Everyday Aesthetics and Attractiveness of the University Campus

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 therefore a challenge to identify and investigate a suitable framework for studying the aesthetical value and attractiveness of these familiar parts. It is also questioned whether there is a relationship between students’ specialization and their appreciation of the aesthetical value and attractiveness of these familiar spaces. Using the framework of everyday aesthetics, this research investigated the students’ appreciation of the aesthetical value and attractiveness of the Engineering Campus of the University of Bahrain. The study revealed that familiar spaces on the university campus have different levels of aesthetical value that affects their attractiveness. Familiar outdoor spaces proved significant in this regard more than buildings. The study also found differences between architecture and engineering students’ appreciation of everyday aesthetics in familiar spaces and their attractiveness. The study is the first to develop a theoretical framework for the use of everyday aesthetics to investigate the aesthetics and attractiveness of familiar spaces at university campuses and opens the door for further future research.