Citation

Lu Y, Ye Y. Environ. Plan. B Urban Anal. City Sci. 2019; 46(2): 225-242.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/2399808317705659

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The question of whether multilevel buildings are memorized as volumetric map or collection of floors is central to spatial cognition and wayfinding studies about multilevel buildings. The stacked-floor buildings used in previous studies may limit people's ability to integrate floors into a volumetric mental map. In this study, we assessed wayfinding and cognitive performances of 31 participants in a multilevel shopping mall with five atriums which provided adequate visual access and smooth floor transitions. (1) In the wayfinding task, we observed path choice for 31 participants in this mall. The participants' choice for all path segments, also vertical path segments, clearly gravitated toward the most accessible spaces in the whole building, rather than most accessible space within individual floors. (2) Participants were also asked to identify the locations where they can see maximum number of stores. The identified locations can be reliably predicted by objectively measured three-dimensional visibility information, but not two-dimensional visibility information. (3) In the pointing task, participants can accurately point to out-of-sight targets in the same floor and in the different floor, in both azimuth and elevation direction. In sum, those findings suggest that people can memorize a multilevel atrium building as a volumetric map. This study also demonstrates the usefulness of developing three-dimensional configurational variables to explain human spatial behavior and spatial cognition.

Language: en