The Role of Architecture-Nature Interaction in the Quality of Place Attachment, Case Study: House-Gardens in Hamedan, Iran

One of the major aspects of quality of life is place-attachment which is affected by human-nature interactions. Looking at such a critical issue in human settlements requires the study of the relationship between architecture and nature. It is a critical issue in the contemporary literature of built environment and is discussed in specific frameworks such as phenomenology and environmental psychology. This paper evaluates the sense of place and place-attachment through investigating architecture-nature interaction in the built environment. The hypothesis of the research is that there is a correlation between architecture-nature interaction and the quality of place attachment of residents in a built environment. In order to explain and redefine “sense of place”, the basic approach is based on interpreting and considering the relationship between human and nature in house-gardens in which their quality is not affected by high density built environment. The study utilized a multiple case study methodology to investigate the effects of perceiving and experiencing nature in the built environment on the quality of place attachment. Thus applying qualitative methodology, this research focuses on the relationship between human, natural and built environment based on a theoretical framework. In this research a quantitative strategy examines the assumed correlation through investigating the case studies. Also, it is established a hierarchical multi-attribute system of aspects and criteria for considering nature and natural elements as an effectual system. This study reveals the existence of a direct relationship between quality of place attachment and perception of nature in the built environment.