Measuring restoration likelihood of tall building scapes: physical features and vegetation

The framework proposed in this article has investigated the effects of physical and vegetational features of tall building scapes on restoration likelihood. This framework focuses on the form of window openings and gaps in the building and, in the case of vegetation of tall building scapes, studies the amount and type of vegetation. Physical and vegetational variables were manipulated in simulation environments to obtain 120 color images. 54 participants in 6 groups evaluated these images based on restoration likelihood, fascination, being away, preference, perceived complexity, and perceived enclosure. Results indicated a more significant role of physical variables than vegetation in restoration likelihood. Moreover, increasing openings and gaps in the physics of a tall building has reduced restoration; however, they had no indirect effect on restoration through mediator variables of fascination and being away. Increasing vegetation and using more bulky vegetation (from flowers to trees and green walls) have shown positive effects on restoration and indirectly affected it through the mediator variable of being away. Moreover, analyzing different categories of physical and vegetational variables of tall building scapes showed that horizontal opening, absence of gap, increasing horizontal vegetation, and using more bulky vegetation significantly impact restoration (positively).