Practical framework for the assessment of everyday aesthetics

Abstract

With the long period that students spend on the university campus, it becomes a familiar part of their daily routine. Many parts of the campus transform into mere functional spaces accommodating students’ activities. It is a challenge to identify and investigate a suitable framework for studying the aesthetical value of these familiar parts. It is also questioned whether there is a relationship between the students’ specialization and their appreciation of this aesthetical value. Using the framework of the theory of Everyday Aesthetics (EA), this research investigated the students’ appreciation of EA in the Engineering Campus of the University of Bahrain. The study revealed that everyday outdoor spaces proved more significant in this regard than everyday buildings. The study also found differences between architecture and engineering students in their appreciation of EA. This study is the first to develop a theoretical framework for the use of EA to investigate the aesthetics of familiar spaces at university campuses and opens the door for further future research.