The Impact of Architectural Space on Aesthetic Response (Case Study Shrine of Imam Reza)

Aesthetic chills have been hinted in the writings of some scholars for about two centuries, as a response which occurs through the five senses and it is accompanied by physical sensations, although not more than four decades have passed since the first scientific studies. This reaction is associated with the experience of goose bump and shiver in the spine and shoulders, or a tingle in the scalp and often occurs in the face of a beautiful stimulus and art, specially music, but scientific discoveries, religious practices and in general, anything related to the basic human need for cognition can also cause it. The experiment of understanding architectural space, which is a multisensory perception and experienced equally by eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and flesh, can be perceived by this form of aesthetic reaction. With a focus on religious architecture as a building where aesthetic stimuli are abundant and beside that, it is a place for religious practices, and the shrine of Imam Reza as one of the most important religious buildings in Iran, present research pursues the impact of architectural space on the aesthetic chills response. The architectural space of the shrine has a psychological effect on the viewer by using materials such as marble and gold, which reflect the light the most, as well as various aesthetic forms. Marble is also associated with the acoustic properties of the environment due to the reverberating sound, which greatly affects the sense of hearing in aesthetic perception. The study has been done by descriptive-analytical method and based on field survey through a questionnaire which is part of a larger research that in addition to the impact of architectural space qualities, has analyzed the relationship between personality traits and religiosity with aesthetic chills experience. The aim of the study is to identify spaces and actions that, as an independent variable, affect human emotions as a dependent variable and cause the chills response. Considering the architectural structure as a space its perception is beyond sight and related to various senses and measuring the aesthetic chills response, the test results of 307 participants in this study show that some spatial structures such as the tomb have the most impact on occurring chills via the sense of touch. Also, sounds such as the sound of the call to prayer and the naqareh are effective in the next stage through the sense of hearing. Findings show that in addition to architectural space and elements, spiritual feeling also has an impact on creating shiver, which can be a significant point in the construction of religious buildings with spaces and forms that strengthen the person’s sense of belonging to the building.