A Study on the Aesthetic of Water Elements in the Exterior Space of Architecture - Focused on Evolutionary Aesthetics and Neuroscience -

Abstract

Background Water, an essential resource for survival, helps architects better demonstrate their design preferences in their works. Human beings have been exploring the relationship between man and nature and space, from the ancient lifestyle of choosing water to the construction environment full of reinforced concrete. Presently, advocating the return of nature and drawing closer to the sense of alienation between man and the natural environment have become the design method highly recommended by modern architectural space. As for the exterior space of the architecture, water will become a positive landscape resource, expressing and transmitting the beauty and energy from nature to the artificial structure in a fusion manner. Methods Firstly, the structure of the brain's preference for water as a landscape element is analyzed based on evolutionary aesthetics. Secondly, this study analyzes the projects which used water elements in the exterior space of architecture. The aesthetic characteristics of symmetry, orderliness, and impression are summarized through the categories of three expressions: plane, facade, and impression. Finally, the processing of aesthetic preferences for water elements occurring in the brain is analyzed in the context of neuroscience theory. Result It was concluded that the natural preference for water, the unconscious preference for the gloss of water, and the restoration of water's attention to people were preferred as survival resources. It is found that the expression of symmetrical beauty by the plane of water elements in the outer space of the building produces positive emotions. The order of the surface of the water element creates pleasure by inducing aesthetic favor. The semantic beauty of water as an impression creates positive emotions. Conclusion This study argues that it has an excellent sensitivity to the combination of architecture and water landscape elements based on research in evolutionary aesthetics. Through the study of two theories of evolutionary aesthetics and neuroscience, this study recognizes the aesthetic relationship of water elements in the outer space of architecture, providing scientific direction to architectural design.