Explaining the Role of Architectural Geometry in the Perception of Meaning Based on the Perceptual Process from the Perspective of Islamic Rationalism

Abstract

Architectural geometry, as a language expressing the culture and symbolizing the civilization of a society, has consistently played a fundamental role in shaping perception and communicating meaning. However, amid the relativistic challenges of the postmodern era, it has encountered a profound crisis of perception and meaning. Despite extensive studies on the relationships among the indicators of geometry, perception, and meaning across various fields of knowledge, insufficient attention to the hierarchical levels of human perception has prevented the development of a systematic framework capable of explaining the relationships among these components based on the philosophy of Islamic rationalism in the domain of perception. Accordingly, the central research question is: How, and through what mechanisms, can architectural geometry lead to the perception of meaning within the perceptual process from the perspective of Islamic rationalism? This study was conducted to theoretically explain this process and to develop a theoretical–applied model within the perceptual framework of Islamic rationalism. The research employed a descriptive–analytical method based on normative theory. Data were collected through a review of library sources and an analysis of scholars’ perspectives presented in theoretical literature. The data were subsequently analyzed through a process involving axial categorization and theoretical sampling at both objective and subjective levels, while inferential reasoning and logical argumentation were employed to establish relationships among the categories. The findings, presented in the form of a Meaningful Architectural Experience Model, indicate that Islamic rationalism, in the domain of perception, establishes a systematic relationship between different levels of perception and geometry. Within this mechanism, different types of geometric structures, in both their qualitative and quantitative dimensions and according to their manner of application in architectural design, activate different levels of human perception—namely sensation, imagination, estimative faculty, and intellect—and, through this process, enable the perception of distinct meanings. The development of this theoretical framework provides a foundation for future analytical and comparative studies.