Assessing the Impact of Active Ground Floor Components on the Perceived Presence of the Surrounding Environment in Academic Buildings at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran

Mousavikia, Shokoofeh; Sa’adati, Amirsam; Parvizi, Elham

doi:10.22034/aaud.2025.478811.2916

Assessing the Impact of Active Ground Floor Components on the Perceived Presence of the Surrounding Environment in Academic Buildings at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Shokoofeh Mousavikia ¹

Amirsam Sa’adati ²

Elham Parvizi ³

¹ M.A. in Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran.

² M.A. in Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).

10.22034/aaud.2025.478811.2916

Abstract

Users’ tendency to be present in and make greater use of a space is one of the indicators of spatial success. The physical characteristics of a space play a determining role in this regard, and this study focuses on assessing the components of an active ground floor. The concept of an active ground floor emphasizes the importance of design approaches at human eye level. It is considered significant in terms of its ability to influence passersby and pedestrians. In this concept, the design of the ground floor façade and its surrounding environment are considered jointly. Given that previous studies on active ground floors have primarily focused on urban contexts, the current study aims to examine academic environments and assess the impact of active ground floor components on the perceived presence of the surroundings of academic buildings. Accordingly, the components of an active ground floor—including: enclosure, functional diversity, pause, and architectural detailing—were examined in the Faculty of Fine Arts, which is considered one of the most presence-oriented university spaces. Initially, through observation, the areas with the highest degree of presence were identified for assessing the components of the active ground floor. Then, the validity and reliability of the developed model—based on theoretical foundations and an investigation of the Faculty of Fine Arts—were tested through first-order factor analysis and a questionnaire distributed among the faculty’s students. The data collected from the questionnaire confirmed the model’s validity and reliability. Subsequently, second-order factor analysis was conducted to determine the influence of each of the aforementioned components on presence. Architectural detailing, with a factor loading of 0.848, was identified as the most influential active ground floor component on presence at the Faculty of Fine Arts. The components of pause and enclosure followed, with factor loadings of 0.526 and 0.357, respectively.

Keywords

Active ground floor

Presence

Faculty of Fine Arts Campus

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