthetics
3.1 Psychologists and Environment
(Berlyne- Wahlwill approach, The Kaplan
Approach)

3.2 Urban verses Rural environment

3.3 The value of experimentation

Unit no. 3 emphasizes the role of psychologists

who have interest in Environmental Aesthetics
and have conducted research experiments in this
field.
UNIT 4. Activists Approach to Environmental
Aesthetics
4.1 Literary Activists
4.2 Design Activists
4.3 Citizen Activists
4.4 Legal issues
4.5 Continental differences
Unit no. 4 looks into Activists approach to
Environmental Aesthetics including the contribution
of literary, design and citizen activists.
UNIT 5. : Planners Approach to Environmental
Aesthetics
5.1 Aesthetic Landscape Planning
5.2 Aesthetic Urban Planning
5.3 Environmental Education
(Environmental Sensitivity Training)
5.4 Aesthetic Critique (learning to see
Unitno. 5 includes Planners approach to Environmental
Aesthetics covering the landscape planning and urban
planning. This unit also emphasize on Environmental
Sensitivity training.
UNIT 6. Aesthetics and Buildings

6.1Design and Buildings

(concept to execution).
6.2 Aesthetic identity of Building Design
6.3 Aesthetic effect of architectural work

Unit no. 6 is specific to buildings and covers the

Aesthetic identity of Building Design and Aesthetic
effect of architectural work.
UNIT 7. Architectural Experience/
Encounter with Buildings

7.1.Modernist view of architectural experience

(spatial experience, fragmentary
experience, movement experience)
7.2. Sensory experience with Buildings

Unit no. 7 consists of the details of architectural

experience and encounter with the buildings.
 UNIT 8. Experience of Human feelings through
Buildings

8.1Visual perception
(realistic and non realistic seeing).

8.2 The two stages of expression

a. Outlining the brief b. Imaging the design).

8.3 Emotional effect of Design

(power, peace, playfulness, relaxation).
8. 4The user experience in Buildings
8.5 The tourist experience in public and commercial buildings.

The unit no. 8 includes the emotional effect of design and high lights the
user experience in buildings and tourist experience in the public and
commercial buildings.
 UNIT 9. Visual Pollution

9.3 Source of Visual Pollution

9.2 Raising awareness on Visual Pollution
9.3 Control of Visual Pollution

Unit no. 9 deals with the public awareness and participation regarding
visual pollution in the environment.
Discussion
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