Explaining the Components of Spatial Satisfaction in High-Rise Residential Buildings in Tehran

Introduction: The increasing proliferation of high-rise buildings has become a significant concern for urban environments in recent decades, particularly in rapidly expanding megacities. While often conceived as an inevitable solution for optimizing limited land use and accommodating massive population growth, this vertical expansion introduces complex challenges that extend beyond mere structural stability. The shift in living patterns within high-density vertical structures significantly impacts the residents' social well-being, psychological experience, and relationship with the city. Consequently, Spatial Satisfaction has emerged as a crucial, multi-layered issue integral to assessing and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents in these dense residential environments. In the specific context of Tehran, where this rapid vertical development has been ongoing since the 1960s, a profound and critical understanding of the built environment's influence is necessary. The success of high-rise projects should be measured not just by physical output or economic viability, but by their ability to support human experience. This research aims to systematically address this necessity by establishing the core components of spatial satisfaction in the configuration of Tehran’s high-rise residential buildings. By synthesizing diverse theoretical perspectives—ranging from environmental psychology and social anthropology to architectural structure—this study seeks to provide a unified conceptual framework, offering a vital guide for policymakers and designers to move beyond purely physical standards and ensure the development of sustainable and humane vertical communities.
Methodology: This research employs a descriptive-analytical approach based on a qualitative-comparative methodology. The theoretical insights were collected through documentary studies and content analysis of specialized texts in architecture, environmental psychology, urban design, and theories of spatial satisfaction and environmental quality. Subsequently, common and distinguishing components proposed by various theorists were extracted and explained using the comparative analysis method. The primary tools for data gathering included thematic indexing, conceptual categorization, layered conceptual analysis, and inter-theoretic comparison. This systematic approach ensured a credible foundation for developing the analytical model.
Results: The findings demonstrate that spatial satisfaction is a complex, multidimensional reality. Each theoretical perspective illuminates a specific dimension:

Perceptual and Cultural Theories (e.g., Rapoport): Focus on the subjective and semantic layers of space, including aesthetics, legibility, and cultural fit.
Space Syntax (Hillier & Hanson): Concentrates on analyzing the objective structure, such as spatial integration, depth, and visibility, and its impact on social interaction and perceived security.
Environmental Psychology (Gifford, Barker): Highlights psychological factors like the feeling of control, the impact of environmental stress (noise, density), privacy, and the alignment of expected behaviors with the physical setting.
Quality of Life & Person-Environment Fit: Addresses broader social factors, accessibility to services, security, management quality, and alignment with individual needs and lifestyles.

Commonalities observed across these theories include the crucial role of human perception, the necessity of social interaction, the multidimensional nature of quality, and the clear link between human behavior and spatial structure.
Discussion: The analysis confirms that the spatial experience in Tehran's high-rise buildings is a product of dynamic interaction among physical form, perception, activities, and socio-cultural structures.

Limitations of a Unidimensional Approach: The study reveals that solely focusing on physical standards or management services is insufficient; neglecting the social atmosphere, environmental legibility, or the residents' sense of control leads to dissatisfaction.
The Structural Role of Configuration: The research emphasizes the foundational role of the building's spatial configuration (e.g., spatial depth, path continuity, visibility of semi-public areas) in shaping residents' lived experience, directly affecting social interaction, safety, and accessibility. The physical structure acts as a "framework regulating behavior and perception."
Integrated Framework: The final model integrates these viewpoints, proposing a holistic framework necessary for analyzing high-rise residential quality in a complex megacity like Tehran, characterized by diverse lifestyles and high density.

Conclusion: The research concludes that spatial satisfaction in high-rise residential environments is a multidimensional concept that must be explained through four primary axes:

Physical Axis: Including lighting, ventilation, proportions, legibility, spatial integration, and security.
Functional Axis: Including compatibility of land uses, service quality, accessibility, management, and fit between units and needs.
Perceptual and Psychological Axis: Including sense of control, privacy, stress reduction, and aesthetics.
Socio-Identity Axis: Including social interaction, sense of belonging, spatial identity, and social justice.

These four axes provide the necessary theoretical foundation for developing the research's conceptual model, designing standard satisfaction questionnaires, and conducting structural analyses (Space Syntax) for future projects.
  Four Major Axes of Spatial Satisfaction Components in High-Rise Residential Environments




Macro Component Axis


Measurement Method


Indicators




Physical Axis


Measurable / spatial syntax


Accessibility, legibility, geometry, ventilation, daylight, form




Functional Axis


Field / survey


Management, service quality, land-use coordination, unit–need fit




Identity / Perceptual Axis


Interviews and surveys


Symbolic legibility, meaning, attachment, identity




Comfort & Health Axis


Environmental measurement & self-report


Acoustic comfort, privacy, stress reduction, safety, thermal comfort