Comparative Study of the Concept of Aesthetics in Sustainable Architecture and Visual Arts with Emphasis on Environmental Aesthetics Theory (Case Study: Mellat Cineplex Gallery Campus)

Abstract

The understanding of beauty in architecture and the visual arts has, in recent centuries, moved away from formalist approaches and shifted toward an experiential, contextual, and environmental perspective. Within this shift, environmental aesthetics theory has emerged as an interdisciplinary framework that enables the simultaneous analysis of visual, sensory, cultural, and ecological elements in the perception of beauty. This article aims to examine the intersection between the principles of environmental aesthetics and sustainable design through a comparative analysis of sustainable architecture and contemporary visual arts, with emphasis on the case study of Mellat Cineplex Gallery Campus. The primary objective of the study is to elucidate how the principles of environmental aesthetics are reflected in three levels—visual structure, meaning, and environmental experience—within sustainable architecture. The article also demonstrates how integrating the viewpoints of Rudolf Arnheim (structural perception) and Karl Groos (contextual aesthetics) can provide a theoretical foundation for designing sustainable spaces with cultural identity. The research employs a qualitative and analytical method with a comparative approach, utilizing the case study of the Mellat Campus architectural project to examine the alignment between theoretical propositions and their concrete manifestation. The findings indicate that sustainable architecture is achieved when the perceptual experience of the audience, the formal structure of the space, and its connection with cultural and environmental context are designed in an integrated manner. In the Mellat Campus, the unity among form, function, sensory experience, and interaction with the urban and natural fabric realizes a concrete embodiment of environmental aesthetics theory.