Why architects and laypersons judge buildings differently: Cognitive properties and physical bases
October 29, 2025Architects predict lay evaluations of large contemporary buildings: whose conceptual properties?
October 29, 2025Conflicting interpretations of architecture: An empirical investigation
By Hubbard, P.
Full Citation
Hubbard, P. (1996). Conflicting interpretations of architecture: An empirical investigation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16(2), 75–92.
Key Findings
This study examines differences in architectural interpretation between planners, planning students, and public respondents. Using multiple sorting techniques, respondents categorized 15 examples of contemporary architecture based on their own criteria. INDSCAL analysis identified a shared conceptualization of these architectural stimuli but also revealed significant inter-group and inter-individual differences in interpretation, evident as variations from this common conceptualization. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for environmental psychology research, particularly emphasizing the need to consider notions of power and ideology.