Investigation of the Effect of Parametric Patterned Façade and Resulting Daylight Illuminance on Students’ Mood and Task Performance in Architecture Studio-Based Tutoring

Abstract

Parametric design is one of the thriving contemporary architectural treatments that not only has an influence on the design of building envelopes but is capable of affecting the users physically and psychologically. The efficiency of the daylight resulting from the facade is greatly affected by the envelope’s perforation shapes, sizes, and distribution. This research builds upon a prior study which investigated the effect of Parametric Patterned Façade on daylight performance, quality, and visual comfort concluding with the choice of the highest-performing pattern for daylight metrics. The chosen pattern is the “Triangles Pattern” which was put in situ where the field experiment took place. The current study analyzed the effect of illuminance, and illuminance distribution resulting from the parametric patterned facade on architecture students’ mood and task performance in the setting of an architecture studio-based tutoring. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were adopted; quantitative through the utilization of a Spatial Ability Test to assess students’ task performance, and qualitative through a self-reporting mood assessment, and subjective daylight perception questionnaire. The analysis was conducted through three types of tests to investigate the research hypothesis; statistical analysis of hypothesis (t-test), PANAS schedule for mood assessment, and comparative analysis of the subjective questionnaire between the base case condition and the parametric patterned façade condition. The results of paired sample study indicated that the students’ performance was enhanced after the exposure to the second condition (PPF condition) over the first (BC condition). Also, for the NA assessment, both PANAS assessment and t-test analysis results showed a difference in means between the two conditions indicating that there was an enhancement of the NA. Finally, a framework is proposed for the utilization of a Parametric Patterned façade in an educational setting. The implications of this experiment inform architects of the importance of daylighting techniques to enrich the educational environment, and how to establish a research methodology for the enhancement of daylight design using both technical and psychological approaches.

Keywords

• daylight
• parametric pattern
• parametric design
• task performance