Architectural photography as a proposal for an experiential-based informal model in interior architecture education

Abstract

Interior architecture education requires innovative methods to enable students to utilize knowledge gained from everyday experiences and informal learning more effectively and acquire fundamental skills. In this context, architectural photography is a significant tool for enhancing students’ spatial perception and visual skills. Photography provides a selective experience that activates students’ visual attention mechanisms; bottom-up attention processes direct students to visually prominent and attention-grabbing elements in the environment, while top-down processes focus attention on task-relevant features, suppressing distractions. Consequently, search behavior is shaped by both immediate environmental stimuli and broader context- and task-related factors. This study aims to support students in establishing a more conscious relationship with their environment by enhancing their abilities to explore spatial features, select visual stimuli, and interpret them. Data were collected from two different sample groups. The first sample group was shown their photographs, while the second group was shown pre-prepared photographs and eye-tracking measurements were taken. Analyses were conducted using Tobii Pro Lab Screen Based Analysis software. The findings indicated that informal experience led to variations in visual perception. As a result, a model was developed suggesting that the experience of taking photographs in interior architecture education may contribute to students’ improvement in visual perception and foster a more conscious approach to spatial design.